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

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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.

How Darvin Ham Could Dramatically Change the Direction the Lakers Take

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The Los Angeles Lakers may have struck surprise gold in hiring Milwaukee Bucks’ assistant coach Darvin Ham to be their next head coach, a move that’s received universal praise and raised expectations about his impact.

With a veteran team coming off a horribly disappointing season, most NBA pundits expected the Lakers to hire an experienced NBA head coach or to delay their search until one like Quin Snyder or Doc Rivers became available. The Lakers instead smartly opted to hire the candidate with the greatest charisma and upside despite never having been a head coach before and mainly spending his time as an assistant coach in player development.

There’s strong evidence that indicates that Darvin Ham is going to become a major part of the executive brain trust making decisions for the Lakers, which is great news for an organization that needs dynamic leadership. Ham has the kind of intelligence that gains immediate respect, the type of personality that builds trust and confidence, and the elite communication skills to inspire Lakers’ stakeholders at every level from player to owner.

Unlike their previous coaching search that ended up hiring Frank Vogel, the Lakers avoided the public gaffes that resulted in hiring their third choice as head coach and having their entire hiring process rudely second guessed. Darvin Ham will start his tenure as Lakers’ coach with a longer contract and more power, independence, and influence than previous coach Frank Vogel had even after winning the NBA championship in the bubble in 2020.

So let’s look at how Darvin Ham could dramatically change the direction the Lakers take, including the possibility of his coaching Westbrook, whether Anthony Davis will play center, and whom the Lakers pursue this summer.

How Will Darvin Ham Affect the Lakers Russell Westbrook Decision?

The latest rumor making the rounds is that Darvin Ham’s answer to the question of what he would do to make Russell Westbrook work with LeBron James and Anthony Davis won him the job as the Lakers next head coach.

The Lakers have supposedly told potential trade partners they’d rather bring Russell Westbrook back next season than give up a first round draft pick to trade him, though they’re willing to take back long-term contracts. This doesn’t mean the Lakers are suddenly going to hold onto those picks and eventually use them. It just means they would prefer to use those picks to acquire valuable young players rather than just to dump Westbrook.

While it’s not a slam dunk that the Lakers will be able to find a trade partner for Russell Westbrook without giving up a draft pick, there will probably be teams willing to take on Russ’ expiring contract to dump salary. Ultimately, the last thing the Lakers should want to do at this point is ask first year head coach Darvin Ham to deal with trying to rehabilitate Russell Westbrook while learning to be an NBA head coach for the very first time.

That’s why all of the talk about bringing back Russ is posturing. Considering the concerns about LeBron’s age and AD’s ability to stay healthy, next season could be the Lakers best opportunity this decade to win #18. Ironically, I would not be surprised to find out Darvin also advised the Lakers that keeping Westbrook would make it difficult to surround James and Davis with the kind of shooting and defense needed to be a champion.

While the Lakers continue to push the idea that they’re going to keep Russ, in the end there’s just no way they’re going to ask rookie head coach Darvin Ham to take on a no-win situation like making Russ work LeBron and AD.

How Will Darvin Ham Affect the Offense the Lakers Run Next Season?

What will the Lakers’ offense look like under new head coach Darvin Ham? Look for an heavy emphasis on spacing, ball movement, and five-out sets designed to create driving lanes for James and Davis to attack the basket.

Darvin Ham was hired by the Lakers in part because of his success with the Bucks in creating the great spacing that was essential to unleashing Giannis Antetokounmpo and helping Milwaukee win the 2021 NBA Championship. The challenges facing the Bucks and Lakers are similar. The Lakers hope Darvin can build an offense to unleash LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the same way the Bucks’ offense unleashed Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The big question facing Darvin is whether to start games playing small with AD at the five or have the Lakers acquire a dynamic young stretch center like Isaiah Hartenstein so they can pay five-out with two bigs like the Bucks. Expect Ham to want to start games with two bigs but close them with small-ball-on-steroid lineups with AD at the five. That’s the perfect formula for the regular season with both big and small options available for the playoffs.

Considering injury concerns for James and Davis and how the undersized Lakers struggled in the paint and on the boards last season, moving James and Davis down a position against smaller players should benefit them. Finally, the versatility to play two-bigs with a center like Isaiah Hartenstein plus James and Davis or small-ball-on-steroids with a lethal 3-point shooting wing like Jerami Grant plus James and Davis could be a difference maker.

Expect Ham, as the Lakers new head coach, to push the team to build a roster with championship versatility to play two bigs like the 2021 Bucks and small-ball-on-steroids with AD at the five like the 2020 Lakers.

