The Los Angeles Lakers have shown a potential roster need already this season.
At the time of writing this, the Los Angeles Lakers have played just two games and are 1-1 on the season. Paul George had a great second half on opening night to best the Lakers before the Lakers outclassed Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas.
It is way too soon to make any big conclusions about the Lakers this season. The team still has 70 more regular-season games to play, and quite frankly, the biggest goal is to stay healthy and play the brand of basketball that they know they can play.
The Lakers do not have to worry about missing the playoffs or not having one of the top seeds in the West. As long as they stay healthy, the first seed is essentially a lock for the Lakers.
However, in this minimal sample size, we have seen a potential need that I personally advocated for before the season began. The Lakers do not have a traditional back-up center (like Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee last season). This is not a hugely pressing need, but it does help the team’s depth and could help rotations in the playoffs.
Adding a back-up center is not going to change much, but it is something to keep an eye on. Similar to how the team signed Tyson Chandler two seasons ago, there may be an opportunity that opens that cannot be passed up.
Devontae Cacok could be a potential option that is already on the roster but he is only 6’8″ and does not really add the dynamic that we are focused on in this article.
With that in mind, here are three potential back-up centers that I would monitor as Laker fans as the year develops.