2018 Training Camp

Joey Ramirez

From his first days on the job, President of Basketball operations Magic Johnson preached his vision of “positionless basketball.”

With the makeup of this year’s roster, that philosophy figures to be a vital part of the way that the Lakers play.

“We want to be a positionless team,” LeBron James said at Saturday’s practice. “There’s gonna be times when we’re all playing different positions. I think that’s going to be the benefit of our ball club.”

It helps, of course, that LeBron is perhaps the most positionless player in the history of the game.

The four-time MVP has spent the majority of his career at small forward, but recently has increased his time at power forward. He is also excellent running point and unlocks dangerous small-ball lineups by playing center.

But James is far from the only Laker who can play across several positions. He highlighted Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Michael Beasley as those types of flexible players.

“We have a lot of guys that can play multiple positions,” James said. “It’s going to work well for our team. It’s good. We just have to help rebound.”

Indeed, rebounding will be a challenge for a Lakers team that wants to play small-ball lineups, potentially playing forwards like James, Kuzma and Beasley at center.

The Lakers often played small last season and were one of the league’s top rebounding teams, grabbing the second-most boards (46.4) with the seventh-best differential (+1.6).

Much of this stemmed from the Lakers’ ability to gang-rebound, with several guards and wings — including Lonzo Ball, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Josh Hart — constantly crashing the glass. Plus, the team added a couple more strong positional rebounders in Lance Stephenson and Rajon Rondo.

“We need it,” coach Luke Walton said. “It’s the only way it’ll work for us. If we can’t rebound the basketball, we’ll have to get away from positionless basketball and go back to the good ol’, solid [positions] one through five.”

Lakers Rebounders Among Their Position’s Top Three

*Ball was six games played from officially qualifying for the league leaderboard.

As coach of a team committed to a positionless philosophy, one of Walton’s greatest challenges will be evaluating whether the benefits of playing small ball outweigh the detriments.

Lineups with James or Kuzma at center, promise scoring firepower, but they could potentially weaken the team’s defense or rebounding.

“Even if we’re getting hurt on post-ups from another team’s big, are we outscoring them on the other end by spreading them out and having their five-man have to guard Kuz?” Walton said.

“… We’re always having those debates and we use our analytical department to help prove one way or another.”

It’s hardly surprising that Walton has embraced this positionless, high-paced style.

He recalled growing up watching the Showtime Lakers battle with the Boston Celtics, as both teams constantly ran the floor and featured skilled big men.

“It’s fun to space the floor and have skilled players all over the place,” Walton said. “The game’s getting fast and teams are pushing it. To me, that’s the way the game’s supposed to be played.”

Moe, Zo Out Sunday
Rookie big man Moe Wagner will miss the entirety of the Lakers’ six-game preseason due to a bone contusion in his left knee.

The draft’s 25th overall pick suffered the injury during the Las Vegas Summer League. He will be re-evaluated at the conclusion of the preseason.

Meanwhile, Ball isn’t expected to play in Sunday’s exhibition either, as he continues to work back from July arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.

Even without suiting up in San Diego, Ball has surprised those in the gym with how quickly he has gotten back to speed in full-contact practices.

“His bounce is there, his speed is there,” James said. “I don’t know if he even had surgery. (laughs)”

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Lakers Committed to Playing Positionless Basketball

Prior to last season, Kyle Kuzma had never played outside of his power forward role.

But injuries forced him to briefly suit up at small forward as a rookie, and Kuzma performed well on the wing. Now he is adding the center position to his repertoire.

“I’ve never really played the five before,” Kuzma said. “I think it’ll be good for us having a small-ball unit, getting out and running and gunning.”

The benefits of playing Kuzma at center are obvious. He’s a lethal scorer who can open up spacing for others with his shooting, and push the pace with his mobility.

The trick will be on the defensive side of the floor.

“You’ve got to be the anchor of the defense at that five position,” Kuzma said. “Call out pick-and-rolls, screens. The five is usually around the rim, so you see everything.”

Kuzma said that playing center on defense makes him more vocal and aware of the other players. Watching film has helped him learn to recognize what he needs to communicate with his teammates.

“The coverages and things like that are obviously different for him at the five spot,” coach Luke Walton said. “He’s been good. It hasn’t been a ton of reps, but we’ve had him out there trying to see if it could possibly work.”

Kuzma’s primary focuses over the offseason were his defense and adding muscle. That latter part was obvious to Walton, who said Kuzma is “much more of a man now, physically.”

The Lakers’ defense is predicated on having players that can switch across positions defensively, and Walton believes that his roster’s combination of “length, versatility [and] smarts” are the ingredients for a “really good” switching defense.

