LeBron James: Lakers Built Versatile Roster to Match Up Against Different Styles

LeBron James says the Los Angeles Lakers' roster versatility will allow them to play any style after spending nearly all of their Game 2 win over the Houston Rockets playing small. 

"We built the team to be able to play in different ways and to be able to play big vs. teams, to be able to play small, to be able to play in between," James told reporters. "We built that from the beginning, and we have that, always had that, in our toolbox."

The Lakers spent only eight minutes of Sunday night's 117-109 victory over the Rockets playing a traditional center. JaVale McGee started and played eight minutes before leaving with an ankle sprain. Dwight Howard did not play for the first time this postseason after averaging 19 minutes per game against the Portland Trail Blazers in Round 1 and playing 11 minutes in the Lakers' Game 1 loss to Houston.

The adjustment was born out of necessity after an ugly offensive performance to start the series against the Rockets, who boast the smallest lineup in the NBA. 

Davis nominally played the center role for most of his time on the floor, but there were also periods where Markieff Morris was the so-called "big" on the floor. Morris turned in one of his strongest games in a Lakers uniform, scoring 16 points and adding five rebounds in 23 minutes.

The Lakers shot 56.6 percent from the floor as a team and withstood a barrage of 22 three-pointers from the Rockets, who held a two-point lead coming into the fourth quarter after outscoring Los Angeles 41-23 in the third.

Frank Vogel prefers to play with a traditional center on the floor, as does Davis, who has bristled at being labeled a center. However, the Lakers may have found the key to their success against Houston comes from being both bigger and maintaining switchability for their bigs.