The Los Angeles Lakers added some reinforcements at the center position this offseason, as Dwight Howard returned to the place where he won a ring and DeAndre Jordan hopped on board to bring some veteran savvy. But on Tuesday during the team’s media day, Anthony Davis made clear that he will line up at the 5 for long stretches this year.
Davis said that, while Howard and Jordan could start depending on some matchups, he’s spoken to Frank Vogel and is “comfortable with” anchoring the team’s starting rotation.
Anthony Davis on how he feels playing at center pic.twitter.com/ozDeaFc5vs
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 28, 2021
“That was the expectation and that was discussed, and I expect to play center,” Davis said. “I’m not sure what’s gonna happen, me and Frank talked about it a couple of times and that’s the plan. Right now, nothing is set in stone, but we wanna see what that looks like, and I’m comfortable with that. Obviously there’s times where Dwight or DJ might get the start at center depending on games, but for the most part, I think the plan is to go with me playing center.”
It’s a big boost for the Lakers, because while the team has looked lethal in recent years with Davis playing the 5, he’s said on a few occasions that his preference is playing the 4. With L.A. presumably having something of an issue with floor spacing due to LeBron James and Russell Westbrook being in the team’s starting lineup, putting Davis at center and having the space to start someone who is a more dangerous shooter should help.
