Interesting lineups

[zimpy27]

There are over 100 lineup permutations of lineups for the Lakers right now, I thought we could have a thread where we discuss different lineups that appear positive, add some stats and try to explain why you think they work.

They don't have to be 5-man lineups. I think it's ok to discuss 2-man, 3-man, 4-man lineups as well, especially at this point of the season when 5-man lineup minutes are low.




Lineup: Cook/KCP/Davis/Howard. 22 minutes played and a +74 net rating

Only 22 minutes but if you breakdown to 3-man lineups you have 35+ minutes each for these lineups: KCP/Davis/Howard at +50 net rating, Cook/KCP/Howard at +45 net rating, Cook/KCP/Davis at +43 net rating.

The reason this lineup works so well is that Davis and Howard form an incredible defensive interior. Cook and KCP (even Bradley but he hasn't played with these guys yet) play a risky defensive game that has a positive impact with a strong interior defense. They will disrupt the perimeter and get steals but will also let their man blow by them as they play the offensive perimeter close. With the interior defense of AD and Howard the mistakes of Cook and KCP are caught.

On the offensive side the interior presence of AD and Howard work well with outside shooters like Cook and KCP. Even when not shooting well the space they create helps Davis and Howard operate inside.

I have a feeling that the Davis/Howard pairing could easily lead a team like this to the playoffs. Cook, Caruso, Bradley, KCP, Green, Daniels, Kuzma can all play with this pairing and have a positive impact without needing LeBron.

[stan francisco]

For me, I’d like to know what guard duo fits LBJ and AD better defensively — is more efficient — than Caruso and Green.

It seems to me so far that DH is the better interior defensive center and that JMG has quicker feet and longer reach on the perimeter. He is lanky enough to chase down drives by wings on switches. DH is strong enough to bang with anyone down low (except Marjanovic).

The opponent should dictate who starts. It’s a nice problem to have the choice. And to think we have Kostas and a healing DMC on the bench...

[stan francisco]

There are over 100 lineup permutations of lineups for the Lakers right now, I thought we could have a thread where we discuss different lineups that appear positive, add some stats and try to explain why you think they work.

They don't have to be 5-man lineups. I think it's ok to discuss 2-man, 3-man, 4-man lineups as well, especially at this point of the season when 5-man lineup minutes are low.




Lineup: Cook/KCP/Davis/Howard. 22 minutes played and a +74 net rating

Only 22 minutes but if you breakdown to 3-man lineups you have 35+ minutes each for these lineups: KCP/Davis/Howard at +50 net rating, Cook/KCP/Howard at +45 net rating, Cook/KCP/Davis at +43 net rating.

The reason this lineup works so well is that Davis and Howard form an incredible defensive interior. Cook and KCP (even Bradley but he hasn't played with these guys yet) play a risky defensive game that has a positive impact with a strong interior defense. They will disrupt the perimeter and get steals but will also let their man blow by them as they play the offensive perimeter close. With the interior defense of AD and Howard the mistakes of Cook and KCP are caught.

On the offensive side the interior presence of AD and Howard work well with outside shooters like Cook and KCP. Even when not shooting well the space they create helps Davis and Howard operate inside.

I have a feeling that the Davis/Howard pairing could easily lead a team like this to the playoffs. Cook, Caruso, Bradley, KCP, Green, Daniels, Kuzma can all play with this pairing and have a positive impact without needing LeBron.

Those are some mind bending stats.

[zimpy27]

For me, I’d like to know what guard duo fits LBJ and AD better defensively — is more efficient — than Caruso and Green.

It seems to me so far that DH is the better interior defensive center and that JMG has quicker feet and longer reach on the perimeter. He is lanky enough to chase down drives by wings on switches. DH is strong enough to bang with anyone down low (except Marjanovic).

The opponent should dictate who starts. It’s a nice problem to have the choice. And to think we have Kostas and a healing DMC on the bench...

I actually think McGee might be a project in this system. He needs to prove that he can keep square on the interior and do what Vogel wants him to do for the defense to work. He has to change the way he plays and it may take a few months. If he hasn't by the deadline then I think he gets moved. Cousins would be perfect if he come in.

