Three-time NBA Champion LeBron James could be the starting point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers next season.
A report by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports back in July stated that the Lakers would make James their starting point guard but it wasn’t confirmed.
James has always been an incredible passer, he averaged 8.3 assists in 35.2 minutes over 55 games last season and he averages 7.2 assists per game in his career, so playing the point would not be strange for him and now it seems that the team is ready to test the idea.
“I mean, we have so many different lineup packages that we can probably go to throughout the course of the season,” James told ESPN. “So we’re just trying out a few things now in practice—going with smaller lineups, going with bigger lineups, going with quicker lineups, going with slower lineups. But that’s the luxury of having our personnel, we have the ability to do multiple things.”
The Lakers missed out on Kawhi Leonard in free agency but they made a number of moves to surround James and Anthony Davis with talent, for example, signing Avery Bradley to a two-year, $9.7 million deal.
This is how the Lakers roster and starting lineup could look like with LeBron James at point guard
C: JaVale McGee*, Dwight Howard
PF: Anthony Davis*, Talen Horton-Tucker
SF: Kyle Kuzma*, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Jared Dudley
SG: Danny Green*, Troy Daniels, Avery Bradley
PG: LeBron James*, Rajon Rondo, Quinn Cook, Alex Caruso
*Notates expected starter
If James starts at point guard, the Lakers could include Kyle Kuzma in the starting lineup. Kuzma is traditionally a power forward but he can be a small forward as well.
Re-signing JaVale McGee was a smart move by the Lakers, the big man played well for them last season, averaging 12.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 22.3 minutes over 75 games (62 starts).
Having McGee and Dwight Howard allows Anthony Davis to be the team’s starting power forward. Davis feels more comfortable in this position and it will allow him to take advantage of his athleticism.
Troy Daniels, Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can help the Lakers address some of the shooting and defensive depth concerns they had last season and Jared Dudley can provide depth to their bench, toughness and much-needed veteran leadership.
Signing Dwight Howard is a risky bet for them but taking a chance on him at a veteran’s minimum deal makes sense. The Lakers have Rajon Rondo, Quinn Cook, and Alex Caruso as potential backups in case James starts at point guard.
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