Lakers commit to Anthony Davis at center, but defense must work out kinks

BOSTON — A thorough accounting of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 47-point barrage yields some obvious conclusions. The Greek Freak is strong, fast and very much still an MVP-caliber player who can push defenders around when he wants to, even Lakers All-Star Anthony Davis.

But on the plays when Antetokounmpo wasn’t barrelling into Davis’ chest to get to the rim or wasn’t simply launching unguarded 3-pointers, something else becomes clear: The Lakers had trouble keeping him in front of the defender they wanted

During the second quarter surge when the Milwaukee Bucks built an 11-point lead by halftime, they cut apart the Lakers’ scheme in pick-and-roll attacks – forcing double-teams of Jrue Holiday that left Antetokounmpo rolling free or screens that forced switches to get Davis off of him. As much as Antetokounmpo was able to score on Davis, which he did for nine of his 18 baskets, he also had plenty of success getting shots off against Avery Bradley, Carmelo Anthony, Rajon Rondo, Malik Monk and, in the end, Talen Horton-Tucker.

The manipulation of their scheme was so effective that the Lakers had to get away from their regular defense, opting for a zone.

“We’re playing small, and our pick-and-roll coverages and switching some things that allowed Giannis to get behind,” Davis said. “And he’s going against Rondo or Wayne (Ellington), so it’s a height disadvantage for us.”

As the Lakers have fully committed to a smaller lineup, it’s made offense more straightforward in many ways. It’s given Russell Westbrook more license to attack downhill in the way he wants, one of the reasons he was able to record 15 assists on Wednesday night. While Davis has to work harder as the center, it gives him a better pathway to the rim, where he’s an effective lob threat and finisher.

But the other end of the court has been a different story. The problem with the smaller lineup is not that the Lakers can’t score; it’s that they can’t defend.

Stat site Cleaning the Glass shows that the Lakers’ units with Davis at center are posting a minus-5.5 net rating, reflecting a defense that is giving up 113 points per 100 possessions when he’s in the middle. That improves to minus-2.5 when Russell Westbrook and Davis are playing together, but it’s still concerning that the Lakers haven’t been able to win the minutes when their best two healthy players are on the floor.

That might change Friday if LeBron James is able to play. The Lakers listed the 36-year-old forward as questionable for their game against the Boston Celtics, hopeful that he can avoid his ninth consecutive absence from the lineup. The Lakers (8-8) are 4-6 without him this season.

But unlocking the small lineup – long considered the Lakers’ ace up their sleeve after it helped them win the 2020 title – is going to be critical to their long-term hopes no matter who is available.

By contrast to what’s transpired so far this season, the Lakers were plus-5.8 during the championship season when Davis played center, and then a dominant plus-15.8 during their playoff run, allowing just 103.9 points per 100 possessions in the postseason while smothering the likes of the Houston Rockets and the Miami Heat. The Lakers believe in Davis at center so strongly, it was widely considered the starting lineup before veteran forward Trevor Ariza was injured during the preseason.

The reason Coach Frank Vogel went small against Milwaukee, which boasts considerable size with Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Bobby Portis all in the starting lineup, was because all three of those players can shoot from outside. Vogel said he was tempted to look at a traditional center with how many bigs Milwaukee plays, but knows the Bucks can still space out defenses.

As it turned out, it didn’t really matter. The Lakers were also smashed in the minutes when Dwight Howard played center in the first half, including a possession when Antetokounmpo launched a 3-pointer as Howard sat back near the rim. Antetokounmpo’s versatility has made him a two-time league MVP.

But it hasn’t just been Antetokounmpo. The Lakers have been lit up recently by forwards who can space, including Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns and Chicago’s DeMar DeRozan. That partly reveals how much the Lakers miss their power forward depth: James’ return and Ariza’s debut (likely next month) is expected to help heal that.

Another area where their depth becomes worrisome is on the boards: The Lakers have been outscored on second-chance points in six of their last seven games and are giving up 13.9 second-chance points per game (23rd in the NBA). In general, the Lakers believe if they limit opponents to just one look per possession, it plays into their favor defensively, as well as their ability to fly into transition off of misses. But they’ve been giving more than one look.

“On the other side, we switch our pick-and-rolls so I’m guarding on the perimeter,” he said. “(Opponents’) offensive rebounding has kind of been the problem, because we got smaller guys. It’ll look better when we have our bigger guards back. Bron, Trevor. And (then) we know we have size down on the glass.”

The Lakers now seem to be fully on board for this look, which should be more complete whenever James can return. With Horton-Tucker starting out hot following his injury, the Lakers also have better length and shooting at the wing, starting to put that piece into the lineup. Westbrook has played better overall, with more shooters to pass to, and they also help create paths for him.

“Clearly he’s benefiting from that space,” Vogel said. “And A.D. is as well.”

It just has to result in wins, too.