Byron Scott to bring Russell, Randle off bench for foreseeable future

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott made the curious decision to move his two rookie starters to the bench for Monday night's game against the Toronto Raptors.

In a way, it made sense; the two would have the opportunity to take the reins of the second unit, and theoretically see more touches and have more space to grow their games by playing without Kobe Bryant. And in a way, it worked. Point guard D'Angelo Russell said after the game that he noticed "more ball movement" and "more opportunities" without Bryant on the floor. Power forward Julius Randle had one of his best games of the season, scoring 15 points and hauling in 11 rebounds, including seven at the offensive end.

But Russell and Randle also played only 21 minutes apiece, down from the 27.4 and 28 they're averaging on the season, respectively. Randle was also pulled from the game with four minutes remaining in regulation and the Lakers down four. They'd go on to lose by nine.

Though the Lakers are now 3-18, and player development (particularly for the No. 2 and No. 7 overall picks from the past two drafts) would seem to be their top priority, Scott says neither the reserve roles nor the minutes reductions are likely to be one-offs, as he expects the pair to play 20-25 minutes off the bench for the foreseeable future.

Pressed for an explanation for his new strategy, Scott pointed to the rookies' frustratingly incremental progress, suggesting they might learn better by seeing than by doing.

"Those two still have to understand how to play this game," he said. "It's a tough game. They're young. It's going to take them some time. They are a big part of our future. There's no doubt about that. I still think at this point in their career, with a quarter of the season done, you can still learn some things by sitting there watching as well."

Scott went on to say that Russell and Randle need to learn how to play more selfless basketball.

"The biggest thing for those two right now is to understand how to play with their teammates," Scott said. "This is more of a team sport, so I need them to learn how to play off each other and not with the ball all the time as well."

That may sound like something of a contradiction from a man who's developing a reputation for them. Scott has said he has no intention of scaling back Bryant's minutes despite the impending retiree's sponge-like tendencies. Russell, meanwhile, leads the Lakers in passes thrown per game by an enormous margin, and Randle ranks third behind Russell and second-year guard Jordan Clarkson.

Asked for his own best guess as to why his role was altered and his minutes scaled back, Randle didn't have much to offer.

"I don't know, man," he said. "It's not my decision, so I don't know."