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Should Frank Vogel Rethink the Role of Traditional Center in Modern NBA?

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In a league where traditional centers have been devalued and the Lakers’ tag team of JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard has been the exception, the time may have finally come for Frank Vogel to embrace the modern center.

In today’s NBA, traditional centers whose only job is to protect the rim and dunk the ball have become dinosaurs who can be played off the court by modern centers who’re more mobile and athletic and can shoot the three. Frank Vogel’s been on a mission to prove the Lakers can still win with a traditional center anchoring his defense and protecting the rim and he’s been able to pull it off for the most part up until he got to the playoffs.

Vogel’s conviction defense starts with protecting the rim and Anthony Davis’ preference to play the four to avoid the physical banging of playing the five have definitely been major factors in the Lakers playing traditional centers. But these playoffs have taught the Lakers playing a quicker and faster power forward who can defend and shoot the three like Markieff Morris alongside Davis at center can work and make them better offensively and defensively.

The playoffs have exposed traditional centers as liabilities on both ends of the court. Offensively, their presence in the paint and lack of gravity on the perimeter make it easy for defenses to pack the paint and protect the rim. Defensively, their inability to guard the perimeter makes them vulnerable against teams with centers who can stretch the floor and their lack of speed and mobility makes them easy prey for smaller players hunting switches.

While the Lakers played JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard at center 74% of the time during the regular season, those numbers dropped dramatically to 52% for the first three rounds of the playoffs and to only 29% for the Finals. Since McGee did not play and Howard posted a team worst defensive rating of 135.7 in last night’s game, it’s highly likely the Lakers will opt not to play either of their traditional centers in tomorrow night’s Finals Game 6.

In many ways, the evolution of the center position for Frank Vogel and the Lakers this season has been a microcosm of the center revolution that has taken over the modern NBA in the wake of the ascension of the 3-point shot. The Lakers are fortunate that they have the perfect prototype of the modern NBA center in Anthony Davis. What they need to figure out going forward is who would be the ideal front court partner to optimize and protect Davis.

Re-signing Morris is going to be important and there are matchups like Jokic where a physical defender like Dwight Howard could be critical, although he may be offered more as a free agent than the Lakers could be willing to pay. The Lakers may prefer to re-sign DeMarcus Cousins, who would give the Lakers a true stretch five and whom Anthony Davis loved playing with when both were on the Pelicans, than bringing back Dwight Howard.

The Lakers might also prioritize pursuing a young power forward/center like Christian Wood or Myles Turner, who would better complement Anthony Davis and catapult the Lakers’ offense and defense into the modern NBA. Wood or Turner would not only give the Lakers a starting lineup with five players who can shoot the three ball and defend the perimeter but also the two bigs Vogel’s alway preferred to anchor the defense and protect the rim.

Despite the need for a playmaker, the Lakers’ priority this offseason should be to replace their traditional centers with modern centers who would complement Anthony Davis and revolutionize their offense and defense.

Three Critical Match Up Questions for the Lakers and Heat in the NBA Finals!

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Whether regular season or the playoffs, the NBA is all about the matchups. Because offense and defense in a playoff series is often more of a team than individual effort, lineup and rotations matchups can determine the winner.

How the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat answer the following three critical questions about the specific lineups and rotations they plan to use in the next four to seven games could determine who wins the NBA Finals:

1. What Do the Heat Do When the Lakers Go Big?

The first key matchup question the Heat are going to have to answer if they hope to upset the Lakers and win the NBA Finals is what do they do when the Lakers go big with Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James? Miami’s starting front court of Bam Adebayo, Jae Crowder, and Duncan Robinson doesn’t match up well against the Lakers’ super-sized front court, which means the Heat may be forced to change their starting lineup.

The Lakers’ Howard, Davis, and James front court is a nightmare matchup for the Heat because they ideally need Bam Adebayo to defend Anthony Davis but Duncan Robinson or Jae Crowder cannot guard Dwight Howard. To make matters worse, even if Adebayo defends Howard, there’s no way Crowder and Robinson will be able to guard Davis and James, which means Miami is likely going to be forced to change their starting backcourt.

This is the matchup that is likely to doom the Heat because it’s going to force them to replace Duncan Robinson, a player whose elite 3-point shooting their offense depends upon, with either Kelly Olynyk or Andre Iguodala. Miami has two options: bring in Olynyk to defend Howard, allowing Adebayo to guard Davis and Crowder to guard James, or bring in Iguodala to defend James, leaving Adebayo on Howard and Crowder on Davis.

