4 Disposable Lakers if the team needs to create a roster spot
By Nick Halden
2. Wenyen Gabriel
The fact the Los Angeles Lakers had Wenyen Gabriel and Stanley Johnson as two of their largest contributors down the stretch last season speaks to just how poorly constructed the roster was.
Injuries and Russell Westbrook deserve a lot of the blame. However, there shouldn’t be any question that the Lakers front office and LeBron James deserve some culpability for the players they recruited and the end result.
Gabriel is still on the roster despite there being obvious upgrades still on the market in free agency. One would think this is simply because the team is waiting for the Kyrie and Durant decisions to happen and not a belief that Gabriel can be a contributor next season.
Defensively Gabriel puts in effort but lacks the size to protect the paint or the speed to consistently stop perimeter threats. Offensively he is a below-average shooter whose baskets will often come from the opposing defense ignoring him.
He isn’t a perimeter threat and won’t fit well in a LeBron James and Anthony Davis-driven offense if the right player comes available he is certainly an expendable piece on the Los Angeles Lakers roster.