The Los Angeles Lakers Lakers have a logjam at the power forward position. Jordan Hill, Ed Davis, and Tarik Black have been forced to play center this season because the Lakers only have one true center, Robert Sacre, which speaks for itself.
Carlos Boozer and Ryan Kelly are also power forwards who play on a regular basis. The only small forwards on the roster are Wesley Johnson and Nick Young. These men have all shown they are decent players on a bad team, but do they have the talent and the intangibles to contribute on a playoff team (which presumably the Lakers hope to become soon)?
Hill is the obvious place to start. Overall he has had a good year. He has played more minutes and scored more points than in previous seasons. He has also stayed healthy, which has been a problem for him in the past. His mid-range shot is greatly improved, which has been a blessing and a curse. It is important to have that weapon in his offensive arsenal, but he has fallen in love with the outside shot which takes him away from the basket where grabbing offensive rebounds has always been his strength.
Defensively, he has good moments but overall his defense is not great. He is not a consistent rim protector. Sometimes he runs back on defense, but most of the time he does not. Overall, Hill can be a solid contributor on a good team, but in a reserve role where he can come off the bench, play hard for limited minutes, and bring energy to the second unit.
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Boozer has shown he is still a good scorer. He can hit the outside shot and attack the rim. He displays poise and professionalism in post-game interviews even when the Lakers played poorly and lost. That said, he is a defensive liability most nights. He is a good rebounder at times, but has a hard time defending anyone without fouling. Still, Boozer has shown he can contribute off the bench even on a good team and if he embraces that role it could prolong his career.
Davis has been a fan favorite this year, but the jury is still out on his long-term prospects. When he joined the team many observers suggested he was a good player who just needed more playing time, that he could prove to be a “steal.”
That may have been an overstatement, but he has been fairly consistent from night to night, which on this Lakers team is saying a lot. His offensive skills are limited but what he does he does pretty well. He is good at grabbing offensive rebounds and finishing well at the rim. To achieve his full potential his offensive game must improve, which is something he can work on this off-season.
On defense, he is the Lakers’ best rim protector. He is a good rebounder, but his overall defensive toughness is unclear. He can be overpowered by some of the stronger power forwards (LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMarcus Cousins, and Blake Griffin come to mind), and he is not as tall as most centers, which puts him in the dangerous category of an “in between.”
Still, there is something intangible that excite people about Davis. He deserves big minutes in the second half of the season and needs to step up and “bring it” every night. If he continues to improve with more playing time, and works on his offensive game (as Hill obviously did this past off-season), he could be one of the few players on the current roster who will be around here in the future.
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Which brings us to Black and Kelly, two of the Lakers’ youngest players. There is no denying that Black has been impressive since joining the team recently which is why he is playing good minutes. His true height is just shy of 6’9”, which makes him short for a center while his offensive skills are not yet good enough to make him a standout power forward. Still, he deserves a big audition in the second half of the season.
People call Kelly a “stretch-4,” but isn’t that supposed to be a big guy who can consistently make an outside shot? Kelly hasn’t shown much in his brief career but judging from his solid playing time the coach must think he still has potential. The coach may be wrong, but we should keep an open mind for a while longer. Kelly needs playing time the rest of the season to show if he can make a consistent, solid contribution.
As for the small forward position, as many have observed, Johnson looks, moves, and jumps like he should be a star. He was given a major opportunity to start for the Lakers the past two years, a job he has not earned with his play. In the end, he is not a consistent presence on the court and many nights he is nearly invisible. He is a good defender but not as good as he should be. He should be a better rebounder.
The offensive game of Johnson is limited, although he deserves credit for improving his outside shot this season. He seems to lack the ball handling skills necessary to attack the rim where his great athleticism could be used to its full advantage. Johnson has skills, but by now it is clear he will never come close to meeting his perceived potential and at most is a capable reserve coming off the bench.
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I left Young for last because people love him. He is an LA native. He is likeable, quotable, has Iggy Azalea for a girlfriend, and from a marketing point of view, he helps the Lakers sell tickets. The problem is he is not paid to be a court jester, he is a basketball player, and on that score there are reservations.
Throughout his career Young has shown he can be a good player on a bad team. What he is yet to show is that he can be a good player on a good team. Underneath the broad smile Young is probably more serious about the game than people realize. However, he is 29 now, and while the contract he signed in the off-season provides financial security, if he wants to prove he is a great basketball player he is running out of time. The Lakers have desperately needed his scoring this year and far too often he has let them down. When he misses he gets upset and distracted and this impacts his defense, which is already questionable. The fans want Young to succeed but he’s got to get it together and be more consistent.
It is unclear whether any of the current forwards on the roster has a future with the Lakers, though some of the younger players deserve more playing time in the second half of the season to prove their value. There is one x-factor in the mix: It is likely that one or more of the forwards will be traded soon to a contender that is in need of another solid player coming off the bench during the playoffs. Hill and Boozer, with their experience and current skill set, should be the most coveted targets. That is the only way the team can acquire the young asset and/or upcoming draft pick they so desperately need.