Rui Hachimura played several minutes as a small ball center during the Los Angeles Lakers‘ 117-114 loss to the Detroit Pistons. JJ Redick had tried Hachimura at the five during their game against the Kings on the weekend, and it worked quite well. But against the Pistons, he performed quite poorly, as the Pistons outscored the Lakers 33-15 in the 9:24 stretch of the game where he played at center.
After the game, JJ Redick spoke about his decision to play Hachimura at center, noting that he really liked what Hachimura brought to the team against the Kings, and thought that he could replicate the same performance against the Pistons. Unsurprisingly, he wasn’t happy with the way Hachimura played at center against the Pistons.
Hachimura played 29 minutes against the Pistons and put up 10 points (3-8 FG), one rebound, one assist, and one steal, ending the game with a plus/minus of -5. It was not the strongest outing from Hachimura, who has been one of the more reliable players for the Lakers this season.
For the season, Hachimura is averaging 11.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game, while shooting 47.5% from the field, 40.7% from beyond the arc, and 82.0% from the free-throw line. He has been poor defensively this year, with a defensive rating of 116.4.
Hachimura may be a consistent offensive performer for the Lakers, but if his defense doesn’t improve, the Lakers may have to consider moving him in a trade to land another player.
The need of the hour for the Lakers is a point guard, a 3-&-D wing, and a center, for which Fadeaway World created a plan the Lakers could try and adhere to. The center spot is perhaps the most important, as they have no other options available right now other than Anthony Davis. Davis is a superstar, but much prefers to play at power forward than center.
No Health Update On Lakers’ Centers
When speaking ahead of the Lakers’ game against the Pistons, JJ Redick was asked about an update on the Lakers’ other center options, Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood. Redick had no update on their progress, which suggests that the Lakers are going to be without both of them for the foreseeable future.
With almost no center options available to them on the bench, it is time for Lakers GM Rob Pelinka to go into the trade market and make a move for a center. Jonas Valanciunas‘ name has popped up quite a bit on the trade front, and he does seem to have LeBron James’ approval.
But Valanciunas, for all his strengths, is not a great defender. And considering that the Lakers’ interior defense is incredibly weak, the Lithuanian’s arrival will not make a big impact for them. We did try to come up with a trade that helps the Lakers land Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon from the Wizards.
There are plenty of center options that the Lakers can explore before the February 6th deadline. We came up with a list of the 10 best center options that the Lakers should try and make a move for in the trade market. Regardless of which player on this list, or outside of this list that the Lakers choose to get, they need to make a move fast, as the longer they wait, the tougher any redemption act will become.
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