The Los Angeles Lakers have predictably struggled this season as they are 2-11 and things don't seem to be getting all that much better. A lot of the Lakers' players have struggled to start this season but Lou Williams is one that stands out and because of that Byron Scott is likely to make a full-time change to his role. Williams was handling the backup point guard duties for the Lakers but now he is unlikely to do that anymore, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Williams won the Sixth Man of the Year award last season with the Toronto Raptors before signing a three year deal with the Lakers to help their bench. So far this season Williams has not played very well though, despite being third on the team with 12.5 points per game, as he is shooting just 33 percent from the field and 24 percent from three. Williams is not much of a facilitator and Scott wants the Lakers to have better ball movement so Williams will move off the ball when he gets in the game from now on most likely.
Moving Williams off the ball should allow him to be more comfortable and get back to where he was last season in terms of scoring more efficiently but it leaves the Lakers in somewhat of a bind at the point guard position. The Lakers top two point guards, Jordan Clarkson and D'Angelo Russell, both start so the only other option Scott has is Marcelo Huertas who has been out of the rotation for the most part this year.
Scott shot down the idea of Nick Young playing the point guard spot very quickly so it seems as though Huertas may be in line for a minutes bump. In the Lakers first game since Scott declared Williams wouldn't be playing point guard anymore though, Huertas didn't get into the game as Scott instead decided to play both Clarkson and Russell big minutes.
Playing Russell and Clarkson big minutes can work from time to time but not on a consistent basis so if Scott is going to stick to the idea of playing Williams off the ball only he's going to have to play Huertas you would think. For now though, we will have to wait and see if Williams' move off the ball can get him out of his season long shooting funk.
