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JaVale McGee

Do the Lakers Need to Rethink What They Need from the Center Position?

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In retrospect, the Lakers need to rethink what they need from the center position because signing JaVale McGee, Dwight Howard, Marc Gasol, and Montrezl Harrell as the team’s centers the past two years was a mistake.

The Lakers should look at Anthony Davis, their prototype modern center who can shoot threes or attack the rim on offense and protect the rim or guard the perimeter on defense, to see what they need from their centers. What the defense-first Lakers don’t need are old school low post defensive or offensive centers who can’t stretch the floor with 3-point shooting or play the trapping, doubling, and rotating championship defense the team plays.

JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard proved to be unplayable against most opponents in the playoffs last year as they lacked the mobility, speed, and quickness the Lakers needed to trap, switch and defend on the perimeter. Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell face a similar fate in the playoffs this year as their inability to block shots and protect the rim leaves them vulnerable to being played off the court defensively despite their value on offense.

The problem is the Lakers don’t appear to have learned from their mistakes picking centers the last two seasons as they are now supposedly pursuing centers who’ll solve rim protection issues but be unplayable in the playoffs. The Lakers need to trade for a starting center like Myles Turner or Nerlens Noel rather than settling for another team’s discards like Andre Drummond or Hassan Whiteside who can solve one problem but then create another.

Drummond and Whiteside might be able to help hold down the fort for the three to five weeks until Anthony Davis returns but both have the same perimeter defensive liabilities that ultimately doomed McGee and Howard. Signing one of them is like applying a band aid to a badly broken bone. After Anthony Davis’s recent injury scare, there’s no way the Lakers want to see him again playing 50% of his time at center come this year’s playoffs.

Myles Turner and Nerlens Noel are two trade candidates who are talented and young enough to be permanent rather than temporary solutions to the Lakers’ need to find a center to complement and protect Anthony Davis. Both are top-five rim protectors who are younger than Anthony Davis and have the physicality, athleticism, and toughness to protect him from having to defend bigger bruising centers like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid.

Besides being top-five shot blockers, Turner and Noel have diverse offensive or defensive skill sets that set them apart from limited one dimensional centers like McGee, Howard, Gasol, Harrell, Drummond, and Whiteside. Turner is the prototype modern offensive center who can shoot the three and throw down lobs while Noel is the prototype modern defensive center who can both protect the rim and switch onto and defend smaller players.

In short, they simply can’t be played off the court defensively in the playoffs like the old school centers the Lakers signed over the last two years or are looking at from the buyout market, which is why they’re worth trading for. While it’s always difficult to break up a top-ranked defensive team, the Lakers know they will need a better rim protector in the playoffs than Gasol or Harrell or adding Drummond of Whiteside will be able to provide.

Defending their championship against the Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz, or Brooklyn Nets will be a tougher challenge than the Lakers had to face in the bubble against the Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat. The Lakers need a solution to their center conundrum that works in the regular season and the playoffs. Andre Drummond, Hassan Whiteside, or some other candidate from the buyout market is not the right answer.

The Lakers would be smart to trade for Myles Turner or Nerlens Noel to permanently solve their rim protection issues, add a young starting center to protect AD, and double down on their championship caliber defense.

Have Lakers Traded Championship Defense for Firepower On Offense?

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Watching the Lakers play, reviewing their roster, and analyzing the stats for the first seven games, it’s hard not to wonder if the Lakers have traded the defense-first strategy that won them a championship for better offense.

Anybody watching the games can see the difference. The Lakers no longer have to rely entirely on LeBron James and Anthony Davis on offense but the defense is riddled with holes and once great rim protection is non-existent. Replacing Avery Bradley, JaVale McGee, and Dwight Howard with Dennis Schroder, Marc Gasol, and Montrezl Harrell has clearly turbo charged the Lakers’ offense but the cost may have been their championship defense.

