Los Angeles Lakers: Tyson Chandler signing signifies lack of trust in Ivica Zubac

The addition of Tyson Chandler automatically means Ivica Zubac will have a much smaller role for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Los Angeles Lakers picked up big man Tyson Chandler for a reason. The ball club was in dire need of another player to do the dirty work down low, and Chandler fills that void for Los Angeles.

The Lakers’ 2018-2019 campaign has generally consisted of poor defensive performances. One too many times the team has allowed the opposition an easy route to the rim and offensive rebounds galore. The amount of secondary chances they have given up has been crazy so it seems.

A lot of the issue prior to the Chandler signing was that JaVale McGee was the only reliable option at center. Now, do not get me wrong. McGee has been great for the Lakers thus far, averaging a robust 3.1 blocks through 11 appearances.

Nevertheless, once McGee left the hardwood, the purple and gold became much weaker defensively. The lack of depth at center was impossible to not notice.

One other option the Lakers have on their bench to cover big man minutes is Ivica Zubac.

Zubac did happen to have an impressive performance recently. On Saturday night against Portland, he collected nine points and eight rebounds. In a year where he has seen little time on the court, he came ready to play that night.

Despite that, Zubac’s lack of playing time signifies the Lakers’ true feelings about him. It is not too hard to see why the Lakers signed veteran Tyson Chandler. The ball club, at least as of now, cannot depend on Zubac as a backup center.

Zubac’s career has been marked by inconsistency. Frankly, it is not all of his fault. Since his rookie year, he has not gotten a ton of minutes on the court.

However, games like the one against Portland have been quite rare. In spite of the what Zubac showcased as a rookie, Lakers’ fans have not viewed much of that potential since then.

There have been occasions where the third-year player does not look too prepared to play. He has looked lost at times and even by a center’s standards, is not the most graceful dude on the planet.

That being said, it validates why Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka took action in terms of getting an experienced big man. L.A. desperately needed help in their frontcourt, with the word desperately being an understatement.

Given the decision to acquire Chandler, Zubac’s role is bound to decrease. Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times discerns this and Zubac appears to believe the same will occur as well.

"“That’s up to coaches but I’m playing my hardest,” Zubac said. “I’m trying to grab all the boards. We had some problems with offensive rebounds and second-chance points in the last couple of games. That’s my main focus, just to get those defensive boards.”"

Speaking of which, Chandler was crucial in that respect on Wednesday night. Without his presence, the Lakers might have blown another lead down the stretch.

Via Kristian Winfield of SB Nation, Chandler created three extra possessions for L.A. in the last minute of the contest. It was beautiful to see because the Lakers have struggled to rebound the rock all year long.

Los Angeles Lakers

In doing so, the former Phoenix Sun deflated some of the energy Minnesota carried at that stage. They made a fine effort to get back into the game, courtesy of Derrick Rose.

Fortunately for the Lakers, Minnesota never totally got over that hump in the end. It is exactly what makes the Chandler acquisition so vital. The former Defensive Player of the Year knows how to be disruptive and he helped L.A. secure a win in his first game with the squad.

As Winfield illustrates, the longtime veteran brings some key elements to the Lakers. Chandler is a solid rebounder and his size alone will help clog the paint when McGee is sitting on the pine.

Per Dave McMenamin of ESPN, Luke Walton feels the same way about the team’s newest member.

"“I think it helps stabilize us,” Walton said. “I think it will help make us more of the consistent type of team we want to be defensively and rebounding.”"

Chandler adds another important component to this cast, one that is perhaps underrated. His presence gives the Lakers another veteran who is not afraid to speak up.

Rajon Rondo took note of this and gave Tyson props for displaying his leadership. According to McMenamin, Rondo said the following about Los Angeles’ new man in the middle.

"“It’s funny, I was just talking about that I was able to relax and breathe a little bit more,” he said. “Coach asked what was wrong. I’m like, ‘When Tyson’s talking, I don’t need to talk as well.’ So having another voice in the locker room is big. Especially for me and Bron.”"

The Lakers have a lot of young pieces on their roster. Accordingly, it is nice knowing that Chandler can serve as a mentor to those in the earlier parts of their professional careers. That is a huge gift for the 16-time champions.

Even with Chandler aboard, the Lakers still have a lot work to do. They certainly do not want to have a losing record much longer given the desire to end the extended postseason drought.

While that is undeniable, it is a major relief that the Lakers’ backup center will shore up their defense. They have struggled in that department in 2018-2019, so having a guy that can be trusted in the paint is promising.