Either option is fraught with peril. Adebayo, Crowder, and Iguodala may have a better chance of limiting Howard, Davis, and James than Olynyk, Adebayo, and Crowder even though Bam wouldn’t be guarding Anthony. The Lakers’ advantage in sheer size, talent, and experience in the front court is what makes them the prohibitive favorites in this series. The Heat’s only options may be get Howard in early foul trouble or to go small.

2. What Do the Lakers Do When the Heat Go Small?

The Heat’s best strategy against the Lakers’ big lineup could be to go small and try to force the Lakers to match up by replacing Dwight Howard with Markieff Morris at power forward and moving Anthony Davis to the five. There’s no question that a front court of Adebayo, Crowder, and Robinson or maybe Iguodala versus Davis, Morris, and James would be a much better matchup for the Heat than having to go against Howard, Davis, and James.

The good news for the Heat is that the Lakers normally play their version of small ball with Anthony Davis playing the five around half the time. The bad news is Frank Vogel could surprise everybody and play big all game long. While JaVale McGee has not played great recently, he did play well in the two wins the Lakers had over the Heat back at the end of 2019 and there’s an argument to be made playing two bigs against the Heat could be smart.

One of the Miami Heat’s weaknesses is their lack of a capable defensive center to backup Bam Adebayo and the Lakers going big for the entire game could scramble all of Erik Spoelstra’s planned defensive strategies and rotations. While Howard will likely start and play 30 minutes for the Lakers, there’s a good chance Vogel will give McGee a chance to redeem himself, keep Howard the out of foul trouble, and test whether he can be effective against the Heat.

While a Lakers’ front court of Davis, Morris, and James may be easier for the Heat to match up against, it also may be the Lakers best lineup at both ends of the court, providing better 3-point shooting and quicker rotations. Regardless of what Vogel decides, the Lakers will still have an advantage in the front court whether they stay big with Howard or McGee at the five or go small with Davis at the five against the Heat’s normal starting lineup.

3. What Do the Lakers Do When the Heat play Zone?

One way the Heat might be able to cover for their mismatch disadvantage in the front court against the Lakers is to deploy a 2–3 zone defense, which has been a key element of their defensive game plans throughout the playoffs. The zone could enable them to keep their starting front court of Adebayo, Crowder, and Robinson on the floor, especially when the Lakers went big with Howard or Mcgee at the five. They used the Zone against LA before.

Deploying the 2–3 zone against the Lakers could be a smart strategy for the Heat to test because capable and consistent 3-point shooting, which is one of Los Angeles’ weaknesses, is a critical criteria to beating zone defenses. Unfortunately, the other way smart teams beat zones is to get the ball to a superstar zone buster like LeBron James or Anthony Davis in the heart of the zone at the free throw line where they can either score or facilitate.

In fact, that’s exactly what the Lakers did to beat the Heat zone in the games the Lakers won in November and December 2019. Posting LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the middle led to a plethora of easy points and assists. Spoelstra will have to come up with new wrinkles for the Heat’s 2–3 zone to confuse the Lakers this time around but playing zone is definitely a way for Miami to avoid having to change their normal lineups and rotations.

Look for the Lakers to also exploit the weaknesses of teams playing zones, namely poor offensive rebounding and transition defense because each defender doesn’t have a specific responsibility for any one offensive player. Frank Vogel and the Lakers’ coaching staff are going to have the Lakers ready to take advantage of the Heat’s 2-3 zone, especially when they go big. Laker centers will be sprinting down court looking for touchdown passes.

Four Reasons Why Lakers Must Start Dwight Howard Against Heat in Finals

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The rumors head coach Frank Vogel may decide to return to starting JaVale McGee rather than staying with Dwight Howard as the Lakers’ starting center against the Heat in the upcoming 2020 NBA Finals are worrisome.

Howard has not only played far better than McGee in Conference Finals but also has consistently outplayed him in the second half of the regular season and in the seeding and first two rounds of playoff games played in the bubble. With Howard starting and helping the Lakers win the last two games to clinch the West Finals, it seems foolhardy for Frank Vogel to even consider making a change before the four most important games of the season.

Now is not the time for misplaced loyalty to displaced starting center JaVale Mcgee to derail what has worked well for the Lakers in the last two rounds to dispatch the scruffy small-ball Rockets and the gritty come-back Nuggets. The Heat, with All-Star center Bam Adebayo, resemble the Nuggets more than the Rockets or Blazers and the Lakers should deploy a defensive game plan built around starting Dwight Howard at center to shut down Adebayo.

