He’ll Spend More Time Than Ever at the Center Position

Don’t scoff at seeing the notion of LeBron at the five. He’s mentioned in the past of his ability to do so.

“I think the best thing for me personally is that ever since I was a kid I’ve always learned every position on the floor… I know every single play at every single position. It makes the job a lot easier for me because I know where I should be and where my teammates should be.”

That quote came less than a year ago. He’s clearly got the basketball intellect for it as one of the smartest players to step foot on the court but he also has the physical aptitude to match. As well as being one of the highest IQ players to play, LeBron is the greatest all-around athlete to grace the game. The work he puts into his body is second to none and has rewarded him with an incredibly high-level of consistency over the years that remains unmatched to this day.

The important thing for James to play at the five will be the right matchups. With small-ball now a league-wide practice we’ll certainly see it on a more regular basis. It’s when James will be forced to defend the likes of Embiid and Davis where it won’t happen. With only a handful of teams capable of punishing the Lakers in those instances, expect coach Walton to utilize his own version of a super-switchable lineup with The King at center.

Outside of McGee, Los Angeles doesn’t have anyone who’s a ready-made rotation five. Wagner has potential as a Kevin Love-lite but there’s no way he’ll be trusted to play serious time in the regular and postseason. If anything, Zubac would be ahead of Wagner in the rotation at this early stage.

According to Basketball Reference’s play-by-play data, LeBron has never spent more than 9% of court time at the center position in a season (2012-13, Miami). The last two seasons in Cleveland he spent 2% (2017-18) and 3% (2016-17) respectively. That number will surely grow for the 2018-19 season.

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