It does not take a long look to notice two major holes stick out on the Los Angeles Lakers roster as areas of concern. That would be the lack of two-way wings and a legitimate backup center. Both of those are facets in which Rob Pelinka has consistently struggled with securing for his contenders.
Ever since letting Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Alex Caruso, Danny Green, and even Kyle Kuzma go from the Lakers, it has been an uphill battle to secure the type of two-way presences that every championship-winning team needs. The fall from grace has been brutal.
Likewise, Anthony Davis lobbied so hard for reinforcements in the frontcourt that it got him traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Granted, you take the opportunity to secure Luka Doncic 10 out of 10 times. Still, it is quite comical that Davis openly asked for a center in Los Angeles and his departure actively made the position even worse than it already was.
The Lakers need Pelinka to hone in on these areas before the eventual 2026 NBA trade deadline. If they truly do wish to be a championship contender in the upcoming season, the extra help will be imperative to that title push.
Rob Pelinka's disappointing history must be put to rest
Jovan Buha discussed the struggles Pelinka has experienced in roster building during a recent episode of his podcast. This was nothing new for the Lakers reporter.
Buha said, "My consistent criticism of the roster building of the last few years, ... Lakers rosters have had three consistent weaknesses. ... They have lacked two-way perimeter talent. ... The backup center spot has been a mess. ... The final thing has just been the overall depth of the roster."
The host of Buha's Block emphasized how the wings have lacked two-way punch, at most offering 'one and a half.' The centers were described as 'lottery level.' Both of those assessment, regarding the roster building since 2021, are right on the mark.
What can be said in the positive spin of the situation would be that Pelinka appears to have learned the lesson with at least one of those concerns. The rampant rumors about Andrew Wiggins are a great sign of that.
Hopefully for Lakers fans, once that is solved, the center position can get its needed boost too. There must be more than seven playable guys on the roster once the 2026 NBA Playoffs arrive.
Pelinka already has a solid model to refer back to in the 2020 championship team. That roster was undoubtedly well-equipped at both spots. The results speak for themselves.