The Lakers’ Coaching Staff Is Reportedly Eager To See LeBron At Center


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With LeBron James in the fold, the Los Angeles Lakers are undeniably interesting. Early reaction to some of the team’s other free agent signings was not overly positive, though, even if Magic Johnson indicated that he and Rob Pelinka based the Lakers’ roster construction on watching playoff basketball in 2018.

Regardless, this is likely the roster (or at least close to it) that the Lakers will open the campaign with and, simply put, there isn’t a lot of frontcourt depth to be seen. JaVale McGee would be the starter on paper if Los Angeles elected to deploy a traditional lineup, with only Ivica Zubac and first round pick Moritz Wagner serving as legitimate alternatives.

However, Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report brings word from a member of the Lakers front office with plans to deploy James… at the center spot.

“We may not see this on day one, but the coaching staff is eager to see our version of the [Warriors’] Death Lineup with Lonzo [Ball], Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, [Kyle] Kuzma and LeBron,” a second Lakers executive said.


The thought of LeBron at center does make sense, particularly in today’s smaller, quicker landscape. With that said, James has pushed back at times in the past when it comes to even playing power forward and head coach Luke Walton would certainly need buy-in from the game’s best player to even attempt a lineup with him as the center on a regular basis.

It should be noted that the same executive was quoted as saying “the roster (the Lakers) have in October may not be the same come February” and no one would be surprised if a move or two arrived before the trade deadline. Still, the thought of a small-ball group centered on James and young, athletic floor-spacers (headlined by Ingram) is absolutely intriguing.

On the optimistic side, that would be a lot of fun watch. On the pessimistic side, the “death lineup” in question wouldn’t involve Rajon Rondo or Lance Stephenson, further cementing those acquisitions as puzzling to say the least. Still, there are a lot permutations that Walton can work with and the Lakers will bring a ton of drama to the table as a result.

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