As the Los Angeles Lakers continue to enforce LeBron James as their small-ball center in crucial times while Anthony Davis remains out and nearing to return, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra offered some real realizations.
The talented tactician could only hope on what could have been if he installed James to the five during its tenure and glorious times in South Beach.
“Shoot,” Spoelstra about James playing the center following the Heat’s gritty 113-107 Sunday dub against the Lakers, per team podcaster Jeremy Taché. “If I knew LeBron was gonna play the five, we probably would have done that a decade ago… he’s pretty dynamic there.”
Forming an overwhelming alliance with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2010, James definitely enjoyed the best and the finest of his basketball prime donning the Heat uniform in the last decade, wherein he led the franchise to four-straight Finals appearances and winning back-to-back titles and league MVP honors in 2012 and 2013.
With Spoelstra, we could only hope that this all-time great managed to go ahead of his time and play the center position. Without a doubt, he can hold his position against the opposing towering frontcourts with that maximized strength, athleticism, and all-around awareness.
James etched 33 points, 11 boards, and 4 assists via 12-of-22 shooting from the area and playing as the center down the stretch against Bam Adebayo on the losing effort. As Davis is currently unavailable and might finally suit up the purple and gold uniform on these upcoming days, we have to enjoy and appreciate this unique approach that James is embodying for the sake of saving the Lakers’ lopsided season.