How Will Darvin Ham Affect the Defense the Lakers Run Next Season?

What can the Lakers expect their defense to look like under Darvin Ham? While they may be done with Frank Vogel, they may not be done with the pick-and-roll drop coverage that was the heart of his defensive philosophy.

The Lakers under Darvin Ham will likely play pick-and-roll drop coverage on defense like the Bucks with Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Lakers during the regular season when they won the title in 2020. While drop coverage was a successful for the Bucks and the Lakers during the regular season, both teams ended up playing small-ball-on-steroids lineups in the playoffs to take advantage of Antetokounmpo and Davis.

Schematically, when the Lakers go two bigs, they’ll play pick-and-roll drop coverage. But when they go small with Davis at the five, they’d be better off switching everything and counting on their positional size and physicality. The versatility to eat up minutes playing pick-and-roll drop coverage with two bigs to start games but closing with a small-ball-on-steroids lineup playing switch everything could be the Lakers’ perfect defensive formula.

Building a roster that can play both big and small is challenging. Starting games with a center but closing them with a wing essentially requires the team to have six starters with the center and wing sharing the fifth slot. For Darvin Ham to be able to start games with two bigs, the Lakers will need to trade for or sign a dynamic young center like Isaiah Hartenstein. They will also need to trade or sign a legitimate defensive wing like Otto Porter, Jr.

Expect Darvin Ham to play a similar defensive style to that of Frank Vogel. The Lakers rely on two bigs lineups during the regular season and rely more on their small-ball-on-steroid lineups when they get into the playoffs.

Lakers Fast Break- Lakers-Nuggets End of Season Post-Game+Frank Vogel Fired+MVP and Play-In Talk!

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The Lakers close out one of the most disappointing seasons in team history with what else? A win as they come back strong in the fourth quarter and Austin Reaves took over in overtime as the Lakers put a nail in the coffin of their season with a 146-141. Tune in as Joe Soro from lakersball.com and LRob and LakerTom from lakerholics.com lament as the 2021-22 Lakers team gets laid to rest, share MVP thoughts, Frank Vogel already getting fired (according to Woj), and speculate on the summer ahead on our Lakers Fast Break podcast! (ESPN)

Please Like, Share, and Subscribe to our channel and our social media @lakersfastbreak on Twitter. If you have questions for us give us a shout out on Twitter, YouTube, or Facebook or send us your thoughts to lakersfastbreak@yahoo.com.

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Presented by our friends at the Hoop Heads Podcast Network, ThriveFantasy, NBA Draft Junkies, lakerholics.com, lakersball.com, Pop Culture Cosmos, Inside Sports Fantasy Football, Vampires and Vitae, the novel Congratulations, You Suck (available for purchase HERE), and Retro City Games!

Six Steps to Transform Lakers From Chumps to Champs This Offseason!

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Less than eighteen months ago, the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th NBA championship in the bubble by surrounding superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis with a roster with great length and size at every position.

Since then, the Lakers made a series of major strategic decisions to improve the team’s offense and versatility that subsequently backfired, resulting in throwing away the system and personnel that had won the championship. The Lakers top priority this summer will be to use Russ’ $47 million expiring contract and their 2027 and 2029 first round picks to rebuild their roster with players who better complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The Lakers need new front office leadership, a new head coach with modern offensive chops, and serious upgrades to their starting lineup. Here are six steps to transform the Lakers from chumps to champs this offseason:

1. Hire Magic Johnson as Consultant and Visionary

The Lakers front office needs new leadership that can create a vision for the kind of team to build, coach to hire, and players to pursue and sell that vision to owner/governor Jeanie Buss who’s not willing to give up power.

The mess the Lakers find themselves in is a direct result of the chaos and dysfunction undermining the decision making process since Rob Pelinka took over from Magic Johnson as head of basketball operations 3 years ago. Instead of a normal management structure, Jeanie Buss listens to a ‘kitchen cabinet’ that includes VP of Basketball Operations Rob Pelinka, trusted advisors Kurt and Linda Rambis, and former GM Magic Johnson.

Right now, the Lakers’ brain trust lacks leadership and vision. Jeanie Buss needs to respond to the concerns and criticism of the job being done by Rob Pelinka and consider hiring Magic Johnson as a consultant and advisor. Magic’s role would be to help Rob and Jeanie formulate and implement a vision for the Lakers team to be built for LeBron’s final years in purple and gold and the transition plan for moving on once James decides to retire.

Unlike three years ago, Magic would not work full-time or give up any of his current pursuits. Instead, he would help Rob and Jeanie create a team built around an achievable vision for creating the next Lakers dynasty.

