JJ Redick defends decision to limit Anthony Davis’ positional flexibility

LA Lakers coach JJ Redick stands by his decision to keep Anthony Davis at center. Following the Lakers' 97-87 loss on Friday against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Redick was asked why he decided against having another big guy with Davis.

Despite not having a traditional frontcourt duo, the Lakers outplayed the Wolves in the rebounding department. Los Angeles grabbed 53 rebounds, while Minnesota secured 48 boards.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, the Wolves scored 44 points, outscoring them from inside the paint. Conversely, LeBron James and his teammates scored 38 points in the paint.

Reporters were interested in learning why Redick doesn't start AD with another big guy. Fans and the media are calling for Davis to return to his primary role as the power forward.

According to Redick, though, he "hasn’t generally liked the two bigs looks the Lakers have had this season." The coach's desire to watch James and Rui Hachimura at the power forward position is another factor in his choice to keep Davis at center.

Redick's strategy of having James and Hachimura next to the center isn't exclusive to Davis. The former Duke star said that he likes having the two forwards be the power forward even with the Lakers' backup centers.

Davis has benefitted from being the power forward for the Lakers. During their 2020 playoff run, the nine-time All-Star played with centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard under coach Frank Vogel.

The Lakers were among the top defensive teams because of their impressive frontcourt. They had the highest block average in the NBA, at 6.6 per unit.

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JJ Redick explains where the Lakers went wrong against the Wolves

The Lakers didn't have the best night against the Wolves, as they gave up multiple chances on the floor. JJ Redick explained what went wrong, pointing out turnovers and lack of physicality as reasons for their loss.

“They came in a number of ways,” Redick said. “Some passes that we tried to fir through tight windows, never wanted to inbound the ball to the other team after a made field goal, give up a dunk.

“Some of it, not holding our positioning and timing our sort of physicality to get open on horns. I think we had three turnovers just on horns alone. … it kills.”

Los Angeles had 21 turnovers and never led during the game. The Lakers, who were missing James for the second consecutive game, were exploited by Minnesota. The Wolves could focus entirely on Davis, with four-time champion James skipping another game for personal reasons.

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