Lakerholics

Nobody is saying it but it’s looking more and more like the coming NBA season could be LeBron James’ last dance as Rob Pelinka continues to resist going all-in to give the King one final chance to win his fifth championship.

LeBron James has to be sad and discouraged that Rob Pelinka failed to take advantage of his willingness to give up as much as $20 million per year so the Lakers could receive access to the $12.9 million NT MLE to add depth. With media reports the Lakers may not trade their two available first round picks until next summer, Pelinka may now be focusing on making small moves on the margins and preserving his draft capital for next season.

Frankly, it’s hard to believe a Los Angeles Lakers team that cultivated an image as place where superstars close their careers and establish their legends could bail out and not go all-in on LeBron James’ last dance.
It’s just embarrassing watching the franchise that rewarded 35-year old Kobe Bryant with a 3-year max deal after suffering a torn Achilles not being willing to spend their available draft picks and swaps to upgrade this team.

The Lakers apparently believe paying LeBron James a near max contract for the next two years and using their #55 pick in the 2024 draft for his son Bronny James was all they were obligated to do for their iconic superstar.
It’s hard to imagine James not being disappointed in Rob’s repeated failures to make moves needed to surround James and Davis with a championship caliber starting lineup and rotation for the 5th time in 6 years as a Laker.

If there’s anything other than Father Time that might make LeBron James call it a career after the coming season, it’s watching Rob Pelinka and his clown crew of associates waste what could be the last year of his career.
At their core, the Lakers front office has apparently lost confidence that LeBron James and Anthony Davis can still be a championship caliber duo and don’t see any of the feasible upgrades as being worth gambling on.

Frankly, I’m totally tired of hearing Rob Pelinka parrot the same lame excuses for not spending his draft capital and upgrading the roster. The Lakers’ offseason plan was poorly conceived and horribly executed.
Unlike how their clumsy coaching search was saved by hiring JJ Redick, the Lakers offseason upgrade plan was essentially dead on arrival and its corpse has drained Pelinka and the Lakers front office of any decisiveness.

In the end, I would be happier if the Lakers took a giant gamble and traded their cap sheet for a Lakers’ Big Three with LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Trae Young or Zach LaVine. Problem is Westbrook took Pelinka’s balls.
Lakers just need to use the picks and swaps to trade with the Blazers for Jerami Grant and Robert Williams or the Nets for Cam Johnson and Dorian Finney-Smith or the Jazz for Walker Kessler or the Wizards for Kyle Kuzma.

There are still multiple difference-making players available who would be great fits on the Lakers and would help elevate them to contender status. As usual, Pelinka can’t find a deal he likes while available options decrease.
After failing to find a player who would meet LeBron’s standard and accept the NT MLE, Rob seems to be paralyzed, simply hoping the Jazz, Blazers, or Nets will change their mind and take less for the players the Lakers covet.

That’s at least the more charitable explanation for why Rob Pelinka has not made any moves in free agency other than re-signing Max Christie. Is Rob simply incompetent or has he decided to just ride out LeBron’s last dance?
It’s hard as a Lakers fan not to expect Rob to come out and announce at any moment that the Lakers are not going to trade either of their two available first round picks because that will not be enough to win a championship.

The only silver lining from Pelinka failing to find a quality MLE candidate is we no longer have to worry about ending up with DeMar DeRozan via either the NT MLE or a S&T since we will be over the first luxury tax apron.

Whom the Los Angeles Lakers draft, pursue in free agency, and trade for this summer will give us revealing first glimpses into the vision new head coach J.J. Redick has for the 2024–25 version of the purple and gold.

The Lakers finished last season 7th in the West with a 47–35 record. Their 115.4 offensive rating was 15th in the league and their 114.8 defensive rating 17th. Combined, the Lakers +0.6 net rating was 19th in the league. While the initial perception was the Lakers’ greatest need was to improve their defense, the reality is they need to improve both their offense and defense to top-ten status to be a legitimate championship contender.

Heading into the offseason, the Lakers need to upgrade both their starting lineup and rotation. They simply have too many one-way players who only excel on offense or defense and need to be replaced by two-way players.
The Lakers need to emulate what the Celtics and other top NBA teams are doing and build out a roster capable of rolling out lineups with five players who can shoot the three on offense and switch everything on defense.

Offensively, the Lakers simply need to take and make more threes. Last season, they made 11.8 threes per game (28th in the NBA) on 31.8 attempts per game (24th in the NBA) despite shooting 37.7% (8th in the NBA).
The Celtics and Mavs led the league with 42.5 and 39.5 3PA per game and 16.5 and 14.6 3PM per game. Playing those teams, the Lakers would face a negative 3-point differential of 14.1 ppg vs. Boston and 8.4 ppg vs. Dallas.

