Should the Los Angeles Lakers use Tyler Ennis to run their second unit?

With a mixture of combo guards backing up Lonzo Ball on the bench, Tyler Ennis has played well enough to warrant more minutes running the second unit.

With Kyle Kuzma starting in place of the injured Larry Nance Jr., the Los Angeles Lakers have shortened their rotation and seen their bench points drop from 46.9 points in 20.2 minutes a game to 32.8 points in just 14.7 minutes a game. Kuzma was one of the main sources of offense for the second unit, leaving head coach Luke Walton to rely on a bevy of combo guards that struggle to score efficiently.

With only Jordan Clarkson capable of consistently creating his own shot, the Lakers should consider giving Tyler Ennis more minutes after consecutive positive 11-minute showings in recent games. While Clarkson and fellow guard Josh Hart offer more athletically and are better shooters, Ennis is a pure point guard that controls the tempo and does the little things well that don’t show up on stat sheets.

Ennis signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract in the offseason after a bright spell with the Lakers late last season, but playing time has been scarce so far this season. He only topped five minutes of playing time once in the first seven games and failed to make an appearance in five games. Despite the sporadic court time, Ennis stayed ready and has played some solid basketball for brief stretches.

Ennis has played 11 minutes in consecutive appearances, first on Nov. 3 in a victory over the Brooklyn Nets and then six days later as the Lakers fell to the Washington Wizards. Each game presented different circumstances, but Ennis extended the lead in the Brooklyn game and brought a 20-point lead down to nine in Washington.

Ennis only averaged 6.0 points and 1.5 assists in those two games, but he controls the tempo and takes what the defense gives him, leading to the best possible shot more often than not. He swings the ball when not operating in the pick-and-roll, and defenses honor his jump shot opening up space for drives.

He moves well without the ball, which was evident on two backdoor cuts for layups in the fourth quarter against Brooklyn. Even if he didn’t receive the pass and score, his movement would have drawn help from an off-ball defender, creating an open look for a teammate. These are the type of little things that Ennis does when on the court that aren’t translatable to a stat sheet.

Ennis scored a season-high 10 points in that Brooklyn game, including a drive and finish on the bigger Allen Crabbe. This is an example of him taking what the defense gives him, and using his quickness to score on a bigger wing in Crabbe. He exited the fourth quarter with under seven minutes left in the game, but not before extending the Lakers lead to 14 points.

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The Wizards game offered a different scenario with Ennis entering the contest down 20 points late in the third quarter. He only scored two points in this game, but did his part in running the offense. The Lakers trimmed the lead to 14 points entering the fourth quarter and were within nine points after Ennis buried a jump shot off a screen before stripping Otto Porter Jr. and finding Julius Randle for an alley-oop.

Ennis defended well against the reserve guards for Washington, but impressed with his toughness when switched onto Porter in the post. Ennis was surrendering almost six inches to Porter, yet was successful in fronting and denying Porter the ball on the block. He even boxed out the larger wing before stealing the ball from him later in the game.

Despite having trouble staying with quicker point guards, evident by John Wall blowing by him in their few encounters, Ennis communicates on defense and has active hands, picking up two steals in each game along with a block and some tipped passes. When he picks up a loose ball, his head immediately turns up the court in search of a transition opportunity.

Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images /

Playing Ennis more with the bench unit would take pressure off of Jordan Clarkson and allow him to focus on attacking closeouts instead of running the offense, which places Clarkson in a more comfortable place off the ball. Josh Hart would benefit in the same factor, giving coach Walton a 3-guard set with the ability to switch along the perimeter.

That trio is just one example of a lineup the Lakers could use with Ennis. I understand that it’s difficult to play Ennis with Lonzo Ball, so minutes may be far and few for Ennis. But there’s a gaping hole on the second unit at point guard the Ennis could help.

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He leads the team with a 29.5 Net Rating throughout the season, rarely takes a bad shot and helps keep everybody involved with his communication and ball movement. With the Lakers offense faltering on the road against tougher competition, playing Tyler Ennis more could shoulder the playmaking load when Lonzo exits given his reliability to make the right basketball play.

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Should Los Angeles Lakers use Tyler Ennis to run their second unit?

By Michael Dugger | Nov 13, 2017

With a mixture of combo guards backing up Lonzo Ball on the bench, Tyler Ennis has played well enough to warrant more minutes running the second unit.