Not everyday does a head coach say he’s going to let his star big-man play at small forward and handle the ball. But it’s exactly what LSU coach Will Wade is doing.
Five-star freshman power forward Naz Reid represents the incredible versatility within this LSU basketball team. Reid is capable of handling the ball like a point guard, shooting like a wing, and can still bang in the post just as any normal big would.
“We like it when Naz gets rebounds. We let him push the ball,” Wade said. “He’s a playmaker. He’s like having Tremont [Waters] at a big spot— a four or five spot. We’ll move him around. We’ll play him at the three some this year too. We’ll play really big when we do that. We can maneuver him around because of his unique skillset. He’s got a very, very bright future in basketball.”
The 6-foot-10, 240-pound Reid at the small forward spot is a stark contrast to last season when LSU primarily ran a three guard lineup without a true small forward and didn’t have a wing player taller than 6-foot-5.
“The guy can really move like a guard,” said freshman forward Emmitt Williams, who can also play center. “I wish you guys could see the things I see in practice. Everyday you’ll hear somebody say, ‘Wow, did he really just do that?'” The guy has an unbelievable gift, and I can’t wait for everybody to see it.”
Reid and Williams aren’t the only two welcomed additions for Wade. Among the new faces for the Tigers are freshman guard Ja’vonte Smart, and two junior college transfers like small forward Marlon Taylor, who Wade called the most athletic player on the team, and power forward Courtese Cooper, whose wingspan is close to 7’4″.
Senior center Kavell Bigby-Williams will also make his debut in 2018. Bigby-Williams had to sit out in 2017 after transferring from Oregon, but he brings a low-post presence LSU severely missed last season. 
“We’ve got more athleticism,” said Wade, who wants to play an up-tempo brand of basketball. “I think it really helps us down low. We’ve got some big bodies which helps. We’re not quite as physical as we need to be right now.
“I like that we’ve got multiple guys who can get down there and work and make things go for us down low. Our athleticism is hopefully going to be an advantage for us.”
LSU returns its three primary backcourt players — sophomore Tremont Waters, junior Skylar Mays and senior Daryl Edwards. The three combined to average 34.0 points per game in 2017. With Smart now in the mix, Wade expects him, Mays and Waters to all be double-digit scorers while Edwards stays in his role as the team’s three-point specialist off of the bench.
Whether the trio of Waters, Mays and Smart start the game is unclear, but Wade called it the team’s best backcourt and seems comfortable having them close games out.
With all the new additions to the team, Wade has a variety of lineup options at his disposal. He can return to running the three guard lineup he did last year or use Taylor as the more traditional wing, and Wade can even go big with Reid at the three surrounded by two other bigs.
“We can play small-ball with Darius Days at the four and Naz at the five, or sometimes we can play big with Emmitt at the four and Kavell at the five,” Mays said. “The thing about our bigs is there mobile. They’re able to defend along the perimeter.”
Wade says how the lineups breakdown depends on the opponent.
“The one thing I do like about our team is we have a lot of different parts we can fit together a lot of different ways which I think is really, really important. We can play really big, we can play really small, we can play really fast, we can play really huge and just try to maul you in the paint a little bit. We’ve got a lot of different styles of play.
“We always tell them stay ready so you don’t have to get ready. Be prepared, be ready to roll, be ready to help the team when your number is called.”