Defensively, the Lakers need an elite point-of-attack defensive guard to slow down opposing point guards, a legitimate bigger 3&D wing to guard opposing scoring wings, and a backup center who can protect the rim.
The Lakers also need a bigger bulkier defensive center who can bang with larger more physical centers like Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis, or Joel Embiid, who can overpower and bully starting center Anthony Davis.

Since the new CBA makes it hard to build championship rosters if paying maximum salaries to three superstars, the Lakers would be smart to use their draft capital to fill their specific needs rather than chasing third star.
Starting next Wednesday, the Lakers trading chips will include three first round picks and three first round pick swaps plus five second round picks. They should use that draft capital to upgrade their starters and rotation.

Financially, the Lakers will likely have to go over the first luxury tax apron to cover raises to players under contract and upgrades to the starting lineup and rotation but must stay under the harsh second luxury tax apron.
That will mean the Lakers will be once again be a luxury tax repeater who will essentially be hard capped by the NBA’s new second luxury tax apron of $190 million to avoid its anti-competitive penalties and disadvantages.

Let’s take a closer look at whom the Los Angeles Lakers with J.J. Redick as their new head coach might target to upgrade their starting lineup and roster via the upcoming NBA Draft, free agency, and trade season.

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1. Lakers Draft Targets

The Lakers would be smart to keep rather than trade the #17 pick in the draft because its potential player value is greater than its trade value and it boasts multiple modern two-way bigs who would be great back up centers.

While several NBA teams want to trade their first round picks in this draft, there will be a half dozen quality big men prospects available between the 16th and 30th picks, which makes this draft a great opportunity for L.A.
The Lakers desperately need a backup center when Anthony Davis is on the bench and there are three or four bigs in this draft who could immediately play as backup centers and eventually alongside AD in a two-bigs lineup.

The big questions hiring JJ Redick as head coach raises is what he plans to do with Anthony Davis. We know JJ wants to be a volume 3-point shooting team and would like a modern offense with five guys who shoot the three. Redick will likely have Davis as well as everybody on the team take more threes but will also see this draft as an opportunity to fill the backup center vacancy and also find a modern stretch five who could play alongside AD.

Four potential modern two-way bigs who have been linked to the Lakers in various NBA draft news and mock drafts include Dayton’s DaRon Holmes, Indiana’s Kel’el Ware, Duke’s Kyle Filipowski, and Purdue’s Zach Edey. Holmes, Ware, and Filipowski have all been linked to the Lakers because they shoot the three. Edey is the exception as he has only taken two threes during his career at Purdue but did show 3-point range at the combine.

DaRon Holmes may be the best option as he can stretch the floor, protect the rim, and defend in space. His best NBA comparison is Naz Reid. Zack Edey, whose potential best NBA comp is Brook Lopez, is also very possible. Kel’el Ware, whose best NBA comp is Myles Turner, would also be a great selection as would Kyle Filipowski, whose best NBA comp is Kelly Olynyk. Unless a coveted wing drops, the Lakers and JJ will draft a stretch five.

For a more detailed review of each of these four candidates and how they would fit in a modern Los Angeles Lakers offense and defense, please read 4 Modern Two-Way Centers Lakers Could Select With #17 Pick In Draft.

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2. Lakers Trade Targets

The Lakers would be smart to use their draft capital to trade for legitimate two-way players in their mid-twenties who earn mid-twenty millions per year, and can become bigger stars in bigger roles than a third superstar.

Recent early reports have the los Angeles Lakers reopening talks with the Atlanta Hawks regarding a possible mega trade for guard Dejounte Murray, whom the teams previously discussed before last season’s trade deadline.
The big reason the Lakers didn’t pull the trigger for Dejounte Murray at the trade deadline wa they were not willing to include Austin Reaves in the deal. Based on recent reports, Reaves may no longer be untouchable.

The Lakers would be wise to leverage the Hawks’ desire to acquire Austin Reaves by expanding the trade to include Bogdan Bogdanovic, who’s exactly the kind of two-way modern high volume 3-point shooting guard they need.
An offer of Hachimura, Reaves, Vincent and an unprotected 2029 first round pick and an unprotected 2030 first round pick swap for Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic should be an offer Atlanta accepts.

