The Los Angeles Lakers have been having a tough season. Currently 9th in the West the Lakers have not been performing close to their expectations.
Looking for something new to work, Frank Vogel has been trying playing small with LeBron James at the center. The small ball lineup is designed to provide more defensive versatility, giving them the ability to switch and guard all positions.
Looks like the Lakers chose to live and die by this small lineup after waiving Deandre Jordan. With Anthony Davis out the team from Southern California only have Dwight Howard as a true big, and they don’t give him much playing time either as Vogel chooses to usually go small. This is quite a questionable call as this does not give the Lakers flexibility or options to play big unlike they had when they won the 2020 title.
The small ball lineup can work sometimes especially when the opponent does not have a dominant big. But if the Lakers have to go against a force down low like Jokic, Giannis, or Embiid, they might have some problems and might not have the bodies to battle against those giants.
Needless to say, the Lakers have to make do with what they have as the trade deadline is long gone and they’ve already signed a couple free agents to try and provide more depth. Russell Westbrook is a Laker for the rest of the year so let’s see how well the small lineup will work and see if the Lakers can still figure things out to make the playoffs.
Featured Image: Adam Pantozzi/nba.com
