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Anthony Davis Needs To Play Power Forward To Unleash His Full Potential

By August 10, 2023 22 Comments

After signing superstar Anthony Davis to a 3-year $186 million extension that will lock him up for the next four or five years, the Lakers next move could be to move AD from center to power forward to unleash his game.

Anthony Davis has been extremely effective playing mostly center for the Lakers the past two seasons but the move has also resulted in a dramatic drop in the accuracy and efficiency of his midrange and 3-point shooting. During his first two years as a Laker playing mostly power forward, Davis shot 30.8% from deep (1.0 of 3.2 3PA per game). Playing mostly center the last two years, that percentage dropped to 22.2% (0.3 of 1.5 3PA per gam).

While critics use the reduced midrange and 3-point shooting stats as reasons why Davis should continue to play the five, playing center the last two years actually limited AD’s game and made it easier to defend him. Anthony Davis as a center totally changed his shot selection last season, almost eliminating mid-range and 3-point shot attempts for more shots in the paint and at the rim. That’s why his 3-point percentage plummeted.

Anthony Davis transition this past season from a three-level scorer to a low post scorer also exacerbated the Lakers serious spacing issues and made it easier for teams to pack the paint and force L.A. to shoot from outside. Going forward, the Lakers need both Davis and James to take and make threes like they did during their championship run in the bubble in 2020. Can’t win in today’s NBA with superstars who can’t take and make threes.

The Lakers need to move Anthony Davis back to power forward where he has more space and freedom to operate and he can get back to being the top-five, three-level, two-way superstar he was back in the bubble in 2020. Once LeBron James has retired, the last thing the Lakers want is for their alpha superstar to play a position that isn’t able to control the ball in space, which is why L.A.’s top priority is to shift Davis from center to forward.

Center is also not the position Anthony Davis wants to play nor the position he truly believe is best for him. Moving him to the four will give him more touches and space to help him bring back his midrange and 3-point games.

Why Anthony Davis Must Become Stretch Four

Frankly, if the Lakers seriously plan to revert back to the two-bigs lineups that helped them win their 17th NBA championship in the bubble, they will need Anthony Davis to regain his midrange and 3-point shooting touch.

Everything the Lakers do going forward, including playing two bigs, is all about optimizing Anthony Davis and giving him every possible opportunity to become the top five superstar for whom they traded four years ago. There’s an impression among jaded fans and analysts that AD’s ascent to greatness has stalled by inconsistency and injuries. There’s some truth in that but the Lakers believe playing center is partly responsible for delay.

There’s big push by old school critics that Davis should continue to play center and completely stop shooting long twos or threes. The Lakers should do the exact opposite and order Anthony to take at least 5 threes per game. That’s what coach Vogel did during the 2020 championship season when Davis shot 33.0% on 3.5 3PA per game. AD’s 3-point shooting peaked during the 2020 playoff run when he shot a sizzling 38.7% on 2.9 3PA per game.

The 3-point shot continues to dominate today’s NBA game and roles and opportunities for non-shooters continue to decline, which only points to the stupidity of asking a superstar like Anthony Davis to not shoot threes. Those who want to turn AD into a non-shooter don’t appreciate just how good and talented he was as a power forward and how that totally changed how the other four Lakers players around him played and interacted.

The Lakers will be looking to test two bigs with Anthony Davis at the four and either Jaxson Hayes or Christian Wood at the five during camp and preseason. Look for Anthony Davis to let it fly from midrange and deep. The Lakers want Anthony Davis to be their version of Kevin Durant, not their version of Joel Embiid. They want AD to get the same ball touches and shot opportunities that KD has been able to get by playing power forward.

Now that Anthony Davis is the official face of the franchise, the Lakers want to shine a spotlight on him and play him at the four where he’ll have the best opportunity to reach his ultimate potential as a superstar player.

What About LeBron James Defending Small Forwards?

The main criticism for why the Lakers should not play two bigs is that it forces LeBron James to move from power forward to small forward, which means he could be forced to chase quicker wing scorers around screens.

Of course, the counter to that argument is the problem James presents at the other end of the court. Unless we’re talking about another superstar, LeBron’s not going to lose many matchups regardless of how he defends. That’s the beauty of basketball. Every matchup has two sides and while a team could attack LeBron on defense, it’s doubtful they can take enough advantage of him on defense to counter the damage he’ll do on offense.

Basketball has also increasingly become positionless so it’s not always fives guarding fives, fours guarding fours, or threes guarding threes. Teams will cross-defend both in the front and backcourts to optimize their matchups. While Hayes or Wood may be the five, Davis the four, and James the three on offense, that doesn’t mean their going to defend their counterpart. There may be times when Hayes defends a four or Davis guards a three.

Sustainability is the long-term key for Los Angeles. The Lakers’ 5-year plan for Anthony Davis is for him to be a power forward in the Kevin Durant model at the offensive end rather than a center in the Joel Embiid model. Moving forward, the Lakers need the Anthony Davis to play power forward, where he will have the freedom and space, touches and shots to become the uber-athletic top-five offensive and defensive superstar they traded for.

Finally, the decision to play two bigs comes downs to a decision as to whether Anthony Davis or LeBron James gets to play their preferred positions. In light of the recent extension, the nod should go to Davis.
If Anthony Davis is going to be the face of the franchise, then he needs to play power forward where he will have more freedom and space playing inside and outside to get more touches and shots than playing center.

