NBA Starting lineups tonight: Is Trevor Ariza playing vs Chicago Bulls? Lakers release injury report for veteran forward

Trevor Ariza is set to make his season debut for the Lakers in their NBA starting lineup tonight against the Chicago Bulls this evening.

In the middle of some debilitating injury news all across the league, NBA fans are in for some good news. The Lakers, who’ve lost Anthony Davis for up to 6 weeks, if not more, have received a shot in the arm.

Trevor Ariza will be back in their ranks, playing his first Lakers game since 2009. Ariza was a member of the Lakers team that won the championship 4-1 over the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.

Trevor Ariza is active and will play tonight, making his season debut.

— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) December 19, 2021

Ariza was subsequently signed and traded to the Houston Rockets that summer, in exchange for Ron Artest. Artest himself helped Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and the Lakers register back-to-back championships.

Trevor Ariza is forever seeped in Lakers history given his stellar role as a 3-and-D player during his time there. While he was certainly no star, he played his role to perfection and improved his shooting significantly in LA.

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How will Trevor Ariza change the equation for LeBron James and co

The Lakers are really short of bodies who can guard the NBA’s elite perimeter scorers. LeBron James and Russell Westbrook were both All-Defensive Team members at one point. But neither of them have the ability to defensively take a load for an entire game.

This means that a ton of this work falls to the likes of Trevor Ariza and their other role players. Kendrick Nunn and Avery Bradley were also acquired, in part, due to their defensive proficiency.

Ariza is no spring chicken, aged at 37 himself. He’s the same age as Dwight, LeBron and Melo. But given how his offensive role is very limited, Ariza should be able to lock into a defense-first role fairly well.

Trevor Ariza was a crucial member of the Rockets team that went 65-17 in 2017-18. His defense played a huge role in the Rockets extending their series against the Warriors to 7 games that year.

Getting Ariza back in the lineup means the Lakers can now switch a lot more effectively. Ariza is no longer an effective PG defender, but he should still take enough of a load off LeBron and Westbrook’s shoulders with his 2-5 switching ability.

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