The stats so far tell the same story as the eye test. Offensively, the Lakers rank 3rd in offensive rating, 5th in points scored per game, 2nd in team plus/minus, 2nd in field goal percentage, and 3rd in 3-point percentage. Defensively, they rank 6th in defensive rating, 6th in opponent points allowed per game, 8th in opponent field goal percentage, 6th in opponent 3-point percentage, 8th in blocks per game, and 25th in steals per game.

While championship teams rarely abandon the strategy that helped them win a title, have the Lakers traded their championship defense to get more firepower on offense this offseason or is there something else going on?

The truth is there’s a lot going on that’s caused the defensive problems that have plagued the Lakers through their first seven games, including roster and scheduling changes as well as a major change in defensive philosophy.

Let’s start with the obvious. It’s only been 83 days since Lakers won the championship, they had a shortened 3 week training camp. Their preseason consisted of just 4 games and they’ve only played 6 games this season. Needless to day, it’s unfair to expect the Lakers to be playing defense at the level they did in the playoffs at this point in the season. Like Frank Vogel warned, it’s going to take time for the players to get back into game shape.

While the Lakers returned twelve players from last year’s squad, they also added five new players in Dennis Schroeder, Montrezl Harrell, Marc Gasol, Wesley Matthews, and Talen Horton-Tucker to an already deep rotation. Adding that many players to the Lakers lineups is going to be a challenge that will take time to click, especially on the defensive end where reading schemes and rotating in sync are critical to Vogel’s defensive system.

While it’s the regular season, the Lakers are still experimenting with lineups and players still working to get into game condition. We probably won’t see the real Lakers’ defense until we’re a fourth of the way through the season.

So what will the ‘real’ Lakers’ defense look like? Have we traded defense for offense? Have we sacrificed rim protection for more offense? The answer is defense is still the priority but there’s been a major change in philosophy.

The change in philosophy started in the playoffs last season when the Lakers stopped having McGee and Howard play drop coverage and went to more athletic defensive lineups that could rotate more quickly and challenge shots. There’s no question the Lakers’ rim protection right now is not what it was last year in the regular season when JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard were playing a combined 35.5 minutes and blocking 2.5 shots per game.

But McGee and Howard were not the rim protection formula the Lakers used to win their 17th NBA championship. While Howard was key in the Denver series, both he and McGee became unplayable most of the playoffs. The defensive lineup that won last year’s championship was Davis at the five, Morris at the four, and James at the three, plus two guards. Vogel confirmed last week that lineup was still the Lakers’ core defensive formula.

So the question that needs to be asked is what’s happened to the Lakers’ core defensive formula? Why haven’t the Davis, Morris, James, and two guards lineup had the defensive impact this season they had in the playoffs? The answer is simple. Despite reiterating that AD, Keef, LeBron, and two guards were still the Lakers defensive formula and Death Star lineup to close games, Frank has simply not played them together so far this season.

Instead, Frank has experimented with different lineups and rotations and has only played AD, Keef, and LeBron together in 2 games for just 6 minutes, which is the major reason why the Lakers’ defense has been subpar. The other problem is he’s played Gasol or Harrell at center for 44.4 minutes per game or over 93% of the time, meaning Davis has only averaged 3.6 minutes per game or just 7% of the game at the center position.

Finally, as he has openly admitted himself, Anthony Davis has really not played well defensively so far this season. In fact, his 114.0 defensive rating is the worst of any player in the Lakers rotation through the first six games.

What the Lakers have done is to double down on the defensive formula that won them their championship last year, which was to rely more on speed, quickness, and athleticism to create better defense than size at the rim.

Rather than bring back traditional centers who became obsolete in the playoffs, the Lakers replaced them with centers with defensive smarts and athleticism to defend all over the court and ability to contribute on offense. It’s going to take Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell time and experience to learn how to play in Frank Vogel’s defense and that’s why they’re getting the minutes at center right now rather than Anthony Davis or Markieff Morris.

Like McGee and Howard, Gasol and Harrell at the five will be the Lakers’ regular season plan but down the stretch and in the playoffs, Vogel will once again turn to the championship formula of Davis, Morris, and James.