Should the Laker be able to trade for Murray and Bogdanovic, they would then have the the elite modern 3&D backcourt they need to become a top-five volume 3-point shooting team that no longer loses the 3-point battle.
Look for the Lakers and JJ to have Murray, Bogdanovic, and James all take 8 to 10 threes per game in an effort to raise the number of threes L.A. takes from last year’s 31.8 per game to over 40 per game for next season.

For a more detailed review of each of these four candidates and how they would fit in a modern Los Angeles Lakers offense and defense, please read 4 ‘Affordable’ Stars Who Could Be Superstars On Los Angeles Lakers.

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3. Lakers Free Agent Targets

While the Lakers need to upgrade their starting lineup and roster, they also should prioritize developing talented young players with two-way potential who showed progress last season and might grow more under JJ Redick.

Focusing on player development due to the restrictions in the new CBA, there are four players about whom the Lakers have major decisions to make as to whether to keep and develop or whether to move on from.
Those four players are D’Angelo Russell, Taurean Prince, Max Christie, and Jaxson Hayes. Russell and Hayes have player options that many believe they will exercise. Prince is an UFA while Christie is a RFA this summer.

Deciding what to do with D’Angelo Russell is the Lakers first priority. D’Angelo has until June 29 to decide whether to accept his player option. The last thing the Lakers should want is to lose DLO to free agency.
Lakers should offer DLO a new 2-year deal with player option for $20 million per year either in the form of a new Lakers contract or a sign-and-trade deal with another team like the Orlando Magic who needs shooters.

The Lakers should re-sign Taurean Prince to a new contract for around $5 million per year. He’s not a starter but proved to be a valuable two-way wing who was essentially misused by Darvin Ham. He’s just not a starter.
Hayes will likely decline his player option and seek a raise in free agency. Christie is a player whom the Lakers will need to re-sign since he is a restricted free agent. Max should thrive under new head coach JJ Redick.

The Lakers need to figure out how to optimize Russell, Prince, Christie, and Hayes should them end up being part of next season’s roster. They need to keep Russell, Prince, and Christie to maintain their depth and diversity.

Rather than chasing older max-contract third superstars, the Los Angeles Lakers would be wise to target younger, more affordable, two-way stars with the upside to become superstars with bigger roles on a better team.

Targeting a player in their mid-twenties earning less than $25 million per year will cost major draft capital but leave the Lakers with the matching salaries and space below second tax apron to build a deep, diverse roster. The new CBA with its second luxury tax apron and new unprecedented financial and competitive penalties has made it almost impossible to build championship caliber rosters if paying max salaries to three superstars.

The Lakers have refused in the past to trade first round picks for elite role players like Myles Turner and Dejounte Murray, preferring instead to save those picks to trade for superstars like Anthony Davis or Russell Westbrook.
The time’s now come for the Lakers to change that strategy. They learned firsthand how trading first round draft picks for elite role players instead of superstars has transformed Celtics, Nuggets, and Mavs into contenders.

The Lakers must see that the NBA is undergoing a changing of the guard with younger stars and teams taking over from older stars and teams and an evolution of the game where size, length, and athleticism dominate.
The Lakers need a roster building strategy that targets rising stars who could function as the team’s third star for the next two or three years and take over as AD’s co-superstar when LeBron James retires from the league.

The Los Angeles Lakers portfolio of available trading chips is their best in years and includes their 2024, 2029, and 2031 first round draft picks, 2026, 2028, and 2030 first round pick swaps, and five second round draft picks.
Ideally, the Lakers would keep the #17 pick in the draft for a backup center and then use draft capital to trade for two of these four young affordable two-way prospects without giving up Austin Reaves or Max Christie.

Here are four affordable young two-way stars with superstar upside who are 26 or 27 years old, earn between $17 to $25 million per year, and are available for right trade package of matching salaries and draft capital.

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1. Lauri Markkanen

Lauri Markkanen, PF, 7′ 0″, 240 lbs, 27-years old, 1-yr @ $18.0M
23.2/8.2/2.0 on 16.2/8.0/5.0 shooting 48.0/39.9/89.9% in 33.1 mpg

27-year old Lauri Markkanen should be at the top of the Lakers’ offseason trade target board as he is the perfect third superstar to complement James and Davis and pair with Davis when James retires in two or three years.

Markannen’s elite size, length, athleticism, and volume 3-point shooting would transform the Lakers’ starting lineup and half-court offense into a juggernaut. He shot a sizzling 39.9% from deep on 8.0 attempts per game.
Besides giving the Lakers a desperately needed volume 3-point shooter, Markkanen also enables L.A. to double down on dominating points-in-the-paint and free-throws-made while becoming competitive on 3-pointers.

