Should the LA Lakers continue to play LeBron James at center? Here's what the stats say
LeBron James has been the focus of much attention following his spectacular performance in the LA Lakers' win against the Golden State Warriors.
In a much-needed win, the LA Lakers star put on a show by notching 56 points - his highest in a Lakers uniform - at Crypto.com Arena.
.@KingJames messed around and dropped 56 PTS (most as a Laker) against Golden State 😤 https://t.co/vMmbt0bnD4
Averaging 29.4 points per game at the age of 37 may be an impressive feat. But "King James" has regularly put on scoring clinics against teams this season.
However, the win against the Warriors was relatively special. Although any win against a top team is precious, the game was particularly interesting as James started at center again.
The aging superstar starting at 5 hasn't been an unusual sight this season. It is the first season of his 19-year long career that LeBron has had to start a game at center.
This has had a number of implications for the LA Lakers, offensively, defensively and even from a gameplay perspective.
Getting into detail about seeing LeBron James' excellence and versatility, we take a look at whether the decision to continue playing the 37-year old at 5 is a good idea for the Lakeshow.
LeBron James' stats while playing the 5
LeBron James made his debut as a center on December 28th against the Houston Rockets. The decision was taken by David Fizdale, who was filling in for Lakers head coach Frank Vogel.
With Anthony Davis also on a long path to recovery, the Purple and Gold were practically forced to make changes to prevent a losing slide.
LeBron's debut at center was greeted with success. With a win to end a 5-game losing streak, James recorded a triple-double performance of 32 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
Having LeBron James start at center could become a bit of a trend in the next few games as well. Although the follow-up game against Memphis saw Dwight Howard start at center - which resulted in a loss - the next four games saw LeBron return to the center position to lead the Lakers on a four-game winning streak.
Statistically, LeBron James' playing center has been quite fruitful for the LA Lakers. In the nine games that have featured James as the starting center, the Lakers have a winning record of 6-3.
This is only further improved upon by LeBron's average for those games. When given the start at center, James recorded an average of 35 points, 9.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game.
Additionally, LeBron averaged 36.5 minutes per game in the span of time. With an incredibly high usage rate, James' playing center has its pros and cons.
However, after comparing James' winning record at 5 with the LA Lakers' current record, having the superstar transition to being a small-ball big man has been successful.
Offensive Role and Defensive Implications
Having LeBron play the 5 has a number of implications for the team's makeup. Considering the absence of a genuine big man and the Lakers' decision to limit their available big men to just Dwight Howard, the starting rotation saw a number of changes.
A major change was size. With Davis out and LeBron James at 5, the Lakers often saw a combination of Avery Bradley and Russell Westbrook in the backcourt and Malik Monk and Stanley Johnson in the frontcourt alongside James.
The distinct lack of size makes the Lakers extremely vulnerable on the rebounding front. It also affected their interior presence against skilled big men.
However, it gave LA a lot of tools to operate with offensively as they could spread the floor and play at a faster pace.
According to @cleantheglass, the Lakers are a +9.7 when the trio of LeBron James, Malik Monk and Austin Reaves have shared the floor this season. The team also has an offRTG of 123 and eFG% of 58.7% during those possessions.
A positive combination to build from going forward. https://t.co/EpQGIbTUF4
Offensively, this worked out quite well for the Lakers as they recorded an offensive rating of 122 for the nine games LeBron started at center.
By the same token, however, the Purple and Gold took a hit defensively. Notching a defensive rating of 115.6, the Lakers struggled as a defensive unit. However, they still managed to record a positive net rating.
Having LeBron at 5 was a matchup nightmare for most big men guarding him. As one of the most versatile players of all-time, LeBron could easily beat players off the dribble, on the low block or even stretch the floor with his shooting.
One-handed. Bank shot. Buzzer-beater.
#KingJames | #NBAAllStar https://t.co/RxW4mQHpxe
While also factoring in his playmaking and intelligence, LeBron James assimilated into his role as a big man quite seamlessly.
LA Lakers' long-term strategy for LeBron James
The LA Lakers find themselves in quite a precarious situation. With Anthony Davis out with an injury and a severely depleted big-man rotation, the Lakers have practically been forced to start LeBron at center for each game.
While this has brought the side relative success in the past, the strategy itself has a number of consequences.
While James has proven his durability even at this stage in his career, keeping him at 5 takes a massive toll on the Lakers superstar. This is primarily on the defensive end, where he has to absorb contact from a lot of bigger players.
LeBron is not a diminutive figure by any means, but the punishment of constantly fighting for rebounds and bumping shoulders in a crowd puts him in a vulnerable position.
This is only exacerbated by the heavy minutes LeBron plays in these games. Often playing for long stretches of time, the 37-year old takes a massive toll with each game he plays.
And-1s are hard.
RTs to send @KingJames to #NBAAllStar are easy. https://t.co/XcSM8ONhXj
While the strategy should prove worthwhile in the short-run - considering the Lakers' need for wins to hold on to a play-in position and Davis' recovery - the Purple and Gold will need to find a way to stagger and monitor James' minutes better if they have any hope of competing in the playoffs.