Lakers’ Ronnie Price, Ed Davis to start vs. New Orleans

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott said there would be changes to his starting lineup following Friday's 113-96 loss to the Boston Celtics. Lakers next game is Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014, against New Orleans at Staples Center. (File photo/AP Photo)

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott said there would be changes to his starting lineup following Friday’s 113-96 loss to the Boston Celtics. Lakers next game is Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014, against New Orleans at Staples Center. (File photo/AP Photo)

In hopes of injecting life into an otherwise dour season, Lakers coach Byron Scott will start Ronnie Price at point guard and Ed Davis at power forward for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans (8-10) at Staples Center. This sends Jeremy Lin and Carlos Boozer to the bench, and marks what Scott called the “first change of a possibility of being many” as the Lakers labor through a 5-15 record in what marks their worst start in franchise history.

“Both of those guys play extremely hard,” Scott said of Price and Davis. “Both of those guys have more of a defensive mentality. It’s probably a better match with the starters that we have.”

Scott said he would make changes to the starting lineup following the Lakers’ 113-96 loss on Friday to the Boston Celtics, but the Lakers coach declined to reveal which positions that would entail. Lin has averaged 11.9 points on 45.2 percent shooting and 4.9 assists but he has admitted feeling uncomfortable splitting ball handling duties with Kobe Bryant. Boozer, a two-time NBA All-Star, has averaged 12.4 points on a 49.8 percent clip, but Scott has often criticized his defensive effort and execution.

Scott also added that he made the changes to “match up personalities.” Scott believes Davis’ energy and defense complements Jordan Hill than the Boozer’s game that mostly centers on mid-range jumpers. Scott also argued Price feels more comfortable playing with Bryant than Lin, who has admitted a learning curve both sharing ball-handling duties with Bryant and mastering Scott’s Princeton-based offense.

“The biggest thing I need from them is defense,” Scott said about Lin and Boozer. “For Jeremy, it’s understanding what a point guard is. He still has to learn that. But again I’m not looking at this as a situation where it’s a demotion. We have to do something. The starting team hasn’t played really well at this particular point.”

It would have been understandable if Wesley Johnson lost his starting spot at small forward, his scoreless effort on Friday against Boston a microcosm of his inconsistent play. But Scott said he “never thought” about starting Nick Young, concerned that his 15 points per game average would weaken a bench that sorely needs depth.

“I think he loves coming off the bench and I think he likes that role as well,” Scott said of Young. “There’s not whole lot of guys in this league that are comfortable and accept that role. But Nick is one of those guys.”

Still, Scott added that these changes aren’t binding. He plans to allow the starting group that will featuring Price, Bryant, Johnson, Davis and Jordan Hill to play between 10 to 15 games before determining whether he will make more roster changes. After all, Price has only averaged only 3.9 points on a 31.7 percent clip. Davis has provided consistent energy off the bench, but he fouled out in 22 minutes in his lone start when Boozer nursed an injured shoulder.

The Lakers’ poor play has featured season-ending injuries to veteran guard Steve Nash (back), rookie forward Julius Randle (right leg) and reserve swingman Xavier Henry (left Achilles). The Lakers also have played 14 of their 20 games against teams slated to make the postseason. But Scott argued the Lakers should stand at 8-12 0r 10-10, noting a string of losses has prompted him to “question our energy and effort.” It also doesn’t help the Lakers rank last out of 30 NBA teams in total defense, allowing an average of 111 points per game.

“Just trying to inject some more energy into our team and let them know, if you think your minutes are guaranteed, it really isn’t,” Scott said. “To be honest with you from a coaching standpoint, I have nothing to lose. I really don’t. we’re 5-15 right now and I know we should be better. I hope they feel the same way. If they think that’s good enough, they’re fooling themselves.”

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