Getty Lakers stars LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook
The Los Angeles Lakers have been predicted to bench two superstars in their “best small-ball lineup.”
In an August 16 piece called “The Small-Ball Lineup Every NBA Team Needs to Showcase In 2022-23,” Bleacher Report’s Andy Bailey wrote that the Lakers’ small-ball lineup wouldn’t include All-Stars Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. Bailey had Kendrick Nunn, Austin Reaves, Talen Horton-Tucker, Stanley Johnson and LeBron James.
“There’s a temptation to go with a Russ-LeBron James-Anthony Davis trio here, but having Westbrook and AD in the same lineup is just begging the opposition to pack the paint. Instead, we’ll suggest something the Lakers started to embrace last season: point center LeBron,” Bailey wrote. “In 2021-22, James logged roughly half his minutes at the 5. And though L.A. had a negative point differential with those lineups, it was still better than when he played the 3 or the 4.
“The current Lakers roster doesn’t have the ideal pieces to surround LeBron at the 5. But if they tried to squeeze as much shooting as possible into the other four spots, this lineup could at least be interesting. None of Kendrick Nunn, Austin Reaves, Talen Horton-Tucker and Stanley Johnson are proven shooters (with the possible exception of Nunn), but they’ve shown flashes. Horton-Tucker and Johnson both have hints of secondary playmaking potential, too.”
While Davis was injured last season, James started at center for the Lakers. He made his first career start at center on December 28 against the Houston Rockets and finished with 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Darvin Ham Will Have Power to Bench His Stars
According to an August 9 report from Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, new Lakers head coach Darvin Ham will have the power to bench James, Davis or Westbrook. The three future Hall of Famers are the highest-paid players on the team.
“Ham agreed with James and reiterated that his main objectives are to hold everyone accountable and foster an atmosphere of selflessness, sources said,” Haynes reported. “He voiced that defensive tenacity needs to be picked up all across the roster and also forewarned that players would have to play new roles and if he sensed reluctance, he wouldn’t hesitate to remove them from the game, sources said.”
Former Lakers coach Frank Vogel benched Westbrook a few times in the fourth quarter during the 2021-22 season. Among 46 players to take at least 1,000 shots, Westbrook ranked 42nd in true shooting percentage last season. The 2016-17 MVP was second in the NBA in turnovers and had the sixth-worst effective field goal percentage in the league.
Westbrook started 78 games for the Lakers last season. The nine-time All-Star averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists. The Lakers went 31-47 in Westbrook’s 78 appearances and didn’t qualify for the play-in tournament.
Ham Told James He Plans on Running Offense Through Davis
According to Haynes, Ham told James in a private meeting that he plans on running the Lakers’ offense through Davis next season. James will turn 38 in December and the 2022-23 season will be his 20th campaign in the NBA. Meanwhile, Davis will turn 30 in March.
“Furthermore, the first-year head coach said one wrinkle he will implement and stick with is having the offense run through Anthony Davis, and James concurred, sources said,” Haynes reported. “The team has been encouraged with Davis’ offseason progression and believe he’ll be in optimum shape to avoid serious injuries and carry a heavier load.”
Davis averaged 23.2 points and 9.9 rebounds last season. The eight-time All-Star only played in 40 games, though. He missed 17 games from late December until late January after suffering an MCL sprain in his left knee against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Then in mid-February, Davis sustained a right mid-foot sprain versus the Utah Jazz, causing him to miss 18 games.
In his column, Bailey wrote that “the NBA’s small-ball era won’t end any time soon.” With that said, it will be intriguing to see which small-ball lineup Ham goes with.