Last season, the Los Angeles Lakers surrounded All-Star big man Anthony Davis with traditional centers in Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee to make up one of the best NBA frontcourts en route to the title. In the offseason, they went in a different direction and signed Marc Gasol to a two-year deal.

Howard ended up with the Philadelphia 76ers, while McGee was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Now, according to head coach Frank Vogel, having a player with Gasol’s skillset gives the Lakers more versatility and improves their offense. Specifically, he expressed his belief that the defending champions could use the 35-year-old’s intelligence and ability to read defenses.

Marc Gasol, who won a title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019, averaged 7.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists last season while shooting 42.7 percent from the field and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Speaking to Ryan Ward of LakersDaily.com, Vogel also said that Gasol’s ability to handle the ball will benefit the Lakers, even citing what Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic did against Los Angeles in last season’s playoffs as examples.

Moreover, the 47-year-old mentor shared that Gasol’s passing will encourage his teammates to move better without the basketball, something that was already evident in the preseason where the Lakers went 4-0 and defeated the Los Angeles Clippers and Phoenix Suns twice each.

The Lakers begin their title defense on Tuesday against the Clippers, which will give their fans and the rest of the league a chance to see how Frank Vogel will use Gasol as part of their offense.