Center: DeMarcus Cousins
Many readers would have probably expected Kyle Kuzma to be a starting member of the Lakers to start the regular season. However, Kuzma’s skill set lends extremely well for him to be a stellar 6th man off the bench.
Cousins is coming off of two major injuries which have derailed his previously All-Star career. With an Achilles tear followed by a quad tear, Cousins went from being a max level money superstar, to barely making a roster this season. However, I think that a lot of teams are sleeping on Boogie Cousins.
If the playoffs were anything to go off of, you would think that Cousins is done being a starting-caliber player. However, Cousins rushed back from this injury and it showed in his play on the court.
It also takes a full season to fully get your legs back after an Achilles tear. In the stint Cousins played during the regular season, he was putting up excellent numbers (not his usual eye-popping numbers but numbers that bode well for the Warriors).
Before his two injuries, Cousins was arguably the best center in the NBA. He was impossible to move in the post and would bully opposing defenders on a nightly basis.
If Cousins can get back to 70% of the All-Star player we all knew in Sacramento, then the Lakers will have picked up a valuable piece.