Josh Hart has stood out as one of the most consistent players on the Lakers team. Now, he’ll get the chance to prove it with extended playing time, filling in for Brandon Ingram.
Injuries Affected Josh Hart Too
After a strong start the season, a sprained ankle sidelined Josh Hart for a bit. He hasn’t looked like himself since Thanksgiving weekend, and even goose-egged in back-to-back games on November 23rd and November 25th.
But He Bounced Back
If we were to use general plus/minus net rating and apply it to Josh Hart, it was clear that the injury really affected him on the 23rd, 25th, and 27th of November. He started to get his feet under him soon after, not just with a double digit scoring game on the 29th, but positive net effect against quality teams such as the Pacers, the Mavericks, and the Spurs.
| Rk | G | Date | Age | Tm | Opp | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | GmSc | +/- | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 17 | 2018-11-21 | 23-260 | LAL | @ | CLE | W (+4) | 0 | 21:23 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 0 | 3 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3.2 | -9 | |
| 18 | 18 | 2018-11-23 | 23-262 | LAL | UTA | W (+7) | 0 | 14:29 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | -1.8 | -3 | ||
| 19 | 19 | 2018-11-25 | 23-264 | LAL | ORL | L (-4) | 0 | 15:09 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.9 | -3 | ||||
| 20 | 20 | 2018-11-27 | 23-266 | LAL | @ | DEN | L (-32) | 0 | 20:54 | 2 | 6 | .333 | 0 | 4 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3.9 | -10 | |
| Rk | G | Date | Age | Tm | Opp | GS | MP | FG | FGA | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | GmSc | +/- | ||
| 21 | 21 | 2018-11-29 | 23-268 | LAL | IND | W (+8) | 0 | 25:05 | 6 | 7 | .857 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 13.4 | +8 | |
| 22 | 22 | 2018-11-30 | 23-269 | LAL | DAL | W (+11) | 0 | 23:05 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 1 | 4 | .250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3.6 | +10 | ||
| 23 | 23 | 2018-12-02 | 23-271 | LAL | PHO | W (+24) | 0 | 17:55 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 2 | 3 | .667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 5.6 | +32 | ||
| 24 | 24 | 2018-12-05 | 23-274 | LAL | SAS | W (+8) | 0 | 13:21 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 2 | 5 | .400 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0.6 | +7 |
Despite that, Josh Hart has had a positive impact on the basketball floor, hardly affecting his offensive rating (currently 113) and defensive rating (currently 108). In fact, his traditional numbers compared to last season are virtually equal compared to last season with near equal VORP, 0.7 last year to 0.5 this year.
5-Man Lineups
While Josh has been doing well individually, it also stands out in the 5-man lineups for the Lakers.
The table shows the lineups that Josh Hart plays alongside the most. Josh Hart has an overwhelmingly positive effect for the entire team, even with one lineup next to Lance Stephenson. Note, that he plays the most minutes with the starting lineup, substituting for Brandon Ingram, and has a net rating of +9.1. It’s especially noteworthy, that when he plays with the bench lineup that includes Rajon Rondo and JaVale McGee, the net rating is 28.6 through 21 minutes of play.
While this is a relatively small sample size, the Lakers are nearly through 1/3rd of the season. It’s clear, that specific lineups do work.
However, other lineups aren’t used enough.
Underutilized 5-Man Lineups
There are certain lineups that some Laker fans have been itching to see more often. In this table, two of them are listed, and have shown a strong net rating effect.
The first lineup, is the predicted “death lineup” for the Lakers. Unfortunately, we won’t get the chance to see it until Brandon Ingram is back and healthy, but when LeBron James decides to play the “5” slot in late game situations, the offensive rating is 112.9, defensive rating 96.9, with an absurd 78.6% assist rate. With that many ball-handlers and good decision-makers on the floor, that unit has a 5.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Deadly.
The second lineup that stands out, includes Tyson Chandler, LeBron James, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, and Josh Hart. Though they’ve played just 12 minutes as a unit, that unit has yielded an incredible net rating of 52.9. Essentially, this is the “big” lineup for the Lakers, with LeBron or Ingram initiating the offense, Chandler as the screener and lob target, while Kuzma and Hart spot up and attack closeouts. It’s a very well balanced lineup.
Summing It Up
It is often said that the season is a marathon. Injuries are just a part of it. While it’s unfortunate that Brandon Ingram got hurt, the Lakers are fortunate to have the depth to be just as formidable against the opposition, especially with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Svi Mykhailiuk off the bench.
With Josh Hart improving his health, it’s possible he gets over 30 minutes of playing time between both the starting lineups and the bench lineups. He has shown effectiveness between both, and the return of Rajon Rondo seems right around the corner.
But, in the end, this is the Lakers team. A healthy squad can compete against anybody in the league and we need a healthy Brandon Ingram to show it with those underutilized lineups.
Until then, Josh Hart can hold fort.
*Special thanks to nba.com/stats, Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images, @bball_ref*
