Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel hinted at the lineups he plans to deploy against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals.
Frank Vogel said he’d expect the Lakers to “return to form” against a bigger Denver team, implying more use of traditional centers, though he won’t reveal his lineup plans. But again, LAL went small within games all season long. They’ve been good when big, and good when small.
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) September 16, 2020
It seems that the Lakers may return to their normal lineups that feature star Anthony Davis at power forward, while JaVale McGee or Dwight Howard plays center.
In their second-round series against the Houston Rockets, the Lakers were forced to go small with Davis playing center due to Houston’s lack of size.
The Lakers were easily able to win the series in five games, but Denver produces a different challenge.
The Nuggets feature star center Nikola Jokic, meaning that the Lakers will have to match up with size in the conference finals.
It should play to the Lakers’ advantage as they are used to playing big, but Denver has shown it is up to the task all postseason.
Game 1 of the series is scheduled to be played on Friday at 6 p.m. PST from the Orlando, Fla. bubble.
