Anthony Davis doesn't like playing center he's said it for years now.When the Lakers traded for Davis back in 2019, it was something he talked about in one of his very first interviews as a member of the team.I like playing the four. Im not even going to sugarcoat it. I like playing the four. I dont really like playing the five, . If it comes down to it, coach, and you need me to Mack Hollins Jersey play the five, then Ill play the five, Davis said to then-head coach Frank Vogel.Davis' comment didn't get any pushback, as Lakers vice president Rob Pelinka backed the team's newest addition right away.We want a decade of dominance out of him here, right? So we got to do whats best for his body, and having him bang against the biggest centers in the West every night is not whats best for his body or for our team and the franchise," Pelinka stated in response to Davis' request to play the four.So what did the Lakers do? They went out and got Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee, a suring Davis would spend limited time at the five. As a result, Los Angeles owned one of the best defenses in the NBA and went on to Corey Clement Jersey win the championship during the COVID-ravaged 2020 season.Fast forward to the 2022-23 season and Davis, once again, made himself clear this time, talking in third person, because that's one way to get your point acro s."I mean, Im pretty sure he heard AD wants to play the 4, so he knows where I stand," . "But at the end of the day, I want to win, so if thats me playing the 5, thats what its got to be."The new-look Lakers experiment hasn't worked so far, but Davis playing the five might be their best pathway to finding succe s this season.MORE: The Lakers tried to go out and get some frontcourt help this offseason, signing younger big men like Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones to suit Davis' request.Bryant was expected to start at the five for Los Angeles, but the 25-year-old suffered a sprained left thumb that required surgery before the season began, Jones, on the other hand, has only logged 13 total minutes this season, failing to crack the Lakers' rotation.That leaves Davis as Los Angeles' only option at the five and it's in the best interest of the team, even if it's not what he prefers.Anthony Davis at center on defenseHead coach Ham , with the Lakers' bigs playing drop coverage in pick-and-roll scenarios to protect the paint and try and force teams to take tough, contested 2s.Davis is the only big man on the roster capable of protecting the rim at a high enough level to allow this scheme to work and despite their winle s record, the Lakers' defense has actually been succe sful to this point.Los Angeles has the Malcolm Jenkins Jersey second-best defensive rating ( ) and the lowest opponent points in the paint average ( ) in the league through three games. According to NBA stats, the Lakers' opponents are shooting , which is also the second-best mark in the league. It's a small sample size, but it's all we have to work with so far and the early returns are promising.Albeit in a lo s, Davis recorded six blocks against the Trail Blazers DENIED by AD! He's got 20 PTS and 6 BLK as LAL-POR goes down to the wire. Watch: NBA (@NBA) Starting all three games at center to this point, it's easy to draw a line between the Lakers' defensive progre s and Davis serving as the team's lead rim protector.Anthony Davis at center on offenseThe Lakers' offensive struggles have been well-documented already. They're the only team in the NBA . Their 21.2 3-point percentage . In fact, their 3-point shooting has been bad.The Lakers are 25-118 from 3-point range through 3 games this season.In NBA history, there have been over 6,100 instances of a team taking at least 100 threes over a 3-game span.Their 21.2% is the second-lowest of any of them, only ahead of a span Jason Kelce Jersey from the 2018 Hawks (21.0%). ESPN Stats Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) Of the six players on the roster who have attempted at least 10 3-pointers, not one of them is shooting above 30 percent from 3, which is a very low bar to begin with.MORE: TAs a Seth Joyner Jersey result, teams are packing the paint and sagging way off of shooters because the Lakers don't have a single perimeter threat. Their offensive spacing is already atrocious, and it would only get worse if they tried to put another big man next to Davis in the frontcourt.Don't get me wrong, Davis' 3-point shot has all but completely abandoned him at this stage in his career. He's shooting 22.8 percent from 3 since joining the Lakers back in 2019, but he is at least someone defenses have to be aware of on the perimeter.Playing Davis at the five allows Los Angeles to and put perimeter threats around he and LeBron James, even if there aren't many options to choose from on the roster.Moving Davis to the four would only allow opponents to pack the paint more than they already do, and the Lakers' offense would only get worse than it has already been.Davis might not want to play center but if the Lakers have any chance of figuring things out with their current roster, it's their only option.