As the Los Angeles Lakers search for paths toward improvement, the opportunities to do so are becoming increasingly more difficult to discern. Flaws exist at multiple positions, with none quite as well-documented as the need to find an upgrade at center.
Recent progress has implied that the Lakers have found a way to circumvent those concerns, but an upgrade at the 5-spot remains essential.
The Lakers have turned the corner on defense since acquiring Dorian Finney-Smith at the end of December. Since Jan. 1, the Lakers are ninth in the NBA in defensive rating, holding teams to just 111.8 points per 100 possessions.
Finney-Smith has played a direct role in that development, as Los Angeles finally has a wing it can rely on to bring consistency to the defensive end of the floor.
Now looking the part of an elite defensive team, the Lakers have every reason to believe they can make noise in the playoffs. They're ninth in net rating during that same window and even managed to win a recent game without franchise player Anthony Davis.
In order for the Lakers to sustain this improvement and become a true contender, however, they'll need to make the trade they've been putting off and find the aforementioned upgrade at center.
Lakers can't allow progress to deter them from trade for center
Davis has made it abundantly clear that he wants the Lakers to add a center who can enable him to spend more time at power forward. Some have aimlessly written that off as Davis overlooking his own strength as a modern 5, but there's precedent for Davis' preference.
That begins with the fact that the Lakers won a championship with Davis spending considerable time at power forward and ends with the players who match his defensive archetype having support he doesn't.
Comparable players to Davis on defense include Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Evan Mobley. They aren't perfect comparisons, but the common theme is that all three are trusted to defend every angle of the court, including the perimeter and the interior.
While Antetokounmpo, Jackson, and Mobley have proven rim protectors or rebounders to help protect the paint when they're pulled away from it, Davis is flanked by two-way players and veterans on minimum contracts.
The arrival of Finney-Smith and the return of Jarred Vanderbilt have helped in other areas on defense. They provide value at the point of attack and offer the long-missing traits of length, energy, and consistency when defending both on and off the ball.
The Lakers still have issues when it comes to rebounding and protecting the rim, however, and Davis is the last player to point the finger at.
Davis ranks No. 11 in the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage and is holding opponents 9.9 percent below their average field goal percentage within six feet of the rim. Even still, Los Angeles is 22nd in second-chance points allowed and 25th in points allowed in the paint.
The Lakers' improvement on defense is unavoidable, but if the Lakers value rotational depth and a happy franchise player, they'll make the most obvious of trades.