Vogel needs to be careful not to overthink the situation. Don’t rock the boat and make changes after the team just played their best two games of the playoffs. Here are four reasons why the Lakers should start Dwight Howard:

1. Howard’s a Better Defensive Matchup Against Adebayo!

While he is not the 3-point threat Nikola Jokic was, Miami’s Bam Adebayo presents similar defensive problems as a scorer, rebounder, and passer, posting 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 assists in the Boston close out game. Stopping Adebayo is the Lakers top priority as Bam dominated the Eastern Conference Finals, averaging a team-best 21.8 points, team-best 11.0 rebounds, and team-best 5.2 assists in team-high 39.1 minutes per game.

Bam is the offensive engine that powers the Heat’s game and that’s why the Lakers would be smart to use the same strategy they used to stop Jokic and start Howard and have him on the floor whenever Adebayo’s in the game. Howard posted a team-best defensive rating of 100.0 in the Nuggets series in 20.2 minutes per game, dramatically better than the 110.5 defensive rating posted by JaVale McGee in the 7.6 minutes per game he played.

Just four wins from their 17th NBA championship, the Lakers should keep the same starting lineup that shut down Nikola Jokic in the conference finals and start Dwight Howard to defend Bam Adebayo in the NBA Finals,

2. The Lakers’ Offense Runs Better with Howard at Center!

Neither Dwight Howard or JaVale McGee are going to score many points or dish out many assists from the center position but the screens they set and offensive rebounds they grab can be critical to the Lakers’ offense working. Howard was a key component to the Lakers’ offensive success against the Nuggets, posting a team-best 123.5 offensive rating for the series compared to JaVale McGee’s 97.4 offensive rating for 7.6 minutes per game played.

Unlike the Nuggets’ Jokic, the Heat’s Bam Adebayo is a excellent defensive rebounder, good team defender, and elite rim protector as he showed with his great game-saving block against Jayson Tatum in the conference finals. The Lakers will need Dwight Howard’s physical screen setting, aggressive offensive rebounding, and dominating power dunking off lobs to keep Bam Adebayo busy defensively and prevent him from defending Anthony Davis.

Starting Dwight will make the Lakers’ offense run better as the Heat will have to focus on keeping him off the boards and preventing him from getting easy dunks off lobs when LeBron or Rondo penetrate the paint.

3. Starting Howard Will Force Miami To Adjust Lineups!

The Miami Heat would love the Lakers to go small with Anthony Davis at the five and Markieff Morris at the four, which would enable them to have Adebayo guard Davis, Crowder guard James, and Robinson defend Morris. What they don’t want is the Lakers to start Howard because that’s going to expose Robinson and force them to replace him with Olynyk or Iguodala in the starting lineup to matchup against the Lakers big-three front court.

But replacing Robinson with Iguodala or Olynyk doesn’t eliminate the matchup nightmare created by Howard. Starting Dwight puts the Heat in a bind. Who does Bam Adebayo cover? Anthony Davis or Dwight Howard? There’s no way Robinson, Crowder, and Adedayo can defend James, Davis, and Howard. The Heat could go small and try to play McGee off the floor but Howard’s elite physicality and athleticism would force them to adjust.

Starting Dwight will give the Lakers a James, Davis, and Howard front court whose athleticism and physicality will create an absolute nightmare matchup and force the Heat to change their lineups and rotations.

4. Howard Will Be More Likely To Re–Sign Next Season!

The Lakers need to think about their future. Dwight Howard’s emergence in the playoffs as a major difference maker changes the dynamic for next season, especially in light of JaVale McGee’s continued diminished performances. Dwight’s an unrestricted free agent this offseason and there’s already rumors of the Boston Celtics offering him their MLE and a chance to start. Vogel starting Dwight in the Finals could be the key to him re-signing.

While the Lakers may still have their eye on DeMarcus Cousins as their perfect starting center for next season, there’s also no question Howard has shown he can still be an elite defensive center as well as a great teammate. Dwight deserves the opportunity to start in the NBA Finals and hopefully Frank Vogel and his staff see that and understand how the decision whether to start him or JaVale McGee could determine his future as a Laker.

The Lakers would be smart to stick with the lineup that won them the Western Conference Finals and start Dwight Howard at center. It’s the kind of move that could convince Dwight Howard to finish his career as a Laker.

Who’s Going to Play Center & Defend the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic for Lakers?

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The Western Conference Finals between the Nuggets and Lakers that starts tomorrow is rightly billed as an epic battle between the best offensive center in the league in Nikola Jokic and best defensive center in Anthony Davis.

