POWER FORWARD
Starter – Jordan Hill, 22 minutes/game
Backup – Pau Gasol, 32 minutes/game
Reserve – Ryan Kelly, 14 minutes/game
December 22, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill (27) dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at ORACLE Arena. The Lakers defeated the Warriors 118-115 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Yes, I’m going on a limb and predicting Jordan Hill as the opening day starter for the Lakers. Despite reports after the signing of Chris Kaman that the Lakers were re-committing to the slowed-down, methodical pace with which they played late last season, I can’t imagine D’Antoni sticking to that. With Hill, the Lakers can push the tempo and Hill certainly deserves a shot at significant playing time. He’s only played 36 games with the Lakers and maxed out at 15.8 minutes a game last season. However, he’s due for an increase given his skill set.
After that, the Lakers can rotate the likes of Gasol and Kaman into the position. In reality, the three of them can each play the center and power forward position. Gasol, however, will likely spend most of his time at the center position to maximize his skill set in the D’Antoni offense. If you need a sign that MDA has success with big men, look no further than Amare Stoudemire and David Lee’s stats under D’Antoni. Ryan Kelly is the interesting prospect here. The Lakers drafted him to be the stretch four they could use last season, and I foresee him filling the role left by the departure of Antawn Jamison.