With Kobe Bryant likely sitting for the remainder of the seasons with an injured rotator cuff, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott made another drastic change in his lineup, putting in rookie Jordan Clarkson while benching former starter Jeremy Lin for the entire game in Friday's 99-85 loss to the San Antonio Spurs.
Scott appeared to have finally accepted the harsh reality the Lakers won't make the playoffs this season, even more after Bryant suffered a potentially season-ending torn rotator cuff injury this week.
Clarkson, who is averaging 5.1 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13 minutes per contest this season, got his first start of his career and actually played well in his first extended minutes, recording 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting and 4 dimes in 29 minutes of action.
Aside from Clarkson, Scott also inserted Ryan Kelly and Robert Sacre into the starting lineup in an attempt to allot more playing time for the team's younger players.
But the noticeable decision Scott made was not bringing Lin to the court for even a single second. The 26-year old playmaker was a healthy scratch in Friday's clash against the Spurs, despite playing exceptionally well - scoring 14 points and 8 dimes - the last time he played the defending world champion.
Averaging 10.7 points and 4.5 dimes per game this season, Lin's relationship with Scott has been rocky all season long. In fact, the Lakers coach has been quoted several times criticizing the Asian-American playmaker for playing soft and being inconsistent on both ends of the floor.
When asked the reason behind benching Lin, Scott believed veteran playmaker Ronnie Price needed to get more looks at the point after missing a couple of games this week with an injured elbow. Price went scoreless on 0-for-4 shooting with 6 assists in 19 minutes off the bench.
Scott stressed that Friday's benching didn't mean he would continue to lock up Lin in his doghouse for the remainder of the season, adding it might be the Harvard alum's turn to get more extended play in the next game.
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