Lakerholics

If Anthony Davis wants to win Defensive Player of the Year this season and cement his legacy as one of the next group of superstars competing for Best Player on the Planet, he needs to tell Frank Vogel to start him at the five.

No more wishy washy comments about not wanting to bang with centers. No more wonky excuses for not playing the position you are universally acknowledged as your best position and the best way you can help team. This is the year when the Lakers need you to become the best player on the team, take the baton from LeBron and make the huge leap from Robin to Batman, show the Lakers Nation what they can expect when James retires.

There’s a time in every great player’s career when he faces a key decision on what to do become the best possible version of himself. That time has now come for Anthony Davis, who needs to embrace playing the five.

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19 OF THE LAST 25 DPOY WINNERS HAVE BEEN CENTERS

While it’s possible for Anthony Davis to win DPOY as a power forward, the reality is that 19 of the last 25 players to win that award were centers, including Rudy Gobert, who has won DPOY three of the last four years.

Despite his defensive heroics, Anthony Davis has never won Defensive Player of the Year. When the oddsmakers opened lines for who would win the DPOY for the 2021–22 season, Davis was ranked fourth with +800 odds. After the recent announcement that Anthony Davis would likely play most of his minutes at center, the odds he would win the award dropped to +500, tied for second with Ben Simmons and behind only Rudy Gobert’s +380.

Centers may be losing value as the NBA evolves into positionless lineups but one responsibility centers still dominate is anchoring defenses. Playing center will unlock Anthony Davis’ rise as the Lakers’ next great center.

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ANTHONY DAVIS’ LAKERS LEGACY WILL BE AS A CENTER

The Los Angeles Lakers’ legacy as a franchise has been renowned for [ the greatest collection of centers in the history of the game, including George Mikan, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Shaquille O’Neal.

In many ways, Anthony Davis’ recent preference for playing power forward since being traded to the Lakers has often been viewed as a negative by many of the reporters who vote for the regular season and playoff awards. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine Wilt, Kareem, or Shaq asking to be excused from playing center because of the physicality that comes with the position. It’s time for AD to lead the resurrection reestablishing the value of centers.

In many ways, AD hesitating to play center reminds me of Ben Simmons hesitating to shoot jumpers. Superstars are expect to do whatever they need to help their teams win. For Anthony Davis, that means playing center.

As the Los Angeles Lakers prepare for the 2021–22 season opener against the Golden State Warriors in Los Angeles on Tuesday night, the big question is who is going to start alongside LeBron, AD, and Westbrook.

Untimely injuries to Trevor Ariza as well as Talen Horton-Tucker, Kendrick Nunn, Malik Monk, and Wayne Ellington have derailed Lakers ‘ head coach Frank Vogel’s basic plan to have the same starting lineup all season long. Earlier in the season, the Lakers likely starting lineup was projected to include the three superstars plus Wayne Ellington and Trevor Ariza but it now appears neither will be available to play Tuesday night due to injuries.

Although Monk and Nunn both returned to practice today, there’s been no official word yet as to whether they’ll be ready to play Tuesday night. Right now, here are the four best options Vogel has to fill out the starting lineup:

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1. KENT BAZEMORE, STARTING SMALL FORWARD

While the Lakers struggled and lost all six of their preseason games, Kent Bazemore was clearly one of the team’s bright spots, playing solid perimeter defense and shooting 36% on a respectable volume of 4.2 threes per game.

While his 112.1 defensive rating for the preseason only ranked 13th on the Lakers and his offensive rating of 89.0 ranked 15th on the team, Bazemore was singled out by Vogel for his excellent defense and 3-point shooting. While only 6′ 4″ and 195 pounds, Kent has a 7′ 0″ wingspan that enables him to play and defend both the shooting guard and small forward positions. His greatest ‘ability’ might be his availability as injuries limit his competitors.

With Ariza out for another 6 to 8 weeks, Bazemore may have locked up the fourth starting spot because of his balance of shooting and defense. That he also started five of the six preseason games is a solid indication he will start.

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2. DEANDRE JORDAN, STARTING CENTER

Frank Vogel loves two big defenders in his starting lineups and seems hell bent on repeating the twin towers lineups from the Lakers’ championship in the bubble with DeAndre Jordan assuming JaVale McGee’s starting role.