2. Hire Rajon Rondo as Lakers’ New Head Coach

The Lakers need a new head coach who has the respect and confidence of LeBron James and Anthony Davis and the basketball intelligence, instincts, and competitive drive to develop and coach an NBA championship team.

With Frank Vogel’s 3-year reign as the Lakers head coach coming to an end, the Lakers need to move quickly to hire a new head coach this summer. The goal is to replace Vogel with a coach with better offense/defense balance. Whom the Lakers turn to to coach next season will be one of the most important decisions the front office makes this year. The Lakers should look to hire a new young head coach with upside rather than a retread.

The candidate whom I think would be the perfect head coach for the Lakers and for LeBron James and Anthony Davis is former Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo, who was third best Lakers player during the bubble championship. Rajon not only has the basketball smarts and Hall of Fame resume with two NBA championships but is also intimately familiar with what it takes as role players to optimize LeBron James and Anthony Davis as superstars.

The Lakers need to hire a new, inspirational voice to lead the team over the next decade. Rondo would be the perfect hire as the head coach to help the Lakers win their 18th NBA championship and launch another dynasty.

3. Reach Agreement with LeBron James on Extension

The key to the Lakers having a shot to win their 18th NBA championship next season is getting LeBron to sign a 1+1 extension that would guarantee the Lakers at least two more years with superstars LeBron and AD.

Since James will not be eligible to sign an extension until August 4th, the Lakers will need him to give them a verbal guarantee that he will sign the extension so the Lakers can make needed roster moves first week of July. Should LeBron decide not going to sign an extension at this time, the Lakers would then face a critical franchise decision: trade Klutch Sports clients’ LeBron James and Anthony Davis now or risk losing them for nothing.

All signs point to the Lakers and LeBron already having resolved any issues related to their close alliance with LeBron ready to sign the extension and the Lakers ready to spend whatever they need to make LeBron a winner. While there’s a chance the Lakers might opt to keep Russ and then use his $47 million expiring contract to create up to $35 million in cap space for summer 2023 so Lakers could sign a free agent superstar to replace LeBron.

The Lakers need to reconfirm their alliance with Klutch Sports not only to get LeBron to sign the extension but also to continue to building an NBA team that can win multiple championships with multiple Klutch clients.

4. Trade Russ and Two Picks for Three Rotation Players

The Lakers greatest priority this summer is to convert Russell Westbrook’s lucrative $47 million expiring contract and their 2027 and 2029 unprotected post-LeBron James first round draft picks into two or three starting players.

There are two potential options to the Lakers’ need to get bigger and better at every position: they can acquire a proven modern center who can protect the rim and stretch the floor or a bigger 3&D small forward or stretch three. The Lakers should pursue a trade for a stretch five to go with James, who would play the four, and Davis, who wants to play the three. Adding a third big at center rather than forward would make the Lakers more dangerous.

The top stretch five candidate the Lakers to pursue should be the Indiana Pacers’ center Myles Turner, who has been among the top shot blockers and rim protectors while also averaging four to five 3-point attempts per game. The other center target should be the Rockets’ center Christian Wood, who’s a more dynamic offensive player (17.9 ppg vs. Turner’s 12.9 ppg) but not as good on defense (1.0 bpg and 0.8 spg vs. Turner’s 2.8 bpg and 0.9 spg).

The Lakers greatest priority is ending the Westbrook experiment. They have multiple options to yield two or three starters for Westbrook and two first round picks from the Pacers, Hornets, Rockets, Knicks, and Thunder.

5. Trade THT and Nunn for Bigger 3&D Wing

Besides Westbrook and their two available first round draft picks, the Lakers also need to find a trading partner for Horton-Tucker and Nunn, two players the Lakers need to swap for a bigger 3&D small forward.

While the Lakers will try to find a deal for Russ and their first round picks that delivers three starters to complement LeBron and AD, they may need to trade THT and Nunn to land that third elusive starter they desperately need. The ideal trade target for the Lakers Horton-Tucker and Nunn duo would be a bigger 3&D wing earning between $10 and $15 million like the Knicks’ small forward Cam Reddish or a stretch center like the Pistons’ Kelly Olynyk.

While trading for a stretch center to start alongside LeBron and AD would enable the Lakers to play two-bigs like they did to win the championship in the bubble but with the added advantage of having a 3-point shooting big. Adding Reddish or Olynyk would unlock the same small-ball-on-steroids lineups with Anthony Davis at the five that were the key to the Lakers dominating play and winning their 17th NBA championship in the bubble.

Having the versatility to play super big or small will make the Lakers a better, more dangerous team than they were in the bubble. The addition of a forward like Reddish or a center like Olynyk will supersize the Lakers.

