2. The Lakers don’t have depth in the size department
We saw this on full display against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. With Anthony Davis sitting the second leg of every back-to-back, the Lakers were forced to play without him and the lack of depth in this regard really showed.
Granted, the team is hurt by the fact that Mo Bamba is likely going to miss the rest of the year. Bamba was meant to be that traditional depth five that could provide depth in these kinds of situations.
Without Bamba, the Lakers have the likes of Wenyen Gabriel and Jarred Vanderbilt as their only options with size. That is simply not enough, even in today’s NBA where size does not matter as much. The Lake Show is just getting bullied by the rim when AD is unavailable.
What happens in a playoff series if Bamba isn’t healthy yet and AD gets into early foul trouble? Is the team just going to throw Gabriel to the wolves and pray it works?
The solution:
The Lakers need to sign a depth center now that Bamba is out. The team has an extra roster spot to use and they have candidates that they can bring in. It may not seem that important, but having someone who can potentially play eight minutes a game just so the team doesn’t get destroyed on the glass in that period is important.
If Bamba returns for the playoffs then great, you have another extra option in case someone gets in foul trouble. There is no such thing as too much depth.