The Los Angeles Lakers pounced on a great opportunity to potentially address their backup center issue by signing rookie Carson Cooper to a two-way contract. Cooper was recently waived by the Memphis Grizzlies in order to free up space for their second-round rookie and former BYU wing Richie Saunders.
Cooper was a four-year player under Tom Izzo at Michigan State. He brings a versatile game to LA’s frontcourt at 6-foot-11.
After going undrafted this past summer, Cooper got an opportunity from Memphis rather quickly and spent his summer league with the organization and impressed them enough to earn a two-way spot. But given their roster makeup with three capable centers ahead of Cooper, he was the obvious cut candidate when Memphis needed to open a two-way spot for Saunders.
For the Lakers, this move also comes at the expense of waiving Lawson Lovering, whose two-way spot Cooper will now occupy. When Lovering was originally signed, I made my stance very clear that I didn’t believe in him as any form of solution, but Cooper is different. He comes from a winning culture in college, has a well-rounded game, and, most importantly, is extremely capable of finishing plays in the pick-and-roll for Luka Doncic.
Carson Cooper is what the Lakers need from a developmental center
Cooper isn’t going to wow Laker fans with some incredible pick-and-pop work or an insanely deep bag of post-scoring tricks. The 22-year-old is going to be a get-the-job-done big, and that’s what this team needs.
Cooper is an effective screener and roller who finishes well on the move and can get up for a lob. Around the basket, he has good touch and started showing off real feel as a short roll passer later in his time at Michigan State. Defensively, he’s a solid rim protector, rebounder, and isn’t restricted to being just a drop coverage big, as he has continued to improve at moving his feet defensively.
From an athleticism standpoint, he isn't a jump-out athlete. However, he does play with a ton of pop and is super capable as a lob threat, making him perfect to pair with Luka.
On top of his skill set being a reason fans should feel comfortable about him joining the Lakers and being able to have an impact, look at the two organizations he’s been with collegiately and in the pros.
First, there's Michigan State, which just knocked off a Duke team on Tuesday night that was supposed to have one of the deepest rosters in college basketball. Obviously, Cooper didn’t play in that game, but the Spartans won by embracing the same principles they've emphasized for years, including during Cooper's time with the program: toughness, physicality, and teamwork.
All three of those boxes are going to help Cooper fit into a role as a physical, team-first center for this Lakers team.
Then he gets to the league, and the Memphis Grizzlies snatch him up? The team that is exceeding many people's expectations this season and has done an unbelievable job identifying talent and drafting steals over the past several drafts.
Sure, you can say, “If he was so good, why did they cut him?” Well, because they had to sign a player they actually drafted. In terms of roster construction, he was the player it made the most sense to cut loose.
To get a player with his level of experience from college, with the development he got in a winning environment, you probably couldn’t find a rookie big on the two-way market more ready to go than he is. He’s far from a perfect player, but he sets a hard screen, is a good roller, is tough, is not a liability defensively, and has an impressive overall feel for the game. That’s all this group is looking for.
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