2. Robin Lopez
It feels like Robin Lopez has been an NBA player for 20 years, yet every mascot’s worst enemy is only 32 years old.
Due to starting center Thomas Bryant tearing his ACL and backup center Mo Wagner contracting COVID, Lopez has been receiving court-time on an awful Washington Wizards team but is definitely not part of the team’s long-term plans.
$7.3 mil seems like a gaudy seasonal salary figure for a backup, but Lopez’s contract expires after this season, making him an attractive target for contenders who need a short-term boost and could use the salary relief next season.
Robin Lopez hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2017-18, but the Los Angeles Lakers don’t need him to be that guy. They need him to set hard screens (ranked 7th in screen-assists per 36 mins), play physical defense (graded above-average in 2019-20 by most advanced metrics according to BBall Index), and occasionally hit the open three (shooting 42.9% on 0.5 attempts per game this year).
Despite not blocking many shots these days, Lopez is still a capable rim protector, ranking third in contested two pointers per 36 minutes on the season. This isn’t just a product of a small sample size. In 2019-20, he led the league in adjusted rim points saved per 36 minutes, as well as being elite at rim deterrence (98th percentile), % of shots at the rim contested (99th percentile), and rim contests per 75 minutes (98th percentile).
In terms of intangibles, Lopez has a reputation of showing an aptitude for getting under the skin of opponents, much like Howard did to Jokic in the Western Conference Finals last season. Over the course of a seven-game series, those types of role-players often prove to be invaluable.