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The NBA’s new emphasis on reporting accurate heights has yielded some strange results so far. A few players, like Kevin Durant, turned out to be slightly taller than their previously listed height, though the vast majority of players saw themselves lose an inch – or potentially more.
Kings forward Marvin Bagley seems to be the biggest loser of the rule change so far. Widely considered to be 6’11”, it turns out Bagley only stands 6’8″ meaning his listed height was off by a whopping three inches. While the Lakers didn’t have any major surprises like Bagley, two of their big men checked in slightly shorter than advertised.
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Lakers Dwight Howard, Anthony Davis Shorter Than Previously Listed Height
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that both Howard and Davis, previously listed at 6’11”, both lost slightly over an inch due to the NBA’s new regulations. Both players dropped down to 6’9 3/4″ and while fans have long suspected that Howard wasn’t as tall as his listed height, the news regarding Davis is somewhat shocking.
Though listed at 6’11”, many fans felt Davis was potentially a seven-footer who was pulling a Kevin Garnett and lying about his height to continue playing power forward. Not only is Davis not close to being a seven-footer but it turns out he’s nearly three inches away.
At the end of the day, this doesn’t really mean a whole ton. Both Davis and Howard are experienced veterans who have been able to carve out successful NBA careers so losing an inch on the depth chart shouldn’t have much impact there. While the Lakers’ frontcourt shrunk ever so slightly, they still have the talent and depth to match up with teams featuring big interior bruisers like the Denver Nuggets or Philadelphia 76ers.
Lakers Set for Final Preseason Showdown vs. Warriors
Sitting at 3-2 in the preseason with all three wins coming against the Warriors, the Lakers are set to do battle once more with the reigning Western Conference champions. Taking advantage of the Warriors’ banged up frontcourt, the Lakers big men have feasted. Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee, and Dwight Howard have all put forward dominant showings against the Warriors – a trend that should continue as long as Kevon Looney and Willie Cauley-Stein are on the shelf.
Beyond just their frontcourt, the Warriors are missing other key pieces – like Klay Thompson – as well. The sheer number of injuries on the Warriors makes it tough to gauge just where exactly the Lakers stand as a team vs. actual NBA competition. To make matters more confusing, they lost both of their preseason games against the Nets. Though both the games were played in China amid a tense political situation – far from an ideal environment to assess a team.
As a result, the Lakers are still somewhat of an unknown heading into their final preseason game against the Warriors. The final preseason meeting shouldn’t tell us anything we don’t know and instead should serve as a dress rehearsal for opening night with James and Davis likely seeing closer to a full share of starter minutes.
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