6. Bring Back Reaves, Johnson, Gabriel, and Monk for Continuity

After turning over their entire roster the last two seasons, the Lakers need to bring back three players with team options in Austin Reaves, Stanley Johnson, and Wenyen Gabriel and re-sign Malik Monk to create continuity.

While the lack of continuity has been a killer to the Lakers last two seasons, the Lakers need to be careful not to turnover the entire roster like they did last season and the season before. Turning over the roster kills continuity. The Lakers need to bring back six players from this year’s team: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, Stanley Johnson, Wenyen Gabriel, and Malik Monk. James and Davis would be starters, other four off the bench.

Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Nunn have both opted to accept player options of $47 million and $5 million respectively for next season and both are likely to be traded since they are not good fits next to LeBron and AD. Ideally, the Lakers should receive three rotation players for Westbrook and Nunn, so let’s add two more players to bring the roster to eight players with seven openings for free agents or possible multiple player trades.

Building a championship roster that benefits from continuity is a critical to legitimately compete for a championship in today’s NBA. Continuity means Lakers bringing back Reaves, Johnson, Gabriel, and Monk.

Four Questions To Which The Lakers Need Answers To Decide What To Do

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The Los Angeles Lakers will face major challenges this summer as they try to fix the roster and coaching problems that derailed this season and left the Lakers a shocking and disappointing 11th out of 15 NBA teams in the West.

More troubling than their record is the Lakers lack of valuable trading chips heading into a critical summer where they desperately need to rebuild their roster back to championship caliber with LeBron James’ retirement looming. Besides finding and hiring a new head coach and staff, the Lakers must find a trading partner willing to salary dump three rotation players for Russell Westbrook’s expiring contract and two post-LeBron first round draft picks. 

Here are the four questions to which the Lakers will need answers to before they can decide exactly what to do to fix their roster in terms of specific players and find a new head coach who fits the needs of the new roster.


1. Can Lakers Still Win Championship with LeBron James and AD?

If yes, the Lakers should move forward to convince LeBron James to sign a two-year extension with a player option for second year, lining up his and AD’s contracts and guaranteeing the Lakers two more years of both superstars.

Note that LeBron not signing an extension sends the Lakers on a different set of options that include moving forward but returning to the subject before the trade deadline or possibly trading LeBron and even AD if the Klutch alliance is broken.

If no, the Lakers should consider trading LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis this summer. The two superstars could generate enough young talent and draft picks for the Lakers to jumpstart building their next championship team.

2. Does LeBron Signing Extension Change What Lakers Do This Summer?

If yes, the Lakers will then have the security of LeBron James and Anthony Davis under contract for two more years, enabling them to make a major investment in more salaries and luxury taxes to upgrade the roster to championship level,

If no, the Lakers can either decide to gamble the moves you make will be enough to convince LeBron to sign the extension or decide to cut your losses and trade LeBron James and/or Anthony Davis this summer or at the trade deadline.

Just a note about timing. Since LeBron is not eligible to sign an extension until August 4th, the Lakers may require him to verbally agree to sign the extension before making any long-term moves dependent upon him being a Laker.

3. Is There a Chance Lakers Keep Russell Westbrook Next Season?

If yes, it would be because they would not give up a first round draft pick to move him or decided to take advantage of the cap space when Russ’ $47 million comes off the books the summer after next when LeBron and AD will be the only Lakers. 

If no, the Lakers should trade Russ and their two first round picks for three quality rotation players, for example the Pacers’ Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon, and T.J. McConnell. They should not spend a first round pick to move Russ.

If the Lakers make their two first round picks unprotected, they might be able to get more for Russ and his expiring contract than Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrez Harrell, and #22 draft pick who was Isaiah Jackson.

If the Lakers couldn’t find an acceptable trade partner to take Russ without giving up a pick and keeping him for his expiring contract was not worth it, the Lakers last option would be to waive-and-stretch Westbrook’s $47 million contract.

4. Do the Lakers Need to Hire a New Head Coach Right Away?

If yes, it would be because the Lakers did not want an ongoing coaching search get in the way of signing free agents and negotiating trades and because there was a candidate like Quin Snyder or Rajon Rondo whom they wanted to get locked up.

Ideally, the Lakers can sign their choice as their next head coach as soon as the season ends and before free agency and the offseason trade period open up. Could be important for free agents to know who is going to coach them on the Lakers.

If no, it would be because the Laker did not have a candidate they were ready to sign or because they wanted to wait to see what the final roster looked like before deciding on who would be the best coach for the roster the Lakers ended up with.