Lakers News: Will Darvin Ham Start Anthony Davis At Center In The Regular Season?

Rumors suggest we could see AD at the five.

There's been a lot of talk about L.A. big man Anthony Davis' position on the court since the Lakers traded for him in the summer of 2019.

Davis, who up until the 2021-22 season mostly played power forward, seems like a perfect fit for today's NBA, as he could stretch the floor from the center position.

Slotting AD in as the "small-ball five" could allow the Lakers to put shooters around the 6'10" All-Star and LeBron James, which felt like the best 'death lineup' for the team.

However, rumors circulated last season that AD didn't want to play the five, and that seemed to be the end of that conversation.

This offseason, the Lakers signed young, athletic centers Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones, which seemed to solidify the idea that Davis would be playing more minutes at the four.

But recent reports seem to suggest otherwise.

Darvin Ham: “AD (starting) at the five is under heavy consideration.”

— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) October 10, 2022

New Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said that he's heavily considered starting AD at the five — not just playing him there for stretches, but actually starting him there.

If Ham decides to go that route, here's how the team's starting lineup could look:

PG: Russell Westbrook

SG: Kendrick Nunn

SF: Austin Reaves

PF: LeBron James

C: Anthony Davis

Davis has the defensive ability to matchup with opposing centers, and the Lakers could even go with 3-and-D specialist Patrick Beverly at the two to shore up the backcourt defense.

But with Nunn in there, the Lakers would have a solid scoring punch, and he and Reaves could live on the perimeter for catch-and-shoot opportunities — and with LeBron and Westbrook drawing defenders into the paint on drives, they should see a lot of open looks.

Davis at the five has seemed like the best lineup for the Lakers to live up to their potential, so we'll see if Ham is able to get him to play there this season.