The Los Angeles Lakers have spent the past seven years lamenting the trade that sent Ivica Zubac to the LA Clippers. In addition to losing a player who has gone on to become one of the best centers in the NBA, the Lakers merely shed a rookie-scale salary in the process of sending him across town.
Thankfully, a recent mock draft has provided the Lakers with the opportunity to finally address the dire need for cultivating a long-term future at the center position.
Christopher Kline of FanSided.com has released a new mock draft in which Los Angeles selects Houston Cougars center Chris Cenac Jr. at No. 24 overall. Kline explained that it would be an upside pick, as Cenac is effectively a raw player who's still learning to put the pieces together on both ends of the floor.
As an 18-year-old freshman who's already displaying three-level scoring proficiency and a raw tenacity on the boards that should appeal to the Lakers, however, it's a pick worth exploring.
Cenac is turning in freshman-year averages of 9.1 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.9 offensive boards, and 0.6 three-point field goals made in 24.1 minutes per game. He's shooting at a clip of .479/.333/.636 and has started all 15 games for the 14-1 Houston Cougars.
Though it remains unclear if Cenac can become the defensive stalwart the Lakers need down low, this selection epitomizes how golden this opportunity is to finally find long-term talent at center.
Lakers select Chris Cenac Jr. in Christopher Kline's latest mock draft
The obvious counterpoint is that the Lakers need some semblance of immediate value from whomever they choose in the 2026 NBA Draft. They won't have another first-round pick until 2028 and haven't exactly cashed in on their last two Round 1 opportunities on draft night.
The appeal of this selection is less about the specific player, however, and more a matter of how the Lakers can utilize this opportunity to finally fix a fatal flaw.
Los Angeles won the 2020 NBA championship with Anthony Davis thriving at the 4 and a deep cast of veterans spreading the wealth at center. In the six years since, however, the Lakers have failed to identify anything resembling a long-term answer at the position.
Deandre Ayton has played well in 2025-26, but even he has a player option for the 2026-27 campaign and could thus leave Los Angeles after just one season with the franchise.
For that matter, the Lakers signed Ayton by virtue of a buyout and a relatively deflated market for his talents. Had he not been bought out by the Portland Trail Blazers, he wouldn't have been available in free agency—and it's fair to question who the franchise could've signed at the same rate of two years and just over $16.2 million.
Thankfully, the 2026 NBA Draft represents an opportunity for the Lakers to move beyond the rentals and fringe rotation players who have occupied the depth chart since 2020.
By drafting Cenac—or any other center, for that matter—the Lakers would ensure there's a player in the pipeline. That would allow the team to not only have more flexibility in its rotation, but ensure that at least the backup situation has a resolution in the works.
Whether or not it's Cenac whom the Lakers target, the opportunity finally exists for the front office to make up for wasted time and find a center they can develop long term.