If there is one clear source of dissatisfaction for the Los Angeles Lakers and their fans amid a 3-0 start, it would be the underwhelming minutes Kevon Looney has played as a backup center. Through three games, the veteran big man has certainly looked his age.
The best escape route from having to play Looney at the five for any stretch would be finding lineups that work with Sandro Mamukelashvili being the backup center. The issue there is getting the right personnel around him to try and offset his weaknesses. That is somewhat out of reach right now.
Adou Thiero at the four would likely be the best solution of who to pair up with Mamukelashvili to help him adequately function at the five. The problem? Thiero has yet to be made available for on-court action due to a knee injury resurfacing for the athletic forward.
The Lakers listed Thiero as out, alongside Cameron Carr, for the upcoming game against the Portland Trail Blazers. Carr, unlike his other young teammate, was recently assigned to the Coachella Valley Lakers. That would indicate his return is close. No such positive update has been there for Adou.
Kevon Looney's numbers and tape both look dreadful to start the season
This is all an incredibly limited sample size of just three games, but so far, there is a massive swing in the minutes of Looney being on the court versus off the court. The offensive rating improves from 107.5 to 131.3 in his on-off. The opponents' offensive rating settles down from 134.5 to 109.0. Yikes.
The numbers here really are not totally necessary either. Just the eye test alone would tell you that Looney is not moving adequately to keep up with everyone else on the Lakers. His positioning can still be sound, as he is a very smart basketball player, but that is about it.
Perhaps this can be a case of Looney getting his legs under him as the year goes on. Right now, though, the Lakers are bleeding during his brief stints on the floor. The three-time champ, unsurprisingly, has the worst plus-minus of anyone on the team.
Lakers need Adou Thiero back to truly unleash Sandro Mamukelashvili at center
Thiero has the athleticism, motor, and size to help the functionality of running Mamukelashvili at the backup center spot. The defense and rebounding that Adou can add beside him should help a ton.
Unfortunately, it is tough to get a read on when exactly Thiero will be back and how well he can play when he is. His current knee issues come from the same body part that gave him trouble throughout college. That is not a comfortable sight.
When Thiero is back, JJ Redick should be able to turn to Mamukelashvili with more regularity at center. That will limit the negative impact from potential Looney minutes. The wait for that solution could be anywhere from days to weeks, and that is the problem right now.
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