Lakers News: Darvin Ham Hints At Jumbo-Sized Front Line When Everyone Is Healthy
Whenever Los Angeles Lakers All-Star big man Anthony Davis returns to the hardwood for LA (perhaps as soon as the end of the month), he will be joining a team that has actually looked pretty good with his replacement at center, 6'10" rim-rolling big man Thomas Bryant.
Davis has almost exclusively been played at center thus far this year by head coach Darvin Ham, who has looked to double down on AD's excellent handle in the post (and move away from AD's jump shooting elsewhere, which has been spotty this year).
But with the 6'10" Bryant looking excellent sans the 6'10" Brow, and the team often struggling to survive its minutes employing tiny guard lineups, could Ham be amenable to playing Bryant and Davis on the floor together, with Davis perhaps once again being moved to his preferred position of power forward? And what if 6'9" current power forward LeBron James, normally a small forward, were to play with that dynamic duo at the three-spot?
Ham reflected on playing potential lineups featuring all three of Thomas Bryant, Anthony Davis, and LeBron James, per Jovan Buha of The Athletic.
"Absolutely," Ham reflected. "I mean, the way AD is able to function out on the perimeter, we don't want him to be too far on that side. We want him to hav a happy balance. But definitely. They're all very highly skilled players -- Bron, AD, Thomas. They all can score at all three levels. They all can defend. They all can have good activity, good instincts. So, yeah, that's something we'll definitely take a look at."
All three players are abnormally athletic for their positions, so shifting Davis and James back down to their more standard forward slots wouldn't mitigate their edge. Bryant operates best around the rim, Davis can thrive in the high post if needed on occasion. The team's floor spacing might get a bit cramped with three non-shooters playing at the same time, but perhaps a bigger, longer LA front line could mitigate that on the other end a bit.
