PJ Tucker

If any Lakers news this offseason deserved a Woj Bomb, it was Mark Stein’s report that the Lakers covet a “difference-making playmaker who would allow James and Davis to spend more time at power forward and center.”

This is blockbuster news for the Lakersverse. If true, Stein’s report basically says the Lakers are considering abandoning what has been a two-year campaign to accommodate Anthony Davis’ preference not to play the five. While Davis’ best position is the five and the Lakers’ best lineups are with him at the five, Los Angeles finally appears to be ready to commit to James and Davis playing the 4 and 5 in both the regular season and the playoffs.

So why the change in strategy, a move that obviously has to have LeBron James’ and Anthony Davis’ approval as well as the Lakers’ front office and coaching staffs, and how will that impact the team’s offseason moves?

WHAT POSITIONS HAVE LEBRON AND AD BEEN PLAYING?

If Mark Stein’s report proves to be correct, moving LeBron James to the 4 and Anthony Davis to the 5 represents a dramatic and stunning strategic change in how the Lakers will utilize their two superstars next season.

I n his three Lakers seasons, James has spent 43% of his regular season minutes and 46% of his playoff minutes at point guard with only 11% of his regular season minutes and 0% of playoff minutes at power forward.
Meanwhile, Davis has played 71% of his regular season minutes and 47% of his playoff minutes at power forward and just 29% of his regular season minutes and 53% of his playoff minutes as a Laker playing center.

The Lakers are now considering making a radical lineup change for the upcoming NBA season by having LeBron James move from point guard to power forward and Anthony Davis move from power forward to center.

WHAT’S BEHIND THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN STRATEGY?

After spending most of last regular season and playoffs actively avoiding LeBron at the four or AD at the five, what happened to suddenly cause the Lakers to decide to change course and embrace a James/Davis four/five?

The easiest explanation is the Lakers know they do not have the cap space or trading chips to transform the current roster to championship caliber so they smartly decided to take better advantage of the personnel they have. The James/Davis small ball lineup is clearly the Lakers best lineup. They just need to add an elite point guard so LeBron could move to the four and rethink how to prevent AD from getting injured so he can play the five.

The Lakers know small ball is the future of the league and moving LeBron to the four and AD to the five will optimize their superstars and make it easier for them to add the shooters and defenders they need to win the title.

HOW WILL THE CHANGE IMPACT LAKERS’ OFFSEASON?

The biggest challenge the Lakers will have converting to a James/Davis small ball lineup for next season is finding a ‘difference-making playmaker’ to replace LeBron James at point guard so he can move to power forward.

A starting lineup with LeBron at the four and AD at the five also opens up an opportunity for the Lakers to add a bigger 3&D wing player like PJ Tucker, who can shoot the corner three and defend high-scoring twos and threes. Tucker would be the perfect player for the Lakers to target as their starting three. Signing him would give the Lakers three starting front court players who could guard all five positions at all three levels of the court.

Finally, whom the Lakers start at shooting guard will depend on whom they acquire to start at the point. If they acquire a point guard who’s a volume deadeye 3-point shooter, then they might survive with THT at the two.

WHY WILL THE LAKERS SMALL BALL LINEUP BE BETTER?

By redeploying their two superstars, the Los Angeles Lakers found a path to rebuild their roster to championship caliber despite not having open cap space for free agents or trading chips to pull off mega deals for elite players.

Starting James at the four and Davis at the five not only takes advantage of the front court pairing the Lakers used to win their 17th NBA championship in last year’s bubble but opens up opportunities for more 3-point shooting. The Lakers have a better chance of finding an elite 3&D wing to start at the three alongside LeBron and AD at the four and five than finding a center to play alongside Davis that wouldn’t be played off the court in the playoffs.

By committing to the James/Davis front court that won the championship, the Lakers have given themselves a chance to roll out their best potential lineup with both of their superstars finally playing their ideal positions.

Between two Covid colored seasons, the rise of a new generation of stars, and a looming changing of the guard in the NBA, this offseason may be the time for the Lakers to ask Anthony Davis to play small ball center full time.

While Davis at the five might be a delicate subject to discuss right now since his injury susceptibility was a big part of why the Lakers aren’t in the Finals, AD at the five is the ultimate weapon around which the team should build. The Lakers have major decisions to make this offseason. They need to catch up. The competitive landscape has changed. Their reign as champions is over. They’re no longer the favorites. What’s worked may need changing.