While having LeBron James guard small forwards and wings is not ideal, the Lakers are not overly worried about it because LeBron can still coast on defense and get more back on offense dominating other end of the court.

Reader Interactions

Comments

    • What you say makes sense. Hayes at Center part of the time could get spacing if AD can hit his midrange & corner 3s. I am just more concerned with Bron having to guard small forwards all the time at 39. That is why I still think having Hayes in when Bron rests & match up with AD at that time might be a more viable plan. I want to see if Vando can hit his corner 3s & be more of an offensive threat, then have him start & match up with Rui, Hayes, Prince & maybe Reddish at the forwards. Austin & DLo start & subbed out by Vincent & Max. Overall I think it makes us a much more versatile team over the whole game. For now I want Austin, Gabe, Rui, Bron & AD to close.

      • Thanks for reading and replying, Brian.

        I also don’t want to see LeBron wear himself out chasing shooters over screens. Like I explained in the article, I think the Lakers will do a lot cross-matchups where we may see Hayes defend fours and even Davis defend threes. Will change according to opponent and matchups.

        One thing I did not include in the article when I discussed options for Lakers to ameliorate LeBron chasing guys around screens is to switch everything. Lakers now have the backcourt size in DLO and Reaves and front courts size in Davis and Hayes to be able to switch everything

        Switching everything actually is a sound partner to drop coverage as it prevents guards from putting their defenders in jail after they trail shooters over a screen. The bigger, younger, and more athletic Lakers roster is perfectly stocked to play switch everything on defense.

        In the end, the Lakers have preseason to test and experiment to see how they defend with two-bigs lineups. I would not be surprised to see the Lakers adopt a switch everything defense to ameliorate LeBron James having to defend quicker, smaller scoring wings around picks.

      • By the way, in your desired starting lineup, Hachimura would end up playing and defending the three, which I think would be even worse than LeBron defending the three.

        Rui is a worse matchup for quicker, smaller threes than james. He’s really another power forward, just like Anthony Davis and LeBron James.

        • You have a point, which is why if Vando can hit his corner 3s and be more effective on cutting plus gets better at sliding through picks, maybe he should start at SF with Bron at PF. Guess we have to see how this all shakes out. I am just much more nervous about Wood & his feeling he is a star (Nick Angstadt from Locked on Mavs says that is really where he & his agent are at.) This has to be nipped in bud quick for him to be viable on Lakers. We will know after the Dame trade happens (or doesn’t.)

          • Vando needs to also be able to score underneath the rim as well as from the corner. He’s Ben Simmons when you give him the ball in the paint.

            If Vando could shoot 36% from deep and learn how to score in the post, he could be the starter at the three. Has to do it this year though because his contract will run out. I’d love to see it.

            You’re right that the Lakers need an elite two-way 3&D wing like OG at the three to complement two-bigs. Unfortunately, those guys are the rarest in the league. We may have to wait until LeBron retires to get one.

    • I have seen video of Vando and Handy working on his shooting and to me the results are encouraging. He used to shoot over his right shoulder and now shoots middle of his head. Shot looks better & had a video where he made about 8 in a row (no cuts in the video either.) I have hopes he can knock down some 3s and midrange which will keep him on the floor more – maybe that will allow him to be close enough to a 3 & D guy he can play 20-25 minutes. Will wait and see what camp brings.

      • Everybody thinks I hate Vando. I actually love him and am rooting for him to show he can improve both from distance and in close in traffic. He needs to be as aggressive on offense as he is on defense. Guys pay is set mostly by their offense in this league, not their defense. Unfortunately, great offense beats great defense. It’s why Wood right now is more valuable to the Lakers than Vando IMO.

        But I also love Phil Handy as well as Chris Matthews (LethalShooter) who was working with guys on their shots. Frankly, I’m hoping Hayes, Reddish, Vando, and Rui all have monster camps and preseason and we kick ass starting with opening night in Denver.

        • I’m not a Vanderbilt fan…other than defense, which was excellent against the Warriors, but the league will adjust…I feel he isn’t strong enough to hold his position (offense or defense), his offense was and will likely be sub-adequate at best…last season he avoided calling for the ball when he was open, this coming season he may call for the ball but he will be far from a knock down shooter, and will never command a double team in his career.

        • Nick Argstadt from Locked on Mavericks wrote: “The problem with Christian Wood is that in the Anthony Davis games (the games in which he plays alongside or with Davis), he will think he is better than Anthony Davis,” said Angstadt. “He will come in and say, ‘This is my time, this is me and my best skill is shooting, scoring, doing those things and so anytime I get the opportunity I will do that.’ … The problem is he takes you out of your offense a lot, and he thinks he should be an All-Star.”

          • Tim MacMahon of Locked On Mavericks had this to say: “The problem is not that he’s a bad defender, the problem is that he is an (expletive) terrible defender.” This is probably why he’s still unsigned.

          • Aloha, Michael,

            Hope you and your family are all OK. Couldn’t remember if you were on Maui or the big island. Scary times for you guys. Praying for you. Lahaina was one of favorite spots in Hawaii.

            Listen, there’s no question Wood sounds like a total jerk. The only saving grace is the Lakers and LeBron could be exactly what he needs at this point. Just don’t know if he’s ready to accept that yet. At least, they think they can. It’s worth the risk imo but we’ll see.

  5. Thanks for asking Tom. I’m fine. I live on the big island. We had a few fires on the west side but they were contained before any real damage happened. I feel so bad bad for Maui. My nephew lost his house, truck, all his possessions and his dog is missing. Global warming is real folks.

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