Behind the Lakers’ Decision to Dump Traditional Centers Howard & McGee

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One of the unanswered questions from the offseason is why the Lakers dumped traditional centers Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee, whose elite rim protection had anchored the team’s third ranked NBA defense.

There have been extensive conversations about every move Rob Pelinka and the Lakers made this offseason but not a single word about why the Lakers decided to change course and dump Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee. While the team formally expressed its appreciation to both players for their contributions to winning the championship, the Lakers had clearly made a decision not to bring back either of the two centers this offseason.

While ‘dump’ might seem too pejorative to describe what happened to Howard and McGee this offseason, ‘dump’ is exactly what the Lakers did to the two traditional centers who had anchored their defense all season long. They declined to offer a contract to Howard even after he embarrassingly accepted an offer they hadn’t made and then gave the Cavaliers one of their few remaining second round picks to get them to trade for McGee.

What’s surprising about the Lakers’ decision is McGee and Howard had started 70 of the team’s 71 regular season games and 18 of their 21 playoff games, leading to a 52–19 regular season record and 16–5 playoff record. Even more puzzling is the Lakers appear to short handed at center as they get ready to open the 2021 season with only 36-year old Marc Gasol and 26-year old Montrezl Harrell listed on their depth chart as centers.

So what’s the story? Why did the Lakers dump Howard and McGee? Why did Frank Vogel suddenly sour on a center tandem who had done a good job all season long protecting the rim and anchoring the Lakers’ defense?

Analyzing the center position for the Los Angeles Lakers always has to begin with Anthony Davis, who said from the start of his career with the Lakers he preferred to play power forward rather than center most of the time.

While he’s not going to start and often not even play half his time there, Davis is still going to play center to close games for the Lakers, which is why they only carried two centers last season and only need two this season. There was speculation after signing Clippers’ backup center Montrezl Harrell that he’d play the four because of his subpar defense and inability to protect the rim but it’s obvious now the Lakers view him primarily as a five.

With Anthony Davis, Markieff Morris, and Jared Dudley at the four, there’s no question Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell will play the five and replace Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee as the Lakers two-man center tandem. While Harrell’s signing was controversial, the opportunity to sign him along with seeds of doubt planted in the playoffs regarding the value of Howard and McGee could have been what triggered the Lakers’ changes at center.

Trezz is a unicorn talent and his speed, quickness, and motor will be a nightmare matchup for most centers and playing him alongside Anthony Davis at power forward would enable the Lakers to protect him defensively. Pairing an attack dog offensive center like Harrell with an elite playmaking and stretch five center like Gasol dramatically transforms the Lakers’ center tandem offensively so they can afford to sacrifice a little defensively.

Meanwhile, Howard and McGee became increasingly unplayable during the playoffs. Their lack of scoring threat on offense allowed teams to pack the paint and their inability to defend in space became a liability on defense. The emergence of Markieff Morris in the playoffs convinced Frank Vogel that the ability to space the floor on offense and speed and quickness on defense were more important than pure size alone to protect the rim.

The Lakers clearly wanted to retain most of their championship team as 9 of the 14 players on this season’s roster are returnees from last season but the players they added are going to dramatically change how the team plays. Center is the position that will see the greatest change in style of play at both ends of the court for the Lakers as Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell replace traditional low post centers Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee.

Overall, the Lakers will be sacrifice size and rim protection on defense by losing Howard and McGee but should be able to more than make up for that with the elite offensive firepower Gasol and Harrell will be able to deliver. The additions of a playmaking modern stretch five like Marc Gasol and a high-energy aggressive low post scorer like Montrezl Harrell are going to transform the Lakers’ half court offense into an high-scoring juggernaut.

In the end, that’s why the Lakers dumped Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee. They saw an opportunity to significantly upgrade offensively with Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell that they just could not resist.

Why the Lakers Should Sign Dewayne Dedmon as Next Free Agent Target

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With the Detroit Pistons waiving Dewayne Dedmon, the Los Angeles Lakers suddenly have an opportunity to complete their transition from traditional back-to-the-basket centers by signing their second modern stretch center.

