Los Angeles Lakers: Frank Vogel's secret lineup tweak https://t.co/10Qi3J9lKO
— LakerTom (@LakerTom) July 27, 2020
Frank Vogel’s “Secret” Lineup Tweak
The Lakers back-to-back matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks and LA Clippers had higher stakes and intensity than the average regular-season game. If a lineup tweak was to come in the playoffs, one would imagine these games would provide a glimpse of it (for reference, each of LeBron, Davis, Howard and McGee were available).
Against Milwaukee, however, Frank Vogel only deployed seven minutes with a LeBron/Davis frontcourt and only 12 total with Davis at the five (below the 7.5 and 13.1 season averages). These lineups had success but their utilization was limited.
The Clippers game helps reveal a different story, however. There were nine minutes with James and AD down low and most notably, 22 total with Davis at center (no McGee/Howard).
65 percent of Davis’s minutes came at the five against the Clippers, the second-highest rate of any game this season. The highest rate actually came in the Lakers’ next and last game before the suspension (68 percent against the Brooklyn Nets). This was partially due to Howard missing the game, but could it still be reflective of a larger lineup trend that sees more minutes at center for Davis?
Against the Clippers, Vogel was fine pairing Davis with another big when LeBron was on the court. When James rested, however, Davis played almost exclusively at center for 13 of those 14 minutes. The Lakers were successful in these minutes, outscoring the Clippers with almost every lineup combination.
This approach was present in the Milwaukee game as well. Davis may have seen limited time at center, but all five of the minutes he played without LeBron came at the five. The final game against Brooklyn? Nine of 11 minutes.
It’s not as if it’s been this way all season either. With LeBron off the court, only 58.2 percent of Davis’s minutes have come without McGee or Howard. If one digs into the numbers, it appears that Frank Vogel decided to adjust over the All-Star Break.
Excellent analysis by Jacob Zinkula for Hoops Habit. Vogel obviously feels AD at the five could help improve the Lakers performance when LeBron is on the bench. He’s also using the AD at the five strategy to close games.