Lakers Roll Out Chaotic New Starting Lineup to Fix Leaky Defense

The Los Angeles Lakers are rolling out a starting five on Friday that looks like a 2K MyLeague save where the salary cap was turned off and the user just started hitting random buttons.

According to Underdog NBA, Los Angeles will start Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Matisse Thybulle, Jake LaRavia, and Walker Kessler against the Portland Trail Blazers.

"Underdog NBA tweeted the lineup alert: 'Lakers will start Doncic, Reaves, Thybulle, LaRavia, Kessler on Friday.'"

If you are staring at a Lakers spread right now, this is the exact type of lineup alert that makes you reconsider your life choices. It is a chaotic blend of historic usage rates, elite perimeter defense with zero spacing, and the sheer mystery of Jake LaRavia minutes.

The backcourt is currently doing enough heavy lifting to require a chiropractor. Doncic is averaging a comical 36.2 points per game on a 39.7 percent usage rate, while Reaves is chipping in 26.7 points a night. The game plan is essentially two guys playing hero ball while three other guys do cardio and hope for a rebound.

This defensive pivot is not exactly a mystery if you have watched them play defense lately. The Lakers recently surrendered 131 points to the Toronto Raptors and 138 to the Miami Heat before finally stopping the bleeding in a 116-103 win over the Sacramento Kings. When you are giving up layup lines, you have to change the locks.

Throwing Thybulle and Kessler into the starting group is a massive overcorrection for rim protection. Kessler is blocking 2.8 shots per game, which means he will be busy cleaning up the mess every time a guard blows past the first line of defense.

We will find out quickly if this defensive-heavy unit can actually score enough to survive against Portland. If the floor spacing looks as cramped as it sounds on paper, the Lakers might be back at the drawing board before the weekend is over.