With the Lakers having a -74 point differential in the opening quarter of games this season, starting with a 2-5 record and zero wins during their first long road trip, something had to change on Friday.
Coach Darvin Ham decided that change had to start with benching Austin Reaves.
The beloved Newark, Arkansas native has become the latest Lakers wunderkind, having a meteoric rise last year, which led to national media attention, a Team USA spot in the FIBA World Cup and a ridiculous rumor connecting him as a Taylor Swift love interest.