Reports indicate the Jazz are likely looking to trade rather than re-sign the 27-year old Markkanen provided they get a significant offer for the Finnish star. Lauri’s in the final year of his contract and will be due for a big raise.
The offer to get the Jazz to trade Markkanen to the Lakers would include Rui Hachimura, unprotected 2029 first round pick, unprotected 2028 first round pick swap, and remove 1–4 protection from 2027 first round pick.

This trade would essentially give Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz 3 straight years of totally unprotected rights to the Los Angeles Lakers’ post LeBron James first round draft picks for the 2027, 2028, and 2029 NBA seasons.
Hopefully, that’s the kind of offer that could motivate Danny Ainge to trade Lauri Markkanen to the Lakers. It leverages the top-four protected 2027 first round draft pick Los Angeles previously traded to Utah last year.

The Lakers top offseason trade target should be the Utah Jazz’ Lauri Markkanen, whom would immediately and dramatically upgrade our starting lineup and roster to legitimate championship caliber.

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2. DeJounte Murray

Dejounte Murray, SG, 6′ 5″, 180 lbs, 26-years old, 1-yrs @ $17.4M NG
22.5/5.3/6.4 on 18.8/7.1/3.4 shooting 45.9/36.3/79.4% in 35.7 mpg

26-year old combo guard Dejounte Murray should be second on the Lakers’ offseason trade target big board as he is the perfect two-way third star to upgrade the team’s backcourt and complement superstars James and Davis.

While the Lakers had an interest in trading for Dejounte Murray last season, they were unwilling to include draft picks as compensation. In retrospect, Dejounte enjoyed a clutch breakout season with the Hawks.
Murray showcased his two-way skillsets last season, averaging over 20 points, 5 boards, and 5 assists per game while sharing backcourt duties with Young and shooting 36.3% from deep on 7.1 attempts per game.

The pairing of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray has not worked for the Hawks. Recent reports indicate the Hawks are likely to keep Trae Young and their #1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft and trade Dejounte Murray.
That’s great news for the Lakers. Trading for Dejounte, who makes $25.4 million per year, would let them build a deeper, more diverse roster than trading for Trae, whose $43.0 million annual salary would hobble them.

The Lakers know Russell and Reaves are not good enough defensively to succeed as a championship backcourt but both are still valuable rotation players who would be hard to replace. The smarter move is keep both.
If the Lakers can trade for Dejounte Murray, they should pair him with D’Angelo Russell while moving Austin Reaves to the bench. The Lakers would then have the elite volume 3-point shooting backcourt they need.

The Lakers should send Hachimura, Hood-Schifino, unprotected 2031 first round pick, and 2030 first round pick swap to the Hawks for Dejounte Murray to become their third star next to superstars James and Davis.

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3. Jonathan Isaac

Jonathan Isaac, PF, 6′ 10″, 230 lbs, 26-years old, 1-yrs @ $17.4M NG
6.8/4.5/0.5 on 4.9/1.9/1.4 shooting 51.0/37.5/77.1% in 15.8 mpg

26-year old Jonathan Isaac is the ‘wild card’ on the Lakers offseason trade target big board. Unlike Markkanen and Murray, Jonathan Isaac has such a rough injury history he should be easily acquired with the right offer.

While health makes Isaac’s floor dangerously low, Jonathan has such a high ceiling and is such a perfect fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis that the Lakers should seriously consider trading with Orlando to get him.
Isaac is without question the best two-way player of the four candidates. Defensively, he is the closest thing to an Anthony Davis clone you can find. He can protect the rim and defend all five positions at all three levels.

What makes the Boston Celtics so tough is that they have five guys on offense who can shoot the three and five guys on defense who can switch everything. This is the ultimate extension of positionless basketball.
While the Lakers would need assurances from their medical staff that Isaac is fully recovered, he is the kind of young, affordable two-way star who can stretch the floor, protect the rim, and switch out on the perimeter.

Orlando is so stacked with talent that there may no longer be a place for the now healthy and uber talented Jonathan Isaac despite the Magic sticking with him through three complete straight seasons lost to major injuries.
The $17.4 million final year salary of Isaac’s contract is not guaranteed. The Lakers should offer a package of Rui Hachimura and a top-four protected 2029 first round draft pick to the Magic for the 26-year old Jonathan Isaac.

Jonathan Isaac is the ‘wild card’ option among these four young affordable stars who could become superstars on Lakers as he has a lower floor but a higher ceiling and may be more attainable than Markkanen or Murray.

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4. Mikal Bridges

