A Traditional Closing Unit:
This closing unit will vary from the Lakers starting lineup at the center and power forward positions.
Anthony Davis has said that he’s a power forward and he doesn’t want to start at center, so that means AD will almost certainly start at PF which will push Kyle Kuzma to the bench. That also means that one of JaVale McGee or DeMarcus Cousins will start games for the Lakers.
This traditional closing unit is very similar to what the Lakers did almost ten years ago, when they started Andrew Bynum at center, but sat him during 4th quarters and moved Pau Gasol up to center and had Lamar Odom play power forward.
This is also what the Warriors did during 2015 when they had Andrew Bogut start games at the 5, but sat him to close games, choosing instead to have Green move up to center and Harrison Barnes play the 4.
If Frank Vogel chooses this closing unit he’d be doing the same thing. He’d shift Anthony Davis up a position and have him finish games as a center and he’d insert Kyle Kuzma into the power forward spot, while benching either JaVale McGee or DeMarcus Cousins.
AD has said that he doesn’t want to start games as a center, because of the toll bodying up opposing big’s takes on his body, however he could manage to play the 5 to close games.
Davis is a nightmare matchup for other centers because he’s too fast for most 5’s on the block and his mid-range game if too developed for opposing big’s to lay off him in an attempt to corral his speed toward the rim.
AD also shot 38% from deep off of spot up attempts last season, which means that in certain situations he’d be able to pull the other squads 5 away from the rim in order to cover him beyond the arc. That would give LeBron James, Avery Bradley, and Kyle Kuzma clear driving lanes towards the rim at the end of games.
This lineup would also allow the Lakers to spread the floor with three good 3-point shooters in Avery Bradley, Danny Green, and Kyle Kuzma while LeBron James and Anthony Davis run pick and rolls.
On defense this unit would be solid, however, there would be a couple of holes in the Lakers armor. Anthony Davis is one of the best defensive big’s in the game, but at only 6-10, the one area he struggles in on the less glamorous side of the ball is covering massive centers with a post-game.
Also, Kyle Kuzma greatly improved his perimeter defense last season, but he’s too small to handle bigger power forwards on the block. Overall, even though this lineup isn’t perfect, it would still be one of the best closing units in the NBA next season.