However, Lakers’ head coach Frank Vogel has made comments hinting he may opt to go big and have traditional centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard guard Jokic rather than All-NBA first team center Anthony Davis. While we won’t know until play starts whether Vogel just wants to keep his centers engaged and bolster team chemistry or whether he really intends to revert to big lineups, playing McGee or Howard on Jokic could be a mistake.

Let’s start by looking at the stats to see how McGee, Howard, and Davis fared playing center against Nikola Jokic in the four regular season games between the two teams this season, three of which were won by the Lakers. In the 150 minutes Davis was on the floor, the Lakers outscored the Nuggets by 34 points in his 56 minutes at center, broke even in Howard’s 42 minutes at center, and were outscored by 18 points in McGee’s 52 minutes at center.

Digging deeper, the individual defensive ratings of the Lakers’ three centers against the Nuggets in those four regular season games tell the same story. Davis posted a defensive rating of 110.5, Mcgee 121.1, and Howard 126.5. The stats confirm the obvious conclusion of most NBA pundits. First team All-NBA and All-Defensive center Anthony Davis is without question the Los Angeles Lakers’ best option to defend Denver Nuggets’ center Nikola Jokic.

So what’s behind Vogel’s comments about playing McGee and Howard? Neither is a good matchup against Nikola Jokic, especially behind the 3-point line, and backup Mason Plumlee only plays 10 minutes per game. While Davis will guard Jokic most of the time, the Lakers may be going big so they can throw multiple defenders at Jokic to bully and wear him down physically since he’s already played over 500 minutes in the playoffs.

The Lakers’ formula of starting games big and finishing them small has been integral to their success and was able to hold Nikola Jokic to just 16 points per game in the four regular season games with Denver this season. The fact their only loss to the Nuggets came in the one game LeBron James didn’t play also gives them confidence they can win playing their normal rotations or go small with Anthony Davis at the five if that doesn’t work.

That they can win playing big or small has been a major source of pride for the Lakers all season long so Vogel’s not taking a huge risk by gambling they can beat the Nuggets by going big since he has small ball in his back pocket. The Lakers are so talented with two first team All-NBA superstars in LeBron James and Anthony Davis that at worst Vogel’s likely only risking losing Game 1, which they’ve already shown they’re capable of easily overcoming.

Nevertheless, there are good reasons why the Lakers’ most potent lineup both defensively and offensively is their version of small ball with AD at the five, Morris the four, LeBron the three, Green the two, and KCP the one. That lineup has defensive speed, quickness, and athleticism to double the ball and rotate to contest shots from deep and at the rim while offensively spreading the floor and unpacking the paint to unleash LeBron and AD.

The Lakers were able to roll through the first two rounds of the playoffs by doubling and shutting down Blazers’ Damian Lillard and Rockets’ James Harden, who were the primary offensive engines of their respective teams. The Lakers’ challenge playing the Nuggets is Denver has two offensive engines in Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray whose high pick-and-rolls makes it nearly impossible for teams to double Murray because of Jokic’s passing.

The Nuggets destroyed the Clippers with those pick-and-rolls with Murray getting the ball to Jokic on a short roll and Jokic using the 4 on 3 advantage to hit cutters for easy layups and dunks or shooters for wide open threes. Deciding not to double or trap Murray could be part of the reason Frank Vogel wants to go big with both Davis and McGee or Howard protecting the rim and Lakers’ defenders staying at home with Nuggets 3-point shooters.

It will be interesting to see what other adjustments coach Vogel makes to shut down Murray and Jokic and the Nuggets’ offense. While the Bucks and the Clippers have stumbled, the Lakers are peaking at just the right time. The Lakers know Denver doesn’t have anybody who’s going to be able to stop LeBron James and Anthony Davis offensively so they’re confident slowing down Murray and Jokic defensively is the smart way to win.

The Nuggets deserve credit for what’s been a sensational playoffs but the well rested Lakers are not the overachieving Thunder or the choke prone Clippers so the Cinderella story is going to end. The Lakers in five games!

Morris or McGee? Who Starts for the Lakers in Western Conference Finals?

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Heading into the Western Conference Finals, Frank Vogel has to decide whether to start Markieff Morris, whose small ball style transformed the Lakers in the last two wins, or revert to previous starter JaVale McGee.

There are cases to be made for both starting lineups. The JaVale McGee starting lineup has played 89 minutes in the playoffs with a 127.1 offensive rating, a 105.5 defensive rating, and a 21.5 net rating and +39 plus/minus. Meanwhile, the Markieff Morris starting lineup has only played 30 minutes in the playoffs but has posted a 128.6 offensive rating, an unbelievable 73.3 defensive rating, and an impressive 54.9 net rating and +30 plus/minus.

