Although the Los Angeles Lakers swung the most shocking deal in NBA history by acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks, the deal left them extremely thin in the frontcourt.
The Lakers shipped out Anthony Davis, one of their few true big men on the roster, and created a massive hole at the center position. While Jaxson Hayes performed admirably in an elevated role, Los Angeles was well-aware they needed to add more depth at the position.
It seemed like the Lakers solved their problem when it swung another huge trade for Mark Williams, but the team later rescinded it due to concerns over his medicals. The Lakers were forced to quickly pivot and landed on signing Alex Len in free agency.
Len played sparingly with L.A. and didn’t look great in his limited minutes on the floor, though remained on the team’s playoff roster. The Lakers could have waived him before the start of the playoffs to elevate one of their two-way centers in Trey Jemison or Christian Koloko but opted not to. In their series loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, JJ Redick never gave Len a true look despite the team being desperate for size.
Despite Len not playing rotation minutes in the playoffs, President of basketball operations Rob Pelinka explained that the team felt like Lex deserved a spot on the roster instead of Jemison or Koloko.
“Just that we thought Alex was a good player that deserved to be on our roster. And then ultimately JJ is gonna make the decision on who plays and who doesn’t.”
Redick leaned in heavily into his small-ball lineups featuring LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, Dorian Finney-Smith and Doncic. That group was able to blitz teams offensively in the regular season, but struggled heavily in the first round against the Timberwolves.
Redick not turning to Len unless the game was well out of hand in garbage time speaks to how ineffective he was on the floor and a clear sign that signing another big man this summer is of the utmost importance.
Aside from free agency, the Lakers should also be active in the trade market as they look to build a roster with Doncic in mind versus James. Pelinka and the rest of the front office might only have one more season with Doncic and James, so they need to do everything in their power to surround them with championship-level talent.
LeBron James describes emotions after Lakers’ series loss to Timberwolves
LeBron James performed admirably for the Lakers in the Timberwolves series, but couldn’t overcome their overall talent and depth. Following the series loss, James described his emotions and has processed them appropriately.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
