Marcus Smart is heading to Los Angeles, and one Lakers insider believes the former Defensive Player of the Year should step straight into the starting lineup.
In my opinion, its clear that Rui is the guy that should go to the bench because I think people tend to look at positions too much through an offensive lens and not a defensive lens, Lakers Insider Jovan Buha said on his YouTube channel.
Buhathen expanded on why Smart deserves to start over Hachimura.
I think that the move to me would clearly be to start Marcus Smart over Rui, he said. I think the one concern with that is just that Rui has tended to perform better as a starter than a bench player. But at the same time, I dont think that the starting group as previously constructed was good enough defensively was not even close to being good enough defensively.
And that was my biggest concern with this group prior to the Marcus Smart signing. So, Ruis gonna have to figure it out potentially as a bench player, or maybe they end up flipping him at some point and then he figures it out elsewhere. But I dont think you should bend your starting lineup to your fifth-best player or sixth-best player, whatever, and kind of shape things around that.
It needs to be what makes sense positionally, and its like OK, LeBron [James], Luka [Doncic] and Austin [Reaves] are the three best players. Then, what are the two positions you need around that? You need a center, a rim runner, rim protector. OK, you got Deandre Ayton. Then, you need a versatile, switchable defensive piece thats Marcus Smart. So, to me, thats the starting lineup that makes the most sense.
Insider Marc Stein added another layer of optimism about Smarts fit (and fitness) with Los Angeles.
Im likewise told that Smart (like Doncic) has been working hard on his body this summer, Marc Stein wrote. Conditioning was an undeniable issue for Smart last season, but the Lakers were convinced during their pursuit that they will see a sleeker version of the 2021-22 DPOY.
READ MORE: Lakers Must Fix Shooting or Face Disappointment: Shaq
