The Lakers catch a break tonight against Phoenix, as the Suns will be missing both Kevin Durant (expected) and center DeAndre Ayton, who (when KD isn't playing) is Phoenix's second-best player after Devin Booker. (Due respect to Chris Paul.) So a must-win game for the Lakers (aren't they all, now?) is much more winnable. It's also an opportunity for Anthony Davis to do more damage, because at the least he will not have the same level of defensive responsibility guarding Jock Landale and Bismack Biyombo.
So we'll see how that goes.
Meanwhile, how Davis performs isn't the only issue facing the Lakers right now, particularly in the starting lineup. Malik Beasley has essentially been in a slump since joining the team (a couple good games notwithstanding) and the low shooting percentage is putting a strain on the productivity of the starting five, which already carries Jarred Vanderbilt, an inconsistent producer of points, to be charitable.
Both guys have been negatively impacted by the absence of LeBron James (Vanderbilt more as a defender, Beasley as a scorer), and will likely benefit from his return. Except that's not going to happen for a little while longer, if it happens at all, and the Lakers need to be as productive as possible in the interim. So is switching Beasley out of the starting five the best option? For Lonnie Walker? Rui Hachimura? Austin Reaves?
What's the ripple effect of making a change like this one?
And speaking of ripple effects, the Lakers have some decisions to make this offseason, including on Beasley. How should his current performance impact those choices? Does it make a lot of sense to let him go, but keep guys like D'Angelo Russell, Hachimura and Vanderbilt, then re-sign Austin Reaves?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

SEGMENT 1: Housekeeping! AD may not play in the last back-to-back after all! The Lakers catch a break against the Suns.

SEGMENT 2: Is it time to remove Beasley from the starting lineup?

SEGMENT 3: What happens if the Lakers decide to let Beasley (or other potential FA's) go this summer? The front office faces a bit of a binary choice...

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