The Los Angeles Lakers are getting used to life without Anthony Davis, as the former New Orleans Pelicans star continues to be on the sidelines. For that, the biggest adjustment they’ve had to make was to slide LeBron James to the five for the first time in his career.
Truth to form, James has excelled at center as if he had been playing that position for decades. He’s given the Lakers another facilitator inside the paintand has endured the physical burden that comes with playing below the rim.
That’s why coach Frank Vogel has been adamant in his desire to keep James playing at the five even when Davis is back on the floor, and he recently made his case and explained why that’s just the best decision.
Frank Vogel Says Playing LeBron James At Center Gives The Lakers A Defensive Advantage
“There’s some defensive benefits to it as well, especially with certain matchups where we’re doing a lot of double-teaming with elite guards and you have more speed to scramble around the perimeter,” Vogel said, per Silver Screen & Roll. “There’s still a lot of areas of those types of coverages that we need to improve on but the speed of that can be beneficial.”
“Whether he’s guarding the five or if he’s on the backside at the 3 or 4 or whatever, his voice has been critical over the last three years of me being here and this era of Lakers basketball to the defenses that we’ve had,” the coach added. “He’s the middle linebacker. He’s the best communicator. He’s the best anticipator. Anybody who wants to question what he’s doing on the defensive side of the ball, he’s critical to everything we do defensively.”
James Wants To Embrace Tougher Defensive Matchups
Some people could be concerned about James’ body after making the transition to center. He’s not getting any younger and we’re talking about a guy who’s been in the league for 19 years. Then again, The King is looking forward to the challenge and will do whatever the Lakers need:
“Obviously, that has always been part of my objective or who I am as a basketball player to be able to take on matchups that help our ball club,” LeBron said after the Lakers’ games against the Timberwolves.
James is perhaps the only player in NBA history who could thrive on all five positions on the court, and the fact that he’s been able to make this transition so late in his career speaks volumes of his unmatched skillset.