For Frank Vogel, everything starts with defense. The Lakers’ core defensive strategy against the Blazers and Rockets was to identify what was the heart of the opponent’s offensive engine and then game plan to take that away. For the Blazers’ series, that meant doubling Damian Lillard and forcing other players to beat them. For the Rockets’ series, that meant doubling James Harden and betting they could handle the rest of Houston’s lineup.

While starting Morris excelled against the small ball Rockets, most analysts expect the Lakers to revert to starting McGee in the Western Conference Finals against either the Clippers or Nuggets since both start big 7′ centers. But since the two teams and centers play different styles of basketball, the Lakers will not only have to wait until Tuesday night to learn whom they’ll play but their starting lineup could be different depending on opponent.

That won’t stop Frank Vogel, or for that matter us, from reviewing both the Clippers’ and Nuggets’ lineups and game planning and strategizing how the Morris and McGee starting lineups might work against each opponent. Knowing Vogel’s calling card is defense, let’s start our by identifying what is the beating heart of the Clippers’ and Nuggets’ offensive engines and which of the Lakers’ starting lineups would be most effective in shutting it down.

1. Lakers’ Starting Lineup for Conference Finals Against the Clippers.

The heart of the Clippers’ offensive engine in my opinion is forward Kawhi Leonard’s unique ability to get to where he wants on the court, usually deep in the paint, and finish with an unstoppable high percentage jump shot. Preventing that will likely be the core of the game plan Frank Vogel deploys against the Clippers and will probably include double teaming Kawhi to force him to give up the ball and rotating aggressively as the ball moves.

With the Clippers loaded with other dangerous scorers like Paul George and Lou Williams, the Lakers should start the Markieff Morris lineup like they did against the Rockets to speed up their defensive rotations after doubling. Zubac is not a major offensive threat other than as a dunker or offensive rebounder and playing their oversized version of small ball will unleash Anthony Davis and LeBron James as shot blockers who can protect the rim.

Starting Morris should also benefit the Lakers on the offensive end as they could deploy 5-out sets and Markieff’s 3-point shooting to stretch the floor and counter Clipper attempts to pack the paint against LeBron and AD. Playing small could also force the Clippers to bench traditional center Ivica Zubac, who is a major factor for them defensively, and replace him with the smaller Montrezl Harrell, who always struggles to guard James or Davis.

Bottom line, the defensive and offensive adjustments Frank Vogel made when starting Morris for McGee against the Rockets are exactly what the Lakers need to deploy to slow down Kawhi Leonard and beat the Clippers.

2. Lakers’ Starting Lineup for Conference Finals Against the Nuggets.

The heart of the Nuggets’ offensive engine is mercurial center Nikola Jokic who’s been the driving force behind Denver’s comeback versus the Clippers and can dominate with his elite passing and inside and outside games. As great as Jamal Murray has played during Denver’s comebacks against the Jazz and Clippers, stop Jokic and you stop the Nuggets, who rely on his deft passing, crafty moves in the paint, and tendency to get hot from deep.

While Anthony Davis can defend Nikola Jokic one-on-one, the Lakers’ best option is probably to double him and get the ball out of his hands, The Nuggets are easier to defend as a team when he does not have the ball. Doubling demands the Lakers play their version of small ball with Morris starting rather than McGee to accelerate the speed and quickness of their rotations to run shooters off the 3-point line and cruise the passing lanes.

As with the Clippers, starting the Morris lineup should help the Lakers on the offensive side. If Jokic has a weakness, it’s his ability to defend in space. There is no way he’ll be able to defend Anthony Davis or Markieff Morris. The Nuggets are vulnerable to teams who play small or have stretch five centers because neither Jokic or Plumlee are comfortable defending on the perimeter, which is why they lost 5 of their last 8 games vs. Houston.

Should the Nuggets pull off a second comeback from being down 1–3, the Lakers should look to take advantage of their physical and mental state by playing their version of small ball with the Markieff Morris starting lineup.

In the end, it’s really not a surprise that the Lakers best starting lineup is the one with Anthony Davis at the five and Markieff Morris at the four. It’s the lineup that ultimately turbo-charges the Lakers at both ends of the court. The unexpected and gratifying surprise is coach Frank Vogel understanding and making the perfect strategic defensive and offensive adjustments to transform the Morris lineup into a juggernaut at both ends of the court.

The Lakers have now won two series and are just eight games away from winning the NBA championship. Whether they play the Clippers or the Nuggets, they need to start Markieff Morris and their version of small ball.