Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers' Byron Scott benches D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle

Published Dec. 7, 2015 9:50 p.m. ET

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Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott is benching rookie guard D'Angelo Russell and second-year forward Julius Randle for the next five to 10 games, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The move is surprising given the fact that Russell and Randle have been playing better as of late, and are the two future cornerstones of the Lakers franchise. Scott claims the move wasn't because of how the two were playing, but because the 3-17 Lakers aren't winning with their current starting lineup and he wants to try something new to infuse some energy into the team:

Russell, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NBA draft, and Randle, the No. 7 pick in the 2014 draft, did not take to the benching well:

Lou Williams and Larry Nance Jr. will start in place of Russell and Randle, respectively, for the foreseeable future.

The Lakers should be trying to lose as many games as possible to keep their top-3 protected 2016 first-round draft pick. They are not going to make the playoffs, and attempting to make rotational changes to help them win will only hurt them in the long run if it sacrifices their draft pick.

The Lakers are not a better team with Russell and Randle coming off the bench, anyway, so it's a bit confusing how this is being framed as "good" for the team. If anything, it might make them worse -- which is a good thing, to be sure -- while also souring the relationship between Scott and Russell and Randle, and simultaneously hindering their on-court development.

Los Angeles is going to be terrible either way, so they should give their young centerpieces as much playing time as possible. The move is controversial, to say the least, and it'll be fascinating to monitor how Russell and Randle handle their "temporary" demotions.

(h/t SB Nation)