The 2020 Lakers Frontcourt is the Best In The NBA

The Lakers Frontcourt is the Best In The NBA

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The Lakers have the best frontcourt in the NBA.

 

The return of the NBA season inches closer and closer with each passing day. As players and staff arrive in Orlando, the “bubble” begins to fill. Also, as more players pull out of the season restart, teams are starting to take action by signing players to fill those roles.

The Rockets signed forward Luc Mbah a Moute; the Nets signed guard Jamal Crawford, the Lakers signed J.R. Smith, to name a few. By adding J.R., the Lakers acquired a valuable shooter, but for this article, we’re going to take a look at a different aspect of the Lakers roster; their frontcourt rotation.

 

The Lakers have the most productive frontcourt rotation in the entire NBA as of right now. There isn’t one team participating in the restart that will be able to compete with the unit. Let’s look at why.

 

 

The biggest reason why the Lakers have the best frontcourt in the NBA is that they have the best player in the NBA, and arguably the greatest of all time, in LeBron James. In his 17th NBA season, he’s averaging 25.7 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game, and 10.6 assists per game in 35 minutes per game. On top of that, he’s on track to possibly win another MVP and potentially a fourth championship ring.

The #WashedKing is on a mission to win a title in the next few seasons, and this season is his best opportunity to do so. The season restart is only eight games, so expect LeBron’s playoff alter ego to emerge as the regular season concludes.

Secondly, the Lakers have the best power forward in the NBA today in Anthony Davis. A.D.’s dominance in the post on both sides of the ball has proven to be a problem for the rest of the league, as he averaged 26.7 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game, and 2.4 blocks per game this season. He also led the team in scoring, over LeBron James, and anchored the Lakers’ hold the one seed in the West. And he’s done all of this while battling injuries.

With almost four months to recover and train, expect the unstoppable force known as Anthony Davis to be a real problem for the league. Teams can try to slow him down, but they won’t be able to stop him.

 

Next, let’s look at the starting center for the Lakers, JaVale McGee.

 

People may know JaVale as just the guy from Shaqtin’ A Fool more than his hoops, but he’s proven to be a diamond in the rough for this Lakers team. He averages 6.8 points per game, 5.8 rebounds per game, and 1.5 blocks per game in 16 minutes per game. It doesn’t seem that great at first glance, but when we look deeper into the numbers, we can see his value.

 

JaVale only plays 16 minutes per game, so if we look at his per 36 minutes statistics, we can see what he is capable of doing with typical starter minutes. Per 36 minutes, he scores 14.6 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game.

These stats show that for the time that he does get to play, JaVale produces.

We can also look at the same stats for the next man in the Lakers’ frontcourt rotation, future Hall of Fame center Dwight Howard. This season, Dwight has been outstanding for the Lakers. He averages 7.5 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game, and 1.2 blocks per game in 19 minutes. His per 36 minutes averages are 14.1 points per game, 13.8 rebounds per game, and 2.3 blocks per game.

When healthy, Dwight will produce, and this season, he’s done nothing but that. Dwight played in 62 of the Lakers 63 games. He’s a defensive force inside the paint and a tenacious rebounder. People always say that Dwight Howard fell off, but in reality, he never did. He got injured. He played through it for years. His scoring isn’t what it used to be, but he is still an interior force on the glass and defensively.

For his entire career, Dwight Howard put up a double-double in points and rebounds, except for the last two seasons. His 2018-2019 season in Washington was cut short due to injury, and in the nine games he did play, he still averaged 12.8 points per game and 9.2 rebounds per game. This season he missed the double-double mark for the second time, and it’s only due to a significant reduction in minutes.

Dwight only plays 19 minutes per game, and he is not the starter. I cannot stress the importance of Dwight enough, and his contributions to this Lakers team are essential to the team’s chances of winning the chip. The Lakers got a steal in Howard, and to have someone of his caliber coming off the bench makes the Lakers frontcourt the strongest in the league.

 

The Lakers also have the steal of the 2017 NBA Draft in Kyle Kuzma in their frontcourt.

 

 

The Lakers were able to make the deal for Anthony Davis without trading Kuzma, as they felt that he would be the third premier scorer. He hasn’t quite synced with his teammates after missing significant time due to injury, but expect him to provide valuable minutes off the bench. With the addition of J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters, some of the defensive attention should come off of Kuzma, and that will give him more space to work. Expect Kuzma to show up in the season restart and break out in the playoffs.

When you break down the depth of the Lakers’ frontcourt, any combination of these players will be a tough matchup. The Lakers also acquired Markieff Morris from the Pistons at the trade deadline to beef up the frontcourt.

 

 

In the NBA right now, the Lakers have the best frontcourt in the league, the best player in the league, and they might just be the champions of the league come October.

 

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-Mike Dancy II – Franchise Sports Media

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