LeBron James shared with his Instagram followers on Friday that Los Angeles Lakers coach Luke Walton told him to expect to spend time playing center next season.
He’s apparently OK with that idea.
LeBron James packs on mass in Instagram image
James made the announcement with this ridiculously Photoshopped image of himself with giant arms, apparently ready to do battle in the post with the likes of Rudy Gobert, DeMarcus Cousins and Joel Embiid.
Even more absurd than than his massive tris and bis is the squished basketball in his hands. Whether that’s intended to demonstrate the massive power provided by his edited physique or simply poor photo editing is unclear. Either way, it’s funny.
Would Lakers be at their best with James at center?
The image is silly, but it does bring up some legitimate questions about the Lakers rotation next season. As of now, the starting lineup looks like Lonzo Ball at point guard, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope at shooting guard, Brandon Ingram at small forward, James at power forward and JaVale McGee at center.
Aside from the glaring roster flaw of having McGee in an NBA starting lineup, this setup leaves last season’s breakout rookie Kyle Kuzma sitting on the bench behind James.
Adopting a positionless basketball concept and inserting Kuzma into the lineup while pushing James to the de facto center spot might end up providing the most dangerous look for the Lakers next season.
Lakers taking cue from Warriors?
It would emulate the “Hamptons” lineup the Golden State Warriors use when they go with a frontcourt of Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Of course that lineup works because of the immense talent of the players mentioned above. There’s no Curry or Thompson involved the small-ball scenario for the Lakers.
But while James’ first season in L.A. certainly won’t produce a team that can compete with the champs, nobody should doubt his ability to adapt his game yet again if called upon to play center.