The biggest strategic move Rob Pelinka made during the offseason was the decision to dump traditional back-to-the-basket centers Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee and replace them with modern stretch five Marc Gasol. Signing Dedmon to backup Marc Gasol would be the pièce de résistance to Rob Pelinka’s masterpiece upgrade of the Lakers championship roster, completing the team’s transition from dinosaur bigs to modern centers.

The Lakers abandoning the Howard and McGee tandem that had been a trademark element in their championship run was a harsh reminder of how the value of traditional back-to-the-basket centers continues to plummet. The Lakers not only politely declined Howard’s embarrassing acceptance of a contract never offered but also gave the Cleveland Cavaliers one of their few remaining second round picks just to take McGee off their hands.

The Lakers still need another modern center who can stretch the floor on offense and protect the rim on defense and Dewayne Dedmon desperately needs an opportunity to resurrect his career after a disastrous last season. Backing up Gasol will give Dedmon a chance to showcase his abilities and bounce back after being waived and stretched by the Pistons. Dewayne is the perfect fit for the Lakers and they are the perfect fit for him at this time.

Right now, Marc Gasol is really the only true center on the Lakers’ roster because Anthony Davis prefers to play power forward most of the time and Montrezl Harrell is best suited to play power forward next to a stretch five. Pairing Gasol and Dedmon would let the Lakers replicate the center rotation that worked so well with McGee and Howard last season but this time with a tandem of modern stretch fives instead of traditional low post centers.

Adding Dedmon would also give the Lakers another stretch center who can protect the rim to unleash Montrezl Harrell, a high powered dynamic scorer who clearly needs to play next to a modern offensive and defensive center. The 31-year old Dedmon would also give the Lakers important depth to allow Anthony Davis to rest more during the grind of the regular season and protection in case the 35-year old Marc Gasol were to get injured.

At 7′ 0,” 245 lbs, Dewayne Dedmon averaged 10.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 25.1 minutes per game while shooting 49.2% from the field, 38.2% from deep, and 81.4% from the line two years ago with the Hawks. Dedmon’s exactly what the Lakers need to balance their roster and he’s healthy and available now for the veteran’s minimum salary. Rob should pick up the phone and offer Dewayne a chance to join the purple and gold.

Playing 18 to 20 minutes per game for the high profile champion Los Angeles Lakers is exactly the opportunity Dewayne Dedmon needs to erase the bad taste of getting waived and change the direction of his career.

What May Be Driving the Los Angeles Lakers To Trade For DeMar DeRozan!

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The most distressing rumor an NBA fan can hear is that their favorite team is seriously considering a trade that makes absolutely no sense, which is exactly how I feel about the Lakers trading for the Spurs’ DeMar DeRozan.

No disrespect to DeRozan, he’s a proven veteran 20-points, 5-rebounds, and 5-assists per game former two-time All-NBA player and Los Angeles native who grew up rooting for the purple and gold and idolizing Kobe Bryant. DeMar’s only 31-years old, is obviously available, is a reliable scorer who can get his own shot and create for others, and arguably could fill the Lakers’ need for a third star to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

The problem is DeMar’s fit on a defense-first Lakers team whose greatest offensive need is improved 3-point shooting to stop opposing teams from from packing the paint to prevent James and Davis from getting to the rim. The 6′ 6,” 220 lb DeRozan was the 10th worst defender on a Spurs team that was the 24th worst defensive team in the league and shot just 25.7% from deep last season, below his poor 28.2% career 3-point percentage.

So the question is what are the Lakers thinking? How can they seriously be considering trading for DeRozan when his mere presence on the court is likely to downgrade their defense and limit spacing for James and Davis? DeRozan has $27.7 million left on his 1-year contract, meaning the Lakers would have to send $22.2 million in return, which they could do with Green’s $15.4 million, Kuzma’s $3.6 million, and McGee’s $4.2 million.