Yet for Kuzma, playing center could require serving as more of a backline paint protector.

“A lot of the stuff we do is one through four switching,” Walton said. “When you’re the five, we don’t want to switch point guards onto [our] bigger players. It’s more about our traditional coverages.”

However, the Lakers’ defense took a huge jump last season — from 30th in efficiency the year before to 12th — in part because of Julius Randle’s ability to switch onto guards from the center position. With Randle now on New Orleans, Kuzma could occupy that role for the upcoming season.

“That’s one of the reasons we’re trying [Kuzma] out there,” Walton said. “We liked that versatility that Julius gave us.”

While Kuzma’s journey at center could have huge ramifications for the Lakers’ season, his ability to play multiple spots speaks to the Lakers’ vision for “positionless basketball.”

In fact, much of his offseason progress included working on skills that are typically exclusive to guards.

“I’m looking for more pick-and-rolls; not necessarily always being that popper,” Kuzma said. “It’s good. Luke has the interchangeable offense, and it allows me to do those things.”

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Kuzma Diversifying Role, Including First Steps at Small-Ball Center

For the first time since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in July, Lonzo Ball was a full participant in practice.

At the Lakers’ third day of training camp, the sophomore point guard was able to go through every drill, including a full-contact “controlled scrimmage,” per head coach Luke Walton.

“Lonzo practiced in full today,” Walton said. He looked really good. It was good to see him out there cutting, making his reads and his passes.”

Though Ball — who missed 20 games due to injury last season — wasn’t able to scrimmage five-on-five this offseason, he did take the opportunity to work in the film room and weight room.

The noticeably-bigger Ball credits his added muscle for not having to “fling” the basketball as much on his jump shot. He also said it has helped him penetrate the defense.

“It’s just easier going through the paint, trucking people,” he said.

Ball said that he had “no pain throughout the whole practice,” but the Lakers plan to be cautious with last year’s second-overall pick. Walton said he “doubts he’ll play Sunday” in the team’s preseason opener against Denver.

One player who will be suiting up for Sunday’s exhibition in San Diego is new superstar LeBron James.

The MVP runner-up only played one preseason game last year due to a left ankle injury. Over the past three years, he has only made six preseason appearances.

However, he will make his debut in a Lakers uniform on Sunday, though Walton played it coy regarding how many minutes James will play.

“It will be more than one and less than 48,” Walton laughed.

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Lonzo Returns to Full-Contact; LeBron Will Play Sunday

JaVale McGee loves to run the floor and throw it down. Now on a fast-paced team with LeBron James, Rajon Rondo and Lonzo Ball, he is going to have plenty of opportunities to do just that.

“I just go out there and feel like I’m at a buffet in Vegas,” McGee said. “They’re willing to pass and I’m willing to go to the rim and dunk that thing.”

McGee’s appetite for slams should be satiated by the Lakers’ passing trio. Between James, Rondo and Ball, the Lakers have three elite playmakers on one roster.

Last year, James ranked second in the NBA in assists (9.1), while Rondo placed fourth (8.2) and inflated his average even more in the playoffs (12.2).

Ball needed to play six more games to qualify for the league leaderboard, but would have ranked eighth as a rookie (7.2).

Players like Brandon Ingram and Lance Stephenson are also able to create for others, which has coach Luke Walton foreseeing a roster-wide profit.

“They’re all gonna benefit from it,” Walton said. “Everyone’s gonna be able to get easier looks because we have multiple not just ‘ball handlers’ but playmakers.”

James, in particular, brings world-class passing to the Lakers.

His 8,208 career assists rank 11th in NBA history. He has become an even greater distributor in recent years, resetting his career-high in assists in back-to-back seasons.

LeBron is one of the greatest shot-creators ever, and his success stems largely to his unparalleled attention to detail. Just two days into training camp, he is already figuring out how his teammates prefer their passes.

“That’s my job,” James said. “I know how guys like the ball. I watch a lot of film and know if guys like seams, no seams. If they like low passes or high passes, if they like [to catch it at] the numbers or the forehead. And it’s my job to get it to them.”

Even with James, Rondo and Ball — a trio whose combined average of 24.5 assists was more than 25 total teams last year — the Lakers’ offense will rely on more than just great passers.

LeBron sees shades of his Miami days in the Lakers’ desire to turn defense into transition opportunities.

Those Heat teams typically ran at an average or even slow pace, though they were so efficient that they still found plenty of fast-break success. Meanwhile, speed is a core part of the Lakers’ identity, so they pile up points on the break.

