Los Angeles Lakers shallow center depth named biggest flaw

The Los Angeles Lakers lack of depth at center was named their biggest flaw heading into training camp by Bleacher Report. Do you agree with their assessment?

The Los Angeles Lakers have a deep roster heading into the 2018-19 season. Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have done an excellent job stockpiling talent on the roster, especially through the NBA Draft.

Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, Kyle Kuzma and Ivica Zubac were all added in the last three drafts. This summer, the Lakers became players in free agency. LeBron James was their crown jewel. They also re-signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and added JaVale McGee, Lance Stephenson, Rajon Rondo and Michael Beasley.

Overall, Los Angeles has excellent depth, They can easily play double-digit players each night. Luke Walton will have his hands full making lineup decisions with so many different players and combinations to choose from.

While the Lakers have improved the overall depth of talent on their roster, they do still have some flaws. Bleacher Report recently compiled an article of the biggest flaws for every team heading into training camp. For the Lakers, their biggest flaw was the depth, or lack thereof, at the center position.

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Here is part of what they said about the center position for the Lakers.

"JaVale McGee, Ivica Zubac and—well, would you look at that: The Lakers are out of centers.Specific designations are overrated and unnecessary. We all know it. But, like, damn. Size still matters. And the Lakers don’t have much of it.Michael Beasley and Kyle Kuzma could—read: should—see time in the middle for L.A. this season. Moritz Wagner probably needs to get his NBA legs alongside a second big, but the Lakers don’t have the personnel to cast a 7-footer at power forward.LeBron James is definitely getting run at center. The Lakers have made that clear."

There is no denying the lack of depth that Los Angeles has at center. JaVale McGee is on a strict minutes limit because of his asthma. Ivica Zubac has not proven, yet, that he can handle a large role in the NBA.

Right now, Moritz Wagner is probably best suited as a stretch-4. Given his limitations defensively, the Lakers cannot afford to use him as their last line of defense at center. Offensively, Wagner would be an excellent fit at the 5 given his offensive skill set. However, his defense leaves so much to be desired he cannot be counted on, at least not yet.

With options such as Beasley, Kuzma and James, the Lakers, in theory, do have depth. Walton has options for the center position, he will just have to deploy them at the right times. Offensively, all of those lineups would thrive. It is on the defensive end that Los Angeles could have issues.

Given the options at their disposal, the lack of depth at the center position is probably overstated. Bleacher Report did place them in the ‘It’s probably not the end of the world’ section.

The biggest flaw for the Lakers is also their biggest strength in their youth. The youngsters will be relied upon to help carry the load, but they have very little experience in high-pressure situations. James, Stephenson, McGee, Rondo and Beasley, all signed this summer, are the only players on the roster with playoff experience.

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Adjusting to the heightened expectations is something they have all dealt with, but the youngsters will have to adapt to. It will be a trial by fire for the youngsters, as they will be needed for the organization to get to the championship level they desire.

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