Shaq Says LeBron Should Defer to Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves for the Lakers. Is He Right?

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers need to get LeBron James through the regular season with as little wear and tear as possible.

Easier said than done, obviously, given the challenging nature of the West, and the grind of an 82-game schedule. One idea, says Lakers great Shaquille O'Neal, is simply to take fewer shots and play more of a "Magic" type facilitator role. Let Anthony Davis handle the heavy lifting, and even allow Austin Reaves to be the team's #2 scorer.

It sounds like a nice plan, but it's got some problems.

Can the Lakers afford to load up more on Davis, who already carries the team's defense in some pretty absurd ways?

Is Austin Reaves capable of being a consistent second option offensively?

Do you really want LeBron being that deferential while he plays? Are there other ways -- better ways -- to lighten his workload?

The answers to all of those questions, and more, are the focus of this episode, which naturally leads to the question of whether or not Reaves is capable of being the team's 3rd best player? Would he need to improve? How much better would he need to get for him to be a 3rd guy comparable to the 3rd best player on title teams? What's the best way to compare these guys, anyway, since not all "3rd bests" are asked to do the same thing.

What does all of this say about the Lakers roster?

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: Shaq says LeBron should take a step back.

SEGMENT 2: Is this the best way to keep LeBron AND Davis fresh?

SEGMENT 3: Is AR capable of being a 3rd guy? Right now how does he stack up against other players cast in that role?

For your next listen, check out the Locked On NBA podcast, where the season never ends providing national expertise with a local perspective. Click HERE to listen now. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day.

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