Why the Spurs would like to do that is simple: Kyle Kuzma. But why the Lakers would swap their best trading chip and valuable expiring contracts for a star player who doesn’t fit and is on an expiring contract is a mystery? Assuming there’s some truth to the rumors and knowing Rob Pelinka’s a savvy and smart basketball executive, let’s see if a DeRozan trade could make sense when viewed in the context of other moves and strategies.

First, adding DeRozan, who can deliver 20-points, 5-rebounds, and 5-assists per game, could be transformative for the Lakers, who clearly lack a player who can get a high percentage shot for himself or a teammate at any time. Second, maybe the Lakers don’t have the assets to trade for a player of the quality of Jrue Holiday, Victor Oladipo, or Myles Turner. Maybe DeRozan is the best available option as a third star to complement James and Davis.

The truth is the Lakers spent most of their valuable trading chips to acquire Anthony Davis and the players they would be giving up for DeRozan are likely not as appealing to other teams as Lakers fans believe them to be. After all, Kuzma hasn’t developed as expected and wants a bigger raise than the Lakers are willing to give him, Green has not lived up to his resume or $15 million salary, and McGee became basically unplayable in the playoffs.

So what are you really giving up in a DeRozan trade? DeMar is arguably a major upgrade at starting shooting guard over Green and neither Kuzma or McGee were significant contributors to the Lakers 2020 championship run. While there are obvious fit issues to resolve, the major objections to trading for DeMar are based on the possibly questionable opinion the Lakers should be able to get a better player than DeRozan for Kuzma, Green, and McGee.

While the fit issues are real and he’s not a good defender or 3-point shooter, DeRozan does have legitimate strengths that fill major needs for the Lakers on offense, namely his ability to get his own shot and make plays for others. DeMar could be the third scorer and second playmaker the Lakers need to complement LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He’s also capable of being a go to player down the stretch who force doubles and finds open shooters.

The problem is how to account for DeRozan’s mediocre defense and lack of gravity from beyond the arc? The answer could be as simple as making changes to the Lakers’ starting lineup and roster to ameliorate those issues. For example, the Lakers could sign a stretch five center like Serge Ibaka or Aron Baynes, whose elite and prolific 3-point shooting can stretch defenses and create spacing for James, Davis, and DeRozan to attack the rim?

Replacing a traditional low post center like Howard or McGee with a modern stretch center like Ibaka or Baynes would transform the Lakers 3-point game and enable them to play 5-out sets to spread defenses and open up lanes. That’s a perfect offensive environment for DeRozan to take advantage of his ability to score in the paint via high percentage jumpers and easy layups or create easy scoring opportunities for teammates with his elite playmaking.

Finally, there’s another reason the Lakers might want to trade for DeMar DeRozan over other star players who arguably fit better like Jrue Holiday, Myles Turner, Buddy Hield, or Chris Paul, which is his expiring contract. While the Lakers are in a ‘win now’ mode, there’s no evidence Rob Pelinka is planning to abandon his grand plan to create maximum cap space to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo next offseason despite the impact of coronavirus.

Despite Kawhi’s rejection last summer, Pelinka stubbornly refused to sign players to contracts for more than two years, opting to preserve as much cap space as possible to sign Giannis or another legitimate third superstar. While the pandemic may have dimmed the Lakers’ chances of creating the cap space for a third superstar, Rob Pelinka may still be committed to the original plan and unwilling to take on more than 1-year contracts.

That would certainly explain why the Lakers might be looking at DeRozan as their best viable option for a major roster upgrade this season without compromising their plans to pursue a third superstar next offseason. Trading for DeRozan and signing Ibaka or Baynes could be the Lakers best option to respond to the major challenges they’re likely to face as the Clippers, Bucks, Warriors, Celtics, and Heat all upgrade their rosters.

The Lakers have never been focused on winning single championships and Rob Pelinka knows LeBron James’ seeming invincibility will come to an end and the Lakers will need another superstar to complement Anthony Davis. The dream of a Lakers’ Big Three and a superstar to pair with AD may be what’s driving the Lakers to pursue DeMar DeRozan as a 1-year option to repeat as NBA champions while still keeping the big picture plan alive.