The Lakers are moving in a good direction.
On one hand, Anthony Davis is one of the NBA’s best centers — he averaged 25.9 points and 12.5 rebounds per game last season, is one of the league’s best defensive centers, and the Lakers were 7.8 points per 100 possessions better. Last season when he was on the field. He tends to play to his strengths (fewer 3-pointers) and if he plays 65 games this season and gets most of his minutes in five games, Davis is likely an All-NBA center.
Davis, on the other hand, doesn’t want the game to wear out in the quintet so much – Dave McMenamin of ESPN reports he told the Lakers directly.
Sources told ESPN that Davis told the organization he wanted more backup at center so he wouldn’t have to play five games during the regular season.
Davis played 100 percent of his minutes at center last season According to Basketball-Reference (Glass cleaning said “only” 99%). This year, the Lakers added depth to their five-man signing Jackson Hayes And Christian Wood offensive To play center this season, they are solid players who can help keep Davis’ minutes down, maybe allow him to play the four, and most importantly, not see a drastic drop in the games Davis misses.
However, to close the games – and possibly start them, As Jawan Boha pointed out in The Athletic – Davis will be in the center. The reason is defensively. For example, if Hayes starts at center, he’ll move Davis to the four, where he’ll often be outmatched by smaller, faster athletes on the perimeter and away from the rim. Most importantly, it has composition James Lebron An impressive player at 38 (turns 39 in December), he hasn’t consistently stayed up against small forwards over 82 games. It is a bad match
Still, the Lakers have found a way to get Davis minutes at five. It’s part of a good offseason by the Lakers that built on what they did at the trade deadline. Gabe Vincent It will help at this point, and the UC Santa Barbara product showed with the Heat that he can be trusted in the playoffs. Reddish cam Provides wing depth. Austin Reeves Team USA has impressed and looks ready to take a step forward. On Hachimura return
And then there’s Hayes and Wood. They add depth on the offensive line and hopefully they can give Davis what he wants this season, a little less time in the first five seasons of ’82, so he’s ready for a second playoff season. Because that’s where the Lakers are judged.