There has been a lot of talk about the Lakers picking up a center.
To recap, the Lakers tried to trade away rookie gunslinger Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish, along with their last remaining first-round pick and an additional pick swap, to the Charlotte Hornets for Mark Williams.
With this move, LA brought in a tall, athletic center with a nine-foot-nine standing reach for Luka and LeBron to utilize in pick-and-roll actions. Williams was also having his best season in the NBA, averaging 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game.
One major issue with this move is that Mark Williams has only played in 85 of a possible 216 NBA games. He should have the nickname “Street Clothes,” not Anthony Davis.
These injury concerns became a significant issue when he failed his Lakers physical, automatically rescinding the trade. The Hornets have since filed an official appeal relating to this matter. This will certainly resolve itself in a messy manner in the coming days.
However, at the same time, this move left the Lakers with Jaxson Hayes as the only healthy center on the roster not on a two-way deal. Hayes has actually blossomed as a player this year, especially as a lob threat. Even so, it’s difficult to imagine a world where Nikola Jokic, Chet Holmgren, or Isaiah Hartenstein don’t absolutely torch him in the playoffs.
Is Alex Len Really The Solution?
Per Shams Charania, the Lakers signed Alex Len to shore up their center depth.
This season, Len had very limited playing time in Sacramento. His last season with meaningful minutes saw him average 6.3 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a backup.
Moreover, his one start with the Lakers was concerning, to say the least.
The worst part: this was against the bottom-feeding Utah Jazz.
Nothing about Len screams elite. At the very least, though, he is a body that can help fill the Lakers’ diminished rotation.
The Lakers Might Not Need A Center At All
The good news is the Lakers have been absolutely killing it without an elite center.
Over the past ten games, the Lakers have had the fifth-best defensive rating in the NBA. That’s without Anthony Davis and young stud Max Christie.
JJ Redick’s small-ball looks have been exceptionally effective against some of the best teams in the league. The Lakers held the Knicks to a 35% three-point percentage in the Garden. They followed that up with a beatdown of Kawhi and the Clippers, holding them to just 97 points. In their first game with Luka Doncic, they held the Jazz to just 30% from beyond the arc while forcing 19 turnovers.
The blueprint for success in that game against Utah on Feb. 10 was clear. The five-man lineup of LeBron, Luka, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Rui Hachimura had a door-busting offensive rating of 147.1 and a historically legendary defensive rating of 88.9.
There will undoubtedly be some serious issues when the Lakers fly to Colorado to play Nikola Jokic.
But one thing is clear: the future is brighter than it has ever been in LA, with or without a center.
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