Los Angeles Lakers: Coach Frank Vogel’s most challenging decisions
By Jon Soden
The wings
It is a given that LeBron and Anthony Davis will start. And, at least for the beginning of the season, it is likely that Vogel will role out a traditional line up with a point guard and a center.
This leaves just one spot open in the starting lineup. The battle will be between Kyle Kuzma and Danny Green.
Kuzma has much more upside, but also comes with a lot of risk.
Kuzma has a lot of expectations heading into the season, and especially after the Cousins injury, is receiving pressure to become the Lakers final piece of a big three, and to be the Chris Bosh/Kevin Love of the team.
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He has shown flashes that would leave one to believe he can be an all-star caliber player in the league, but, he has also shown stretches of play that are quite the opposite.
On the other hand, with Danny Green, the Lakers know exactly what they will get.
Green is one of the best “three and D” players in the NBA, who understands his role and executes it to perfection. He plays within himself and does not need the ball in his hands to be effective.
Additionally, Green has played in some big games, winning two championships, and even breaking the Finals three-point record with 27 threes in 2013. This is the perfect player to play alongside LeBron James and can become the next Mike Miller or Ray Allen of the team.
This leads to the question, who will Vogel go with to start?
Despite what fans may say, Vogel will want to start Danny Green. Similarly to the point guard battle, the experience will trump youth. The younger player, in this case Kuzma, will have to earn the starting spot as the season goes on.
Green will be best utilized on the court when he is playing with LeBron, whereas Kuzma may be the opposite. Green will play great defense, allowing LeBron to rest, and is able to be effective even if LeBron has the ball a majority of the time.
Kuzma would be much better served coming off the bench. He would be the number one scoring option and can be the playmaker; he otherwise would not have the opportunity to be in the starting lineup. He will be able to continue to develop his game and can become a deadly sixth man scorer and the next Lou Will.
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Additionally, especially if he is playing well, Kuzma will find himself in the end game lineups in place of the traditional point guard.