on Sunday, los angeles lakers Safe First win of this preseason against Warriors, the win would also serve as their first preseason win since December 2020. LeBron James, Russell Westbrook and Patrick Beverly rested during the game. However, Anthony Davis started and played from the center position.
This isn’t the first time head coach Durbin Hamm has tried to find out what it’s like to have an AD starting at 5. In last Wednesday’s game against the Suns, Davis was initially placed in his starting center position with LeBron, Westbrook, Beverley and Austin Reeves flanking him. However, Davis was so careful with the strain on his lower back that he was scratched at the last minute and Wenen Gabriel finally joined the lineup.
Davis again sat out the following night’s game against the Timberwolves, but Hamm, who returned on Sunday, was again determined to see how it all looks in the starting five AD. Practice Monday If the head coach’s later comments are any indication, he must have liked what he saw.
Durbin Hamm: “We are looking into starting AD (Start) at 5.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 10, 2022
First of all, there is a stark contrast in the way Durbin Hamm and former head coach Frank Vogel reveal their starting options in the lead. Vogel kept things close to his chest up to a few minutes to get tipples from time to time, but Hamm appears to be more proactive about providing information to reporters.
Speaking of Vogel, he also resisted starting Davis as a five-year-old. Vogel generally wanted the added size and rebounding in the frontcourt, which theoretically provided when traditional centers started next to AD.
Given the roster composition for this 2022 offseason, featuring a large amount of guards and two centers in Damian Jones and Thomas Bryant, Hamm seemed to follow the same starting frontcourt model as Vogel. In doing so, he mitigates the negative effects of not having a long wing player on the roster.
This kind of negative impact shows up most often in defense this season, whether it’s from struggling to secure rebounds or simply defending the wing of superstars in the league. , when it comes to offense, starting Davis at 5 might help him further develop his free-playing style on that end. Something Davis Talked About After Practice That Same MondayDavis believes that the freedom of attack will naturally lead to the production of defense.
“But for the most part, the flow on offense and the freedom on offense is second to none. We go out there and everybody just plays. or when you’re free to play basketball on the offensive side instead of trying to box it, it’s kind of hard for you to be defensive when he needs you to do something end. That’s why everyone I know likes Coach Hamm. “
Even if Davis didn’t explicitly talk about playing heavy five-fifths in his comments about Hamm’s style, it’s unlikely that this “free” offensive nature would be easier around AD. Makes sense.
A lineup with Damian Jones or Thomas Bryant would be slower than if either or both were on the bench, but it would also negatively impact the overall playmaking of the lineup. With Davis and his four players from the pool, including LeBron, Westbrook, Beverley, Reeves and Kendrick Nunn, the Lakers could pull off many different sets from the 4-in-1-out spacing system Hamm uses. Yes. .
With the variety of things these types of lineups can do offensively with their speed and playmaking, the Lakers could be a much better team this season than we could have hoped for.LeBron, Westbrook, Beverly Even without the Lakers, the Lakers scored 124 points, 28 of which came from AD, and it certainly did well on Sunday night.
Hopefully, if Hamm does this, the Lakers have plans for a defensive end that will cost opponents a lot of height within two to four positions of each team’s respective lineup.
Durbin Hamm says the Lakers’ approach to the final two preseason games will be “pretty pragmatic” in treating them like regular season games. I mean, it might not be a perfect minute for a major veteran, but they’re out on the court together for the rep.
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) October 10, 2022
We’ll have to see which starting line-up Hamm deploys in the preseason finale against the Timberwolves on Wednesday and the Warriors on Friday. He indicated that these games will be closely related to how the Lakers handle his regular season games starting Oct. 18. Warriors if he does for the rest of this week.
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