Lakers depth chart: How can changing team lineup affect performance against Nuggets?

As the LA Lakers prepare for Game 2 against the Denver Nuggets, Darvin Ham is already making adjustments. Chris Haynes recently reported that he is open to the idea of adding Rui Hachimura to the starting lineup.

In their Game 1 loss on Tuesday, the Lakers rolled out a starting unit of Dennis Schroder, D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis.

Moving forward, Ham should be considering a lineup change. The three-guard approached might have worked agaisnt the Golden State Warriors, but the Denver Nuggets are a far different team. With a more traditional lineup, LA needs more size up front if they plan on staying afloat in this series.

Rui Hacimura is an interesting choice to throw in the mix. Along with adding a scoring punch, his size in the lineup should help defending the likes of Michael Porter Jr. and Aaron Gordon.

Are the LA Lakers making the right move with this lineup change?

Adjusting the lineup is certainly the smart move for the LA Lakers, but they might be better off going in another direction. Darvin Ham should add another forward to the lineup, but not Rui Hachimura.

While Hachimura brings a scoring punch, that isn't what the LA Lakers need in terms of adjustments. They need bigger bodies that can make them more switchable on defense. That being said, Jarred Vanderbilt might be the better option.

Between Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., and Aaron Gordon, the Denver Nuggets have an array of big wing players that do different things. To combat that, the Lakers need a defender that can rotate on all these different assignments. Vanderbilt is a high-IQ player that has proven to be beneficial on the defensive end.

The only downside with Vanderbilt is that he doesn't bring much when it comes to offense. However, that isn't a problem for the Lakers. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are going to command the ball a ton, meaning guys like Vanderbilt won't be doing much anyway. Instead, he can save his energy for defense where he can make an impact.

Staying small isn't the answer for the Lakers in this series. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how Ham plans to combat the jumbo-sized Nuggets' lineup.