Los Angeles Lakers: Anthony Davis must play reluctant center role in certain matchups

Despite his preference for playing power forward, Anthony Davis dominated the Utah Jazz as a center Friday. He must keep an open mind to position shifts.

The Los Angeles Lakers won convincingly over the Utah Jazz Friday, 95-86. Looking at the score, it’s clear a strong defensive effort factored into the victory, but head coach Frank Vogel’s decision to move Anthony Davis to center provided an impact on both sides of the ball.

Coming out of halftime, Davis shifted from power forward to center, which relegated JaVale McGee to the bench for the second half. Howard logged nearly nine minutes in the last two quarters. As a result, Jazz center Rudy Gobert had to step outside the paint to defend his assignment.

While guard Troy Daniels knocked down triples from the outside, LeBron James took advantage of clear pathways to the basket. In 15 second-half minutes, he shot 8-of-13 from the floor and only attempted one three-pointer.

Clearly, Davis’ presence outside the paint as the 5, provided much-needed floor spacing and minimized the two-time Defensive Player of the Year’s impact on the game. In the moment, Vogel made the right decision, but he had to engage in an important conversation with his star big man before the adjustment.

Kyle Goon of the Southern California News Group picked up on the essence of that exchange:

The communication between coach and player on Davis’ move to the 5 holds significance because the six-time All-Star made his position preference clear during an introductory press conference.

"“I like playing the four, I’m not even going to sugarcoat it,” Davis said. “I don’t really like playing the five, but if it comes down to it, Coach, I’ll play the five.”"

Because of Davis’ comfort at power forward, the Lakers signed DeMarcus Cousins to play alongside him—similar to their roles in New Orleans. After the 29-year-old suffered a torn ACL, the Lakers signed Howard, who’s a bonafide 5, to share duties with McGee.

Los Angeles wanted to accommodate Davis’ wishes, but the team experienced success against them. Thankfully for the Lakers, the 6’10”, 222-pounder handled the lineups tweaks in stride and excelled in that role Friday.

When asked about his transition to center in the second half, Davis seemed open to the idea in opportune moments, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.

"“If it makes sense, then obviously I don’t mind doing it,” Davis said. “And it made sense tonight.”"

When the Lakers compete against centers who can clog driving lanes and defend the paint with length, Davis’ responsibilities may change a bit as we saw Friday.

Within the Western Conference, the Portland Trail Blazers have Hassan Whiteside in the middle, the Houston Rockets use Clint Capela as a rim-protector and Steven Adams of the Oklahoma City Thunder can cause issues for ball-handlers driving toward the hoop. In those matchups, we could see Davis shift positions again.

Nonetheless, in today’s NBA, with so many centers expanding their shooting range and an emphasis on floor spacing, Davis won’t have to take one for the team on a consistent basis.

Also, take note of Caruso’s role in the Lakers’ small-ball lineup. As a ball-handler, he’s able to feed James, who can draw defenders and kick out to shooters like Danny Green and Daniels. The dynamic scorer can also dominate in the post or on the inside.

Three games into the season, we’re seeing how much Davis affects the Lakers’ ability to attack on the offensive end. In addition, the three-time blocks champion can also defend against talented bigs. He finished with five swats against the Jazz in a well-rounded performance.