While Jordan had a poor 91.7 offensive rating, 105.0 defensive rating, and -13.3 net rating for preseason, he did start at center in the Lakers’ final preseason game, which was labeled as a ‘dress rehearsal’ for opening night. The problem with starting Jordan at the five is it moves Anthony Davis to the four and leaves only shooting guard as a position for a high volume, high percentage 3-point shooter to create spacing for the Lakers’ superstars.

While the Lakers won a championship starting a low post center in the regular season, starting Jordan would be a major mistake that would leave the starting lineup without enough 3-point shooting to create spacing.

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3. CARMELO ANTHONY, STARTING POWER FORWARD

The injuries to Ariza, Horton-Tucker, Ellington, Monk, and Nunn may force coach Frank Vogel to start Carmelo Anthony at power forward alongside Anthony Davis at center with LeBron James then moving to small forward.

This might not be the permanent starting lineup Frank Vogel was hoping for but at least it does include Anthony Davis playing the five and two starting spots for elite 3-point shooters between Melo and whoever plays the two. Because of Mel’s subpar defense, the Lakers would likely have to start Bazemore at the two so they would not end up with two poor defenders. Melo did shoot 43.5% on 4.6 threes per game, second best to Malik Monk.

With the injuries limiting Vogel’s choice, starting Melo and Bazemore may be the best Frank Vogel can do right now to give the Lakers size and shooting to go with their superstar big three of James, Davis, and Westbrook.

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4. AUSTIN REAVES, STARTING SHOOTING GUARD

Austin Reaves has been the surprise of the Lakers’ preseason. Undrafted, he impressed enough to earn a two-way contract, which was then converted to a regular NBA contract as the 23-year old enjoyed a breakout training camp.

Reaves is a long shot to start alongside LeBron, AD, and Russ but the 23-year old, 6′ 5,” and 195 pound shooting guard could well be the Lakers’ best option to start at the two due to his solid 3-point shooting and defense. What Austin brings to the starting lineup is a balance of savvy playmaking, high volume and quality 3-point shooting, great size and rotational instincts on defense, and solid basketball IQ and great maturity as a rookie.

If Frank Vogel’s goal in building a starting lineup is to surround LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook with the two players who best complement them, then Austin Rivers should be the starting shooting guard.

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There are obviously other candidates besides the above four whom Frank Vogel could decide might start for the Lakers along with the superstar big three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook.

Of the other seven players on the roster, I excluded Ariza, Horton-Taylor, or Ellington as they’re unlikely to be available and Howard, Nunn, Monk, or Rondo, as they’re all far better suited to come off the bench for the Lakers. I’m hoping Frank Vogel does not start DeAndre Jordan as that would create major spacing issues for the Lakers’ starting lineup and leave the Lakers vulnerable to not having enough 3-point shooting to win enough games.

In the end, Vogel’s best starting option to complement the big three would be Austin Reaves and Kent Bazemore because of shooting and defense. Second best option would be Kent Bazemore and Carmelo Anthony.

The Los Angeles Lakers’ objective as an organization is win championships. The reason they’ve succeeded doing that 17 times has been their relentless pursuit of superstar players. That’s why they traded for Russell Westbrook.

Gambling they can transform Russell Westbrook into a championship caliber player, the Lakers are once again going all-in on hitting a home-run and worrying little about the possibility of the move turning into a strike-out. That’s pure Lakers’ ‘exceptionalism.’ Zigging when other teams are zagging. Betting all the other teams and pundits are wrong and all Russell Westbrook needs to become a winner is to play with LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

We know adding Russ, who’s not an efficient 3-point shooter, has hurt the Lakers spacing but here’s three ways Russell Westbrook can become the dynamic difference-maker the Lakers need to win the championship:

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1. GIVE RUSS THE GREEN LIGHT TO REBOUND AND RUN

The single most important way the Lakers can take advantage of Russell Westbrook to help them win a championship is by giving him the green light to relentlessly rebound and run on every single defensive possession.

Unleashing Russ to be Russ in transition is the best way to get him to embrace the kind of defense the Lakers need from him as a physical guard with the size and athleticism to create chaos and defend multiple positions. During their championship year, the Lakers’ 101.20 pace was 11th in the league. Last season, their 98.85 pace was 21st in the league. This preseason with Russ, the Lakers’ torrid 108.33 pace was 2nd best in the league.

The Lakers’ strategy is obviously to take advantage of the Russ’ speed and relentlessness and LeBron’s and AD’s physicality and athleticism by pushing the ball after every defensive stop or score to create more scoring chances.

