After both being instrumental parts in the Los Angeles Lakers posting the best record in the Western Conference and earning the No. 1 seed in the West playoffs, Laker centers JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard combined to play a total of 46 minutes over the course of L.A.’s five-game series against the Houston Rockets. But in a showdown with the best offensive center in the NBA in Nikola Jokic, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel indicates that his bigs should have a much bigger role in the Western Conference Finals.
Vogel told reporters on Wednesday that the Lakers will “return to form” and the centers will have more of a role in the upcoming series, though he would not detail what those roles would, refusing to give the Nuggets an advantage in preparation.
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
Frank Vogel declined to say how he would use his centers in Nuggets series. But he admitted it will be different than he utilized his rotation against the Rockets, which really didn't have a center
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) September 16, 2020
The Nuggets and Lakers faced each other four times in the regular season, including one time in the bubble during the “seeding games,” which came down to a Kyle Kuzma game-winner. In three of the four matchups with Denver and the Lakers, Howard played more minutes than McGee, save for the matchup in the bubble back in August. Regardless of what happened before, expect the Lakers big men outside of Anthony Davis to play a bigger role in the Conference Finals than they did against the Rockets.