The Lakers need to sit down with Anthony Davis and explain to him that it’s crazy for the team not to play him at the five since that’s his best position and since fivesomes with him playing center have been their best lineups. We didn’t win the NBA championship last season playing Anthony Davis at the four. We won because AD dominated at both ends playing the five. For some reason, we seem to have conveniently forgotten the reason we won.

The Lakers should stop accommodating Anthony Davis’ preference to play the four and do what’s best for the team. Here are five reasons the Lakers need to build their offense and defense around AD as a small ball center.

1. AD at Small Ball Center Is the Lakers’ Best Lineup.

Let’s start with the obvious, NBA pundits all agree Anthony Davis’ best position is small ball center and the Los Angeles Lakers’ best lineups are when Anthony Davis plays small ball five rather than power forward.

While Davis prefers to play the four due to concern over his susceptiblity to injuries because of the physicality of playing center, he’s clearly said he has no problem playing the five when needed, especially during the playoffs. Yet the Lakers continue to avoid playing Davis at the five. Last season, he played center 10% during the regular season and 20% in the playoffs, down from 40% in the regular season and 60% in the playoffs the year before.

Rather than continue to accomodate Davis’ preference to play the four, the Lakers should be sit down with him and figure out how they optimize his time as a small ball center while limiting the physicality of playing the five.

2. AD at Small Ball Center Would Modernize the Lakers.

Aside from the lunacy of not playing your best lineup, AD at small ball center would modernize the Lakers both offensively and defensively. Davis is the modern offensive and defensive center the Lakers need to win.

Offensively, Anthony Davis is the perfect modern center. He can dominate in the low post, score at will with midrange jumpers, and stretch the floor and create space for himself and his teammates with his 3-point shooting. Defensively, he can not only protect the rim but has the speed, quickness, and mobility to switch, rotate, and defend smaller players out to the 3-point line. Unlike traditional low post centers, he can’t be played off the floor.

The Lakers need to stop wasting time and resources on short term rent-a-centers who get played off the floor in the playoffs when they already have the league’s best modern offensive and defensive center in Anthony Davis.

3. AD at Small Ball Center Can Be Protected From Physicality.

Once the Lakers commit to AD at small ball center, there are specific moves they can make to enable Davis to avoid overly physical matchups against bully ball centers like Joel Embiid, Deandre Ayton, or Nikola Jokic.

Rather than spinning wheels trying to find a center would be a good fit next to Davis at the four, the Lakers should focus on finding a power forward like Julius Randle or PJ Tucker with the size and mentality to guard big centers. The Lakers should also adjust their defensive schemes to double team and trap bully ball centers to prevent them from overpowering Davis one-on-one, which is the only way to stop superstar centers like Embiid or Jokic.

The answer to concerns about AD getting injured playing the five is to pair him with a bully ball stretch four capable of defending centers and/or give him help in the form of traps and double aganst the tougher matchups.

4. AD at Small Ball Center Simplifies Roster Building Process.

The Lakers need shift their roster building stretegy to focus on players to complement Anthony Davis at small ball five rather than stretch four. They need a bully ball stretch four to go with AD rather than an old school five.

There are more power forwards available who can bang with big bully ball dominating centers like Embiid and Jokic than modern defensive centers like Davis who can’t be played off the floor for slow foot speed and mobility. The Lakers already have a proven candidate in Markieff Morris who played stretch four to AD’s small ball five in the playofffs but should be looking to add more elite 3&D fours like Julius Randle, PJ Tucker, or Jae Crowder.

The NBA is a matchup league and the Lakers need power forwards who can physically bang with bully ball centers to free up Anthony Davis to play the small ball five position and reach his ultimate ceiling as an NBA player.

5. AD at Small Ball Center Is Where the League Is Heading.

The Lakers have spent two years generally ignoring their most lethal lineup in an attempt to live up to the promises they made to recruit Anthony Davis. That decision is like a giant cargo ship that’s hard to stop and turn around.

But that’s exactly what the Lakers need to do at this point in time because we wasted time and opportunities building a roster around the foundation strategy that Anthony Davis was going to play the four and not the five. Whom we drafted, signed in free agency, and traded were all part of that grand plan. Now it’s time for the Lakers to rethink that plan and make AD at small ball five the franchise’s foundation strategy starting this summer.

Anthony Davis will take the baton from LeBron James as the face of the Lakers’ franchise sometime over the next few years. The Lakers need to commit to taking full advantage of his unique skills as a small ball center.

PJ Tucker

Lakers Considering Going Small With LeBron at the Four & AD at the Five!

Time Has Come for Anthony Davis to Be Lakers’ Small Ball Center Full Time