There are certainly great centers in the rich lore of the Los Angeles Lakers. To wit, George Mikan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain, Shaquille O'Neal, and of course, LeBron James?
LeBron playing center recently has definitely become a focal point of discussion among Lakers fans. It remains to be seen if the experiment is a success since the Lakers are 5-5 in their last 10 games. But clearly, LBJ has been totally magnificent at the no. 5 position.
While Lakers coach Frank Vogel admitted they're giving up a lot of size with LeBron as the pivot, he's focusing more on the advantages (via Silver Screen and Roll).
“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. 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.”
LeBron transitioning to a different position isn't exactly new, Vogel particularly praised The King for his efforts on the defensive end despite being undersized as a center.
“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. 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.”
With Anthony Davis out for the 267856th time, expect LeBron to play more center for the Lakers. They will face the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.
Follow Us
Subscribe