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2. PLAY RUSS WITH AD WHEN LEBRON IS ON THE BENCH

In three years, the Lakers have not yet had a positive plus/minus rating when LeBron James is not on the court. One of their primary goals in trading for Russell Westbrook was to change that and win the non-LeBron minutes.

Unfortunately, the addition of Anthony Davis didn’t result in the Lakers winning the non-LeBron minutes. Now, however, the Lakers have a second superstar in Westbrook whom they can pair with Davis when LeBron rests. Since LeBron has had double-digit on-the-floor plus/minus ratings the last two years, the non-LeBron minutes have been the Lakers’ Achilles heel. Winning those minutes would make the Lakers an offensive juggernaut.

LeBron is probably going to play 75% or 36 of 48 minutes each game. That leaves 12 minutes or 25% of the game without LeBron where the Lakers need to play both Russ and AD. Win those minutes and Lakers are champs.

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3. USE FIVE-OUT SETS TO GET RUSS GOING DOWNHILL

The pleasant surprise of the preseason was the Lakers ditching their boring long-time isolation offense that consisted of posting up LeBron James or Anthony Davis and allowing them to go 1-on-1 and make plays if doubled.

Instead, the Lakers are in the process of implementing a five-out spread offense designed to create spacing and movement to unleash the Lakers’ superstar playmakers and rim rattling scorers to dominate other defenses. Leave it to the Lakers to be the team not satisfied with a first round exit even if due to injuries. They’re the only legitimate championship contender to completely rebuild their roster and revamp their entire offensive strategy.

The Lakers need to put Russ in position where he’s going downhill and attacking the rim. The can do that by rescreening when defenders go under screens and emphasizing Westbrook pick-and-rolls with AD and LeBron.

In his first two preseason games for the Lakers, newly acquired point guard Russell Westbrook has averaged 5.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 7.5 turnovers in 21.6 minutes per game with a 21.1/40.0/0.0% shooting split.

With eleven new players and a new small ball offense and defense to learn, the Lakers have understandably gotten off to a slow start to the season, losing their four preseason games so far by an average of 18.5 points. That changes tonight as the Lakers will finally unveil their new Superstar Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, the first time this season that the team’s three superstars will be on the court together.

While the stats for LeBron and AD have been as uninspiring as Russ’ stats and all three Lakers superstars have said it will take time for the team to jell, we should get a glimpse tonight of just how dynamic this team could be.

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SHOULD LAKERS BE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR 0–4 START?

Let’s start by re-emphasizing what every informed NBA fan should know: preseason games do not count. The only goal players have for preseason is to get into game shape, avoid serious injury, and hone their shooting stroke.

Preseason is when NBA head coaches experiment with lineups and rotations, give young untested players an opportunity to earn playing time, and try to figure out how best to win with the roster they’ve been given. Teams like the Suns who had minimal changes in continuity dominate in preseason while teams like the Lakers who have new rosters and offensive and defensive systems to implement need time and repetitions.

Unfortunately, NBA fans have short memories and a poor start by their team often results in panicked comments and overblown concerns that create unwarranted glass-half-empty predictions of doom and disaster. Last preseason, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers finished 4–0 while the eventual NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks had an 0–3 record and the West Champion Phoenix Suns had an 0–4 record during preseason.

Since the teams that met in the NBA Finals last season had a combined 0–7 preseason record, it’s obvious preseason wins and losses have absolutely no bearing on whether or not a team can compete for a championship.

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WHAT CAN LAKERS DO TO UNLEASH RUSSELL WESTBROOK?

The Los Angeles Lakers need to take the shackles off Russell Westbrook, who’s playing like a man afraid of being himself, of being selfish, of shooting too much, of being inefficient, of being a poor fit for what the Lakers need.

Last season, Russ led the lowly Washington Wizards to the East playoffs by averaging a triple-double of 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 11.7 assists, and 1.4 steals in 36.4 minutes per game, the fourth time he’s done that in five years. There’s no reason Russ can’t do the same for the Los Angeles Lakers. They just need Russ to be Russ. He can tone down the catch-and-shoot threes and turnovers but the Lakers need to free Russ to be the force he can be.

Tonight, all the experimentation ends and the Lakers unveil their new superstar big three and let Russell Westbrook be Russell Westbrook. That means living with the occasional unwanted 3-point shot or turnover. But it also means letting Russ play like he always has, relentlessly attacking the paint and getting to the basket, pushing the ball in transition, putting pressure on the rim, and taking the wide-open jumpers when available.

