Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is still experimenting with different lineups. Over the last couple of months, he made an unusual change by starting LeBron James at center.
Naturally, the team’s two centers, Dwight Howard and DeAndre Jordan, saw their playing time shrink and often not getting any playing time at all. Howard has not played in 10 games so far this season, for Jordan that number is 12.
In a recent interview, Howard opened up about the situation that he and Jordan are facing and how he found out about James taking the center position. “Well it wasn’t really a conversation,” Howard said. “It was just coming into the game and seeing that LeBron was going to start. It’s kind of like you got to stay strong mentally because things can change from night in to night out.
“Can’t complain especially out loud. You feel a certain way, just do it away from everyone and always keep a smile on your face and whenever you get that opportunity, just play as a hard as you can.
“It can be tough for anyone. I know DJ, for me and him it’s been kind of a roller coaster all season. So we just try to provide some type of energy and synergy between myself and he, making sure our level of energy is pretty high whether we’re on the floor, on the bench, in the locker room. Just trying to maintain a level of focus because it can be tough. It is tough at times.”
