5 Offseason Options to Address Los Angeles Lakers' Center Problem
The Los Angeles Lakers placed a healthy Timofey Mozgov on ice in mid-March, a fact that speaks volumes about their center problem. The giant Russian hadn't played much for a month prior to that.
L.A. signed the leviathan to a four-year $64 million bonanza last summer. He's not horrible, but he's also not the future. The reasoning for the shutdown was to give younger players a better chance to grow.
Ivica Zubac has been the major recipient of the decision. At 7'1", the second-round rookie is a whole lot quicker and lighter than Mozgov, and is a better shot-blocker as well.
During a Lakers Voices chat with host Mike Trudell, the 20-year-old said he's modeling his game after Marc Gasol. Maybe that will all pan out.
Also shoring up the front line is third-year backup Tarik Black, who has plenty of hustle but a limited offensive repertoire. Meanwhile, starting power forward Julius Randle often shifts to the 5 in small-ball lineups.
Lakers coach Luke Walton will work with what he has for now. But additional help is clearly needed. Fortunately, there are means to a possible end.
L.A. has a top-three-protected pick in the upcoming draft (fingers crossed) as well as a late first-rounder. The team also has an early second-round selection that will go to the Orlando Magic if the Lakers do not convey their top-three pick to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Plus, Los Angeles will have about $31.5 million to play with during summer free agency, per Basketball Insider's Eric Pincus.
That's enough for a max-type offer, but it would sure be nice not to spend it all in one place.
Regardless, the team has options. It also has some big decisions to make.
Caleb Swanigan, Purdue (Draft)
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Purdue was blown out by Kansas in the Sweet 16. There's now a good chance that Caleb "Biggie" Swanigan will test the draft. After all, there may not be a huge upside for the sophomore to wait another year.
Swanigan's role in college has typically been as a power forward. But while only 6'9," he might be better suited as an undersized center. He's got a wide enough body at 250 pounds to hold his own on the block. He's also a beast on the glass and has an outrageous 7'3 ½" wingspan.
The 19-year-old's stat line is impressive with 18.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.0 dimes and 0.8 blocks. He also connected on 44.7 percent of his shots from downtown on a solid 2.4 attempts per game.
ESPN.com's Myron Medcalf profiled Swanigan's troubled home life as a child, which included homelessness, a crack-addicted father who died at 50 and Swanigan's own battle with obesity. He weighed 360 pounds by the end of eighth grade.
"I went to four different middle schools alone, and probably nine elementary schools," Swanigan said.
But now he's the Big Ten Player of the Year, a guy with the kind of overall skill set that L.A. could use. Imagine Zach Randolph with a deeper jump shot, or a bigger version of Draymond Green.
Perhaps that sounds overly ambitious at the moment. But Biggie has already overcome long odds to get to where he is now. He'd be a great get for the Lakers' late first-round pick.
Ersan Ilyasova, Atlanta Hawks (Unrestricted)
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Ersan Ilysova is all about stretching the floor, and that’s something L.A. lacks in its frontcourt.
The journeyman power forward isn’t the first guy that comes to mind as typical full-time center, but that’s OK. He’s currently playing 55 percent of his minutes as Dwight Howard’s backup in Atlanta. The Hawks traded for the Turkish sniper before the deadline in order to bolster their playoff run.
Regardless of his position, he’s shot 44.9 percent from beyond the arc since arriving from Philadelphia.
At 29, Ilyasova has bounced around basketball, playing for three teams this season alone, along with two last year and seven seasons in Milwaukee. He’s also played in Spain and the Turkish league, as well as with the Turkish national team.
In addition to his cache as a scorer, Ilyasova has all-around skills. He’s averaging 5.7 boards this season and 5.9 over his career. He has good hands, can put the ball on the floor and has an excellent court awareness.
He won’t cost a fortune and he'd complement younger frontcourt players like Zubac, Larry Nance Jr. and Randle.
Lauri Markkanen, Arizona (Draft)
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Arizona big man Lauri Markkanen isn't going to be one of the top three picks in the draft, and it would be naive to believe L.A. would use their lottery choice on anyone other than point guards Markelle Fultz, Lonzo Ball or Josh Jackson.
With that caveat out of the way, let's toy around with a few less plausible but not impossible scenarios:
1. L.A. could trade down with its top selection.
2. It could swap up with its late first-round pick.
3. It could lose its top choice to Philly but find a way to buy or barter into the lottery nonetheless.
One thing is for sure: The 7'0" Finnish wunderkind one of the sweetest shooting players in college basketball, averaging 15.6 points per game during his freshman season with a crackling 42.3 percent from downtown. And lest anyone think that's all he does, Markkanen also pulled down 7.2 boards per frame.
So maybe the 230-pound beanpole isn't a typical low-post intimidator. And maybe he's projected as more of a stretch power forward in the NBA. So what? The Lakers already have Mozgov and Zubac for traditional rotations.
Plus, Markkanen is a Wildcat and everyone already knows how obsessive Walton is about his alma mater. He'd likely love the opportunity to add this unique weapon to his quiver.
Mason Plumlee, Denver Nuggets (Restricted)
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Mason Plumlee has had 18 double-doubles so far this season and he's not even a full-time starter.
The 27-year-old center was traded from Portland to the Denver Nuggets in February. Between the two teams, he has averaged 10.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.1 blocks in 27.3 minutes per game.
At 6'11", the hyper-athletic big doesn't do everything great. He has virtually no range on his shot and does most of his scoring inside the paint. If he can ever stretch that aspect of the game, he'll be a star.
But Plumlee still works well in a fluid offense. He's constantly moving off the ball, runs the pick-and-roll to perfection and has become one of the best passing bigs in the game. He had 12 dimes against the Detroit Pistons in January. Think that's a fluke? Plumlee has had six or more assists 14 times this season.
This is one of the most physical ballers in the league. He goes hard every night, isn't afraid to mix it up and hasn't yet reached his ceiling.
One of three Plumlee brothers in the NBA, Mason is still playing out his rookie contract. He'll be a restricted free agent this summer and will certainly attract offers. So how high will Denver go to match?
Nerlens Noel, Dallas Mavericks (Restricted)
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Nerlens Noel is by no means a finished product. But he is an impact player.
At 22, Noel has played just 183 games in his NBA career. He was chosen as the No. 6 overall draft choice in 2013 despite a torn ACL that cost him his entire rookie season. Before the injury, he was widely seen as the top overall pick.
More recently, Noel was traded from the 76ers to the Dallas Mavericks, where he has been coming off the bench. He also missed a number of games at the start of the season due to minor knee surgery to alleviate soreness.
While taking it slowly, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle still has high hopes for 6'11" enigma.
"This is a good test for what he can tolerate," Carlisle said, per Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. "I do think he's a starting center in this league. That's why we traded for him. But we're in an experimental mode here."
The longtime Dallas coach also wants Noel to "work on understanding the rhythm of shooting."
So there are some negatives: an injury history, ball-handling issues and a lack of offense outside of rolls to the rim and high-flying dunks.
Why with all this—plus his restricted status—does Noel warrant being a top frontcourt target for L.A.?
Because it's still all about potential, and the Lakers are in the midst of a youth-driven rebuild. Noel is raw, explosive and hasn't hit his ceiling yet. He can also guard multiple positions and is an absolute terror when it comes to protecting the rim.
The trick is to complete the wiring. And maybe Walton is the guy to do it—a young players' coach who's both firm and patient, and who knows how to communicate.
Stats are courtesy of ESPN and Sports-Reference, and are up-to-date as of the end of games, March 3. Contract info courtesy of Spotrac.
