John Wall Urges JJ Redick to Bench Rui Hachimura For $10,524,700 Veteran in Major Lineup Shakeup Amid Alarming Slide

Former NBA player John Wall suggested removing Rui Hachimura from the LA Lakers' starting lineup amid their recent slump. The Lakers are on a three-game losing streak and have lost six of their last 10 games. Wall wants Redick to replace Hachimura with Marcus Smart or even with Jarred Vanderbilt.

On a recent episode of "NBA on Prime," the crew of Wall, Dwyane Wade, Rudy Gay and Taylor Rooks discussed the recent struggles of the purple and gold franchise. The ex-Washington Wizards star mentioned replacing Hachimura with Smart or Vanderbilt, depending on matchups.

"One move I would love to see is taking Rui out of the starting lineup, adding Marcus Smart there," Wall said, according to @ohnohedidnt24 on X. "(Rui's) not supposed to be guarding Kevin Durant or guarding a Cade Cunningham on a nightly basis. That's what you got a Marcus Smart or a Jarred Vanderbilt for."

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With a healthy lineup featuring Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura and Deandre Ayton, the LA Lakers' main problem has been defense. Doncic and Reaves are not known for their defense, while James is no longer the player he used to be on that end of the floor.

Hachimura can be a respectable interior defender, but he doesn't have the speed to match up with perimeter players. Marcus Smart, who signed a two-year, $10.5 million contract this past summer, is a much better perimeter defender and a former Defensive Player of the Year.

Smart gives up height, so Jarred Vanderbilt can also slide into the small forward position, though it will depend on matchups. The only downside of having Vanderbilt on the floor is that he can't stretch the offense like Rui Hachimura.

It will be interesting to see if the Lakers address their defensive issues before the trade deadline.

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Rui Hachimura coming off the bench could benefit the Lakers

Based on JJ Redick's comments after their loss to the Houston Rockets on Christmas, there are going to be changes to his starting lineup. Rui Hachimura is the likely casualty, but him coming off the bench could benefit the LA Lakers in the long run, as per Jacob Rude of Silver Screen and Roll.

"In reality, this could be a move that helps Rui," Rude wrote. "At times, he gets lost in the shuffle in the starting lineup. Moving him to the bench and giving him more opportunities against second units can both help get him going and also help the Lakers’ putrid bench production this season."

Hachimura has the skillset to be a successful sixth man. He also doesn't need to defend the best players on a nightly basis, preserving his energy to score the basketball instead.

Edited by Juan Paolo David