Revisiting the Derrick White vs AR conversation

(Just to preface this: not blaming AR at all for the loss to BOS. Luka and Bron weren't good, Smart was bad, the whole team was bad, and the Bron/Luka/AR trio simply doesn't work. AR has shined in a small sample this year when the team was missing guys and he had to step up.)

Moving on...

There are two competing schools of thought concerning how to build a winning team:

1. Focus mainly on chemistry. Get quality players with complementary skills. That's it. Train, trade, develop...Do whatever you have to do. But acquire/mold the right cast. Be active. Keep making moves. Find the right pieces.
2. Focus on stats and contracts. Get the "best" players you can afford (according to stats) and stick with the current players you already have who are on "good" contracts. Don't trade a "better" player for a "lesser" player just because the fit currently seems a bit off. Be frugal, sentimental, optimistic, and cautious. Focus on numbers-- dollar signs and stats. If someone "shoots 50% from the field" on a very affordable contract, you gotta keep him. Right?

If you're a Type (1) kind of thinker, you hate the idea of a backcourt of Luka and AR. The fit seems terrible to you. You look at SGA/Dort/J-Dub and Boston's guard lineups with envy. They make sense. LAL's lineups and overall roster make bo sense to to you. And it hasn't made sense since 2021 (i.e. a good attempt at rebuilding the 2020 champions after being forced to acquire new players for various reasons).

If you're a Type (2) thinker, for example, you don't want to lose Rui. You think, "He shoots so, so well. And he's so affordable."

But a Type (1) tends to think about things in totality. To borrow an adage from professional chess, you focus on the pieces "on the board" and not the pieces "off the board." It doesn't matter if we "lose Rui," if the team improves overall in the end.

I say all this to prep our minds before revisiting the Derrick White vs Austin Reaves conversations that turn up everywhere in basketball circles from time to time.

Now, prior to this season (2025-2026), the consensus was that White was the superior player. After all, he's a two-way savant. He's a shot-blocking guard, a tenacious competitor, and he can hold his own offensively. He also passes the eye test. He stands out. Makes his teammates better. And he just seems like the perfect for for a starting guard on a championship team (which he demonstrated). Every GM around the league acknowledges this. But...

His numbers are down this year. His shooting numbers are all way down (save his FT shooting percentage). Way down. We're talking 39% amd 32%, respectively. Yikes. Meanwhile, AR's scoring average increased to 25 PPG on high efficiency. He also collects a lot of assists and rebounds. Furthermore, AR has always been fearless and clutch. But...

AR ain't a great defender. And he ain't exactly Kyrie Irving when it comes to maneuvering through tough defense and multiple defenders with grace and ease. And so, to at least Type (1) thinkers, AR had always looked like a bad fit.

Now, AR is certainly superior to Derrick White offensively. And if Derrick White's down year is a sign of decline, then AR's breakthrough year is a sign of ascent.

So, White and AR clearly fulfill different team needs. But does any championship-contending team truly want AR as their starting two-guard? Maybe one that is so overloaded with defensive talent that they wouldn't mind sacrificing some of it for offense?

If I could build the perfect team around Luka, with the entire NBA available to me, I think White would be one of the first two-guards I consider and AR would never be in consideration. And for this reason only, AR still seems like a guy who should come off the bench. It's not a slight to his game. It's just that he only plays the 2-spot, and so a two-way standout-- or even a defensive specialist like Dort-- will always make more sense as a starter.

🤔 What do you think? Is there a way to truly build around Luka and AR? (Obviously, if LAL gets Giannis, AR is gonna be traded away; perhaps in a multi-team deal). Isn't he still a "bench guy," just in the sense that a more defensive-oriented guard will always make mote sense as a starter?