Right now the Lakers look great when the 4/5 spot is LeBron/AD, LeBron/Howard, AD/Howard. They need to integrate Kuzma into this somewhere and you can't play Howard more so all you get is Kuzma/AD. The AD/Howard combo should play a lot of minutes together. Kuzma and LeBron need another 5 option other than AD or Howard.

[stan francisco]

PG: L James
SG: K Kuzma
SF: A Davis
PF: D Cousins
C: D Howard

Yeah.

[Landsberger]

Mathematically there are a few more than 100.... with 12 active players you can have 792 combinations... with 15 you can have 3,003. Luke would be in the mid 500's by now. Vogel is slacking.

[Liam_Gallagher]

It's obvious now what the best lineups are and who has chemistry with each other. The rotation, when everyone is healthy, should be as follows:

Point Guards:

LeBron James and Rajon Rondo

James' ability to play PG is of no surprise - he's been a point-forward since he entered the league. His vision is top notch, and he reads the floor better than anyone in the league. When James and Rondo share the floor together, which is usually at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th quarters, James slides over to SF.

Minutes: James should play roughly 35, while Rondo should hover around 20.

Shooting Guards:

Avery Bradley, Alex Caruso, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope

Bradley and Caruso are the reason why LeBron is able to play PG, due to their abilities to be pseudo point guards - meaning they have the ability to guard the opposing teams' point guards while playing off-ball offensively. Bradley is the starter, while Caruso is most likely the closer at this position. As for Caldwell-Pope, he and Danny Green are the only "swingmen" on the roster, meaning they can play both SG and SF. Caldwell-Pope will play about half of his minutes at SG and the other half at SF. If the Lakers sign Andre Iguodala, Caldwell-Pope would be out of the rotation.

Minutes: Bradley and Caruso should play roughly 20-24 minutes each, while Pope will play about 5 minutes at SG.

Small Forwards:

Danny Green, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and LeBron James

Green will play all of his minutes at SF while Lebron will fit that role at the beginning of the 2nd and 4th quarters (when sharing the floor with Rondo). Green's ability to space the floor with both James and Anthony Davis is crucial.

Minutes: Green can't play more than roughly 28 minutes while LeBron will play about 10 minutes at SF. The remaining 10 go to Caldwell-Pope by default.

Power Forwards:

Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma

The Lakers are elite defensively with Davis at PF while they are elite offensively with him at C. When he plays C, it'll be Kyle Kuzma who fills the PF role. Davis will play PF for about 20-24 minutes, with his remaining dozen being at C.

Minutes: Davis will play about 20-24 of his 36 minutes at PF, while Kuzma should play anywhere from 24-28.

Centers:

Javale McGee, Dwight Howard, and Anthony Davis

McGee, and Howard are both terrific fits with Davis because their defense is elite. Davis should play about 12-16 of his minutes at C, which would be about half of the first quarter and half of the 4th quarter. McGee plays about the first 7 minutes of each half, while Dwight plays the entire 2nd quarter and about half the 4th quarter.

Minutes: McGee should be around 14, while Dwight will play 16-20, based on how good each of them are playing. Davis fills in the rest with Kuzma by his side.

[zimpy27]

Both Rondo and AD have their best 2-man lineups with these 4 guys: KCP, Green, LeBron, Howard

But Rondo and AD are terrible together. They really shouldn't be on the court together.

[zimpy27]

All these are positive lineups.

6 min: Caruso Green, LeBron, AD, Howard
6 min: Cook, KCP, Green, AD, Howard
6 min: Caruso, Bradley, LeBron, Kuzma, McGee
6 min: Bradley, KCP, LeBron, Kuzma, AD
6 min: Caruso, Green, LeBron, AD, Howard
6 min: Cook, KCP, Green, AD, Howard
6 min: Cook, Bradley, LeBron, Kuzma, McGee
6 min: Caruso, Green, LeBron, Kuzma, AD

36 mins: LeBron, AD
30 mins: Green
24 mins: Howard, Kuzma, Caruso
18 mins: KCP, Cook, Bradley
12 mins: McGee