3 ways Hassan Whiteside could help the Los Angeles Lakers

Hassan Whiteside adds elite shot-blocking to the Los Angeles Lakers

The moment Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee left the roster and Marc Gasol and Montrezl Harrell joined the roster, the first concern amongst Lakersnation was if the Los Angeles Lakers had sacrificed shot blocking for floor spacing and scoring.

A valid point to make.

The Lakers unquestionably have gotten better at the center position. Harrell and Gasol are flawed but they enhance the Lakers rather than detract. Both players will be impactful come playoff time, something, unfortunately, JaVale McGee and to a lesser extent Dwight Howard wasn’t in the playoffs.

We are nearly at the halfway point of the season and the concerns in regards to shot-blocking have proven to be correct.

They are great additions to the Lakers but Gasol is no longer a true threat as a shot-blocker and Harrell never was.

While they might not be, Hassan Whiteside most certainly is.

It is hard to judge Hassan Whiteside off of his production this season. In a center heavy rotation in Sacramento under former Lakers head coach Luke Walton, Whiteside is averaging his worst numbers since truly breaking out in the 2014-15 season.

His 8.3PPG, 5.7RPG, and 1.3BPG in 14.6 minutes per night compared to years previous are anemic yet still are admirable in such sporadic minutes and 1 start all season.

Last season with the Trailblazers Whiteside averaged 15.5PPG, 13.5RPG, and a staggering 2.9BPG.

If the Lakers could add Whiteside and his shot-blocking abilities to the roster they will have had covered over what is considered their greatest weakness in the frontcourt.

If they can find a happy medium in terms of minutes, then this could put the purple and gold in a great position to succeed.

Adding one of the premier shot-blockers in the NBA would allow for the Lakers to really flex their muscle and would allow for each big man in the rotation to be more impactful in the minutes they have.