While the Lakers have slow-walked the preseason, they’re now down to just two games left before the start of the regular season. Tonight, the Lakers will unveil their new superstar big three and unleash Russell Westbrook.

With the Lakers ready to start Anthony Davis at center, the question is will Frank Vogel truly embrace small ball and unleash its full array of powers by transforming how the team plays in transition and offense and defense?

Russell Westbrook’s arrival was the catalyst that forced the Lakers, head coach Frank Vogel, and superstar center Anthony Davis to rethink their positional strategy and finally embrace their evolution to a small ball team. But simply sliding LeBron and AD to the four and five is not enough. The Lakers must fully optimize small ball by playing faster in transition and using ‘five-out’ sets on offense and ‘switch everything’ lineups on defense.

Over the next four preseason games, we should get a preview of whether Frank Vogel is going to fully embrace small ball or revert to his traditional resume as a coach who believes offense and defense start at the rim.

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THE LAKERS NEED TO PUSH THE PACE IN TRANSITION

The Lakers’ top priority as a small ball team is to rebound and run according to Frank Vogel as the team looks to return to one of the formulas that led them to their 17th NBA championship in the bubble less than a full year ago.

The Lakers finished 21st in the league last season with a pace of only 98.85, down from their 11th best pace of 101.20 during their championship run. Top pace last season was the 104.67 posted by Westbrook and the Wizards. With Russ relentlessly pushing the pace, the Lakers should top the NBA in pace next season, maybe even breaking the 105.51 pace set by the Bucks during the 2019–20 season. Lakers will be looking to reprise Showtime.

Of the three ways to optimize small ball lineups, increasing the pace seems to be the one change in style on which Lakers’ head coach Frank Vogel has no problem embracing. Lakers will lead the league in pace this season.

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THE LAKERS NEED TO PLAY FIVE-OUT SETS ON OFFENSE

While the Lakers may set a record for transition points this season, they still will have to generate more than 75% of their points from half court offense. That’s where Frank Vogel’s coaching tendencies could get in the way.

Vogel’s long been a fan offensively of positioning a big in the dunker’s position, which plays into the hands of opposing defenses by making it easier to pack the paint to keep Lakers’ superstars from getting to the rim. What the Lakers need to do to optimize small ball lineups is play five-out sets with five capable 3-point shooters positioned behind the arc. That’s the lineup that opens up the paint for Russ, LeBronk and AD to attack the rim.

Half court offense has been the Lakers’ Achilles heel in the past, especially when LeBron rests. With three superstars and five-out sets, the Lakers small ball attack will put so much pressure on the rim that it will be unstoppable.

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THE LAKERS NEED TO SWITCH EVERYTHING ON DEFENSE

One of the keys to the Lakers winning their 17th NBA championship in the bubble was the ability of LeBron James and Anthony Davis to switch and guard any player on the other team regardless of the position they played.

While Russ isn’t the elite individual defender LeBron and AD are, he’s still a player with amazing athleticism and energetic motor who has no problem switching and defending smaller or bigger players anywhere on the court. Add an elite pair of 3&D players in Trevor Ariza and Kent Bazemore and the Lakers suddenly have a 5-man closing lineup that could switch everything like the Golden State Warriors ‘Death Lineup’ did to win three titles.

If the Lakers want to take advantage of playing small, they need to run a lot more five-out sets to generate drive-and-dish opportunities. It’s the best way for the Lakers to execute Vogel’s favored ‘Paint to Great’ style of basketball.

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THE ARRIVAL OF FIZDALE COULD HELP OPTIMIZE SMALL BALL

One unknown factor that could impact how willing Frank Vogel is to fully embrace the Lakers’ small ball on steroids lineups is the addition of David Fizdale as the lead assistant coach replacing the departed Jason Kidd.

Fizdale will hopefully give Vogel an assistant coach who not only has good experience coaching LeBron James but also has a background as more of an offensive oriented coach than Vogel or the other assistants on his staff. Fizdale won two championships as an assistant on James’ Heat teams and is the highest paid assistant in the league. Hopefully, his involvement will help Vogel make the right decisions to optimize the Lakers’ small ball lineups.

The bottom line is Frank Vogel needs to push the ball in transition and incorporate ‘five-out sets’ on offense and ‘switch everything’ lineups on defense to take full advantage of the Lakers commitment to play small.