The Los Angeles Lakers need a center—it is non-negotiable. After a painful year of Deandre Ayton manning the paint and being Luka Doncic’s guy in the middle, it’s time Rob Pelinka gives his superstar a real force at the five spot.
Luka doesn’t need much from the center spot; the checklist is short: can you set screens, protect the rim, and catch lobs? Cool, the job's yours. The 2026 NBA Draft class has a plethora of center prospects of different flavors. Pelinka could answer one of LA’s biggest issues, not just for the short term, but also for the long term.
According to Joshua Duarte of the Houston Chronicle, the Lakers have scheduled a private workout with Houston big man Chris Cenac Jr., who is projected to be on the board when LA makes its selection at No. 25.
I’m not a Cenac hater, but in the same breath, I can assure you he is the furthest thing from the right pick for the Lakers. Cenac was highly recruited, finishing his high school career as the No. 6 player in the 2025 high school class. He has great athleticism, size, and length, and has flashed potential as a floor spacer.
That said, he is incredibly raw and isn’t NBA-ready enough for LA to consider with their first-round pick. That is especially true with them not owning a first-rounder in 2027.
Lakers don’t have time to develop Chris Cenac Jr.
While Cenac’s stats this past season were very strong for a freshman in a tough conference, there are some glaring holes. He averaged 9.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 33.3 percent from deep on 2.4 attempts per game.Â
The immediate issue with Cenac is reflected in his block numbers, as he measured in at the combine with a 7-foot-5 wingspan, which only amplified how poor of a rim protector he is. For someone with that length, you’d expect at least a block and a half per game, or some high-level advanced defensive stats, but there’s neither.
He has the tools to be great on that end and is just lacking the feel and experience needed to put it all together. With time, he can be an elite shot blocker, but LA doesn’t have the time right now to see that long developmental process commence.
Now his poor shot blocking is made up for with his exceptional feel on the glass as a high-level rebounder, but it’s instantly canceled out by his outside shooting.
Sure, for teams in a rebuild, seeing a near seven-footer shoot above 30 percent from three on slightly under three attempts per game is encouraging. However, with how big a part that shot is of his game right now, LA would need higher production to convince themselves it can translate right away.Â
Someone like Henri Veesaar, who shot 40-plus percent from downtown this past season, would be a better fit.
Don’t get me wrong, the talent is there with Cenac. The intrigue is understandable.
He has the potential to make us look back in 10 years and laugh at the Lakers for passing on him. At the same time, he is so raw right now, and if Pelinka wants to maximize the LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves timeline, they need to draft for impact, not upside.
Add us as a preferred source on Google