On a related note, the Heat were always elite defensively. While the Lakers jumped from last in defensive rating to 12th last year, they still weren’t quite on that level.

Obviously every team is different from year to year, and the Lakers — whose five most-experienced players are all newcomers — are not an exception.

So while the Lakers may take steps forward or backward in either department, the blueprint is there for a team that wants to use an injection of defensive-minded players to amplify its transition attack.

“To be able to get stops and get out and run, you’ll be able to get down the floor before defenses are set up,” James said. “That’s what we did a lot in Miami. We started with our defensive side, and if you defend it gives you an advantage on the other end.”

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Lakers Excited for Impact from Elite Playmakers

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Training Camp: Luke Walton (9/26/18)

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Training Camp: JaVale McGee (9/26/18)

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Training Camp: Brandon Ingram (9/26/18)

The Lakers enter training camp with the flexibility to play traditional centers or opt for a small-ball lineups. It’s a certainty that they will mix in a bit of both in just about every game, as the five-position will often hinge on what they will have to counter from their opponents.

JaVale McGee (4.8 pts, 2.6 reb, 0.9 blk, 62.1% FG)
McGee joins the Lakers after a successful postseason that saw him start for the majority of the NBA Finals. On the offensive side, he provides vertical spacing thanks to his 7-foot frame, long arms and athleticism. He is a lob threat at all times, whether in transition or the half court.

McGee was also a reliable rim protector and a really good post defender in the playoffs. Although he hasn’t consistently played large minutes in a few years, he has definitely filled his role when on the floor.

Ivica Zubac (3.7 pts, 2.9 reb, 50.0% FG)
After his production regressed in his rookie season, Zubac spent much of the summer playing for the Croatian national team, with whom he achieved much better results. In this international setting, he displayed improved mobility on fast-breaks and sharper instincts as the backline of defense.

The Lakers — who were third in the NBA in pace last season — are as dedicated as ever to a high-speed attack, which means that small-ball lineups could (like last year) bite into Zubac’s playing time. But when the services of a traditional center are needed, Zubac is likely to get the call.

Moe Wagner (NCAA: 14.6 pts, 7.1 reb, 1.0 stl, 52.8% FG, 39.4% 3P) 
As a rookie, Wagner will spend the season figuring out if he is more of a power forward or center. A 3-point threat at 6-foot-11, Wagner’s spacing and size suggest that he could be a prototype modern five-man. He is already the Lakers’ most versatile screen-setter, given his ability to pick-and-roll or -pop.

Everything will depend on how quickly Wagner can adapt to NBA size and speed, but his skill set is a snug fit in the Lakers’ playing style. He has a tight handle to beat bigs off the dribble, quick hands and feet on defense, and (most importantly) floor-running ability suited for a fast pace.

OTHER OPTIONS
The Lakers’ commitment to playing as fast as possible means that small-ball lineups will be deployed often. Entering camp, they have a few options for that spot.

LeBron James
One of the biggest questions of the Lakers’ season will be how much LeBron plays at center. It will be up to James himself, the front office and the coaching staff to decide how many minutes at this position will be sustainable across 82 games plus playoffs.

The potential of playing LeBron at the five is sky-high. The Lakers could surround him with guards and wings that can shoot and playmake. It also allows the NBA’s best driver to take lumbering big men off the dribble, or (as he loves to do) cook them with a step-back.

Michael Beasley
President of Basketball Operations mentioned Beasley by name when discussing the Lakers’ small-ball options, and playing a 6-foot-9 combo forward at center is true dedication to the vision of “positionless basketball.”

The obvious question is whether Beasley (not known as a formidable defender) can play up a position and keep opposing centers from scoring. The flip side is where Beasley’s true value lies. One of the most flammable scorers in the league, Beasley will have favorable matchups to show off his toolbox that includes drives, rolls, cuts, touch shots and post moves. Plus, his robust 3-point percentage (39.5) should pull opposing centers out of the paint, opening room for his teammates to work.

Kyle Kuzma
Even when Kuzma was the biggest player on the floor last season, he didn’t really play center. A wing like Brandon Ingram or Corey Brewer typically covered the opponent’s five-man, making for an on-court demonstration of the aforementioned “positionless basketball” philosophy. But with Kuzma noticeably packing on muscle this offseason, he could be an option to battle centers this year.

Kuzma at the five-position would unlock turbo-paced, shooting-heavy lineups that could blitz teams that play traditional bigs. Against other small-ball squads, Kuzma — who was excellent in the post last year — could thrive down low. Like Beasley, Kuzma’s biggest question at center will be whether he can hang defensively. He was about league average defending the post last season, and the added strength and experience are promising factors.