The Los Angeles Lakers have looked like potential title contenders over the last month, going 14-4 in their last 18 games while possessing the league’s best defensive rating over that stretch. This coupled with the hope that Luka Doncic has found his form again is causing many fans to believe in the belief that the Lakers can be championship contenders this season itself.
JJ Redick is proving his worth as a quality NBA head coach this season, even getting Coach of the Year plaudits from his biggest critics after shepherding the Lakers to a strong record despite major roster upheaval. The Lakers have a system in place that Redick has carefully built over the season, although there’s a major weakness in it.
The Lakers lost Anthony Davis to acquire Luka Doncic. Given Davis was himself cribbing about the lack of centers on the rotation, their problem in the middle has been greatly exacerbated by the loss of Davis and no adequate replacement.
The biggest thorn in a potential Lakers title push is their weak center rotation that JJ Redick can’t make up for with his coaching skills.
The Lakers Center Rotation Is Threadbare
Centers – Jaxson Hayes, Alex Len, Trey Jemison (Two-Way), Christian Koloko (Two-Way)
There is essentially no playable center on the Lakers rotation outside Jaxson Hayes, a player many fans were willing to waive for roster space earlier this season. From being a throwaway roster player, Hayes has found himself in the perfect position to be the team’s starting center and be the beneficiary of playing alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James, two high-IQ passers designed to maximize big men like Hayes.
Even with the presence of Hayes as a usable option, he’s averaged 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds in 20.2 minutes over the last five games. He is a good option for 10-15 minutes but not for an entire game, which is the trouble for the Lakers as the options behind him are barely playable.
Alex Len joined the Lakers off the buyout market, with the Lakers waiving Christian Wood to add Len. He’s averaged 1.4 points and 1.9 rebounds this season with the Sacramento Kings and has looked dreadful in the three games he’s played for the Lakers.
Trey Jemison is a recent two-way signing who has had some impressive moments, averaging 2.8 points and 2.6 rebounds but is not nearly a polished enough prospect to be in a contender’s rotation. Christian Koloko has been a two-way option since the start of the season but has averaged just 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in the opportunities he’s received.
The failed trade for Mark Williams really killed the team’s hopes at center, with no option capable of giving them consistent minutes at the position. The team has had to get creative to fill minutes there, recently using Jarred Vanderbilt as their center on possessions. However, it diminishes his perimeter-heavy defensive skill set and can’t be anything more than a temporary option.
Potential Solutions
We’ve seen forwards like Dorian Finney-Smith, LeBron James, and Rui Hachimura anchor the team as bigs in no-center lineups, but that is just a rotational constriction on the Lakers. Redick has been creative in addressing these flaws, but it might become problematic in the Playoffs when teams can attack the lack of interior solidity on the Lakers.
There are no options they can target in free agency right now as a quick fix for the season unless they believe JaVale McGee can still be a starting center for a contender. The answer to that is no, so there really aren’t any better options. Maybe the team could take a chance on a G Leaguer like Jamarion Sharpe, but even that isn’t any better than having options like Jemison or Koloko on the bench.
Vanderbilt will likely be their de facto center closer to the Playoffs if his body can handle the minutes and the responsibility after spending most of the last two seasons out with injury.
Otherwise, they have to just rely on Hayes giving them better production and earning more minutes, or that one of the many below-average centers in the rotation can have a good enough game to provide the necessary minutes.
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