For the seventh straight game, Laker Nation had reason to celebrate. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves powered the team past the New Orleans Pelicans with another strong showing. Even with this momentum, James Worthy remains cautious. The Lakers icon sees progress, but he also sees a clear weakness that cannot be ignored and needs to be addressed.

“I think sometimes when you’re winning, sometimes certain things can be covered up, and you don’t pay that much attention to it,” said Worthy. The Lakers legend feels it’s a place that JJ Redick needs to clean up.

Notably, the former Finals MVP is concerned about their heavy reliance on the starters because the Lakers’ bench produces the fewest points in the league.

Right now, the offense is entirely focused on Doncic, Reaves, and LeBron James making the right decisions with the ball. Their imperious performances so far have eradicated the need to have a bench that contributes to scoring. There have just been five games in which at least one of the Lakers’ starters hasn’t scored 30.

The expectation from the Lakers’ bench is to be ready to make an impact with grit and energy in the next matchup, especially against the Phoenix Suns. Defensively, having Marcus Smart and a 6’8” Jake LaRavia as options helps add some size and ball pressure to the system. Gabe Vincent falls under a similar category. One common attribute among them is that they can finish an executed play from one of the Lakers’ three floor generals.

The Lakers are arguably the only team with three playmaking specialists on the starting lineup. JJ Redick rarely plays without at least one of them, always on the floor. Hence, the bench hasn’t really been called on to put the ball in the net. However, don’t mistake the Lakers’ bench averaging only 23.7 points for being unprepared.

The LA Lakers’ bench has been a delight for JJ Redick

On the same show where Worthy shared concerns about the Lakers’ bench, Robert Horry looked at the situation through a practical lens. Aside from the five starters, nobody on the Lakers averages over 10 field goals per game. That is subject to change depending on the personnel JJ Redick has available.

Tonight, LeBron James was rested on the front end of a back-to-back. That allowed LaRavia to take 14 shots. Horry feels the bench understands the dynamics within the team, which is paramount to being successful. And their job is to be ready when their number is called.

“I’m never a big component of, hey, we got to have scoring off our bench. I’m a big component. Hey, when you come off the bench, you contribute,” Horry added.

That right there is what the Lakers’ bench has successfully done this season. Since LeBron James’ return, the bench has recorded the fifth-highest point differential in the league. Additionally, the second unit shoots 51.8% from the floor, aiding the Lakers to have the most efficient offense in the NBA. The Purple and Gold isn’t worried about generating points. Redick is confident in relying on his starting trio to create quality looks or go get a bucket themselves.

It’s the other departments where the Lakers need help. Defensively, the bench is where the Lakers have most of their ball hawks and stoppers. Their 15-4 record wouldn’t be possible had the bench not stepped up offensively when it had to. Hence, the numbers concern, but there’s a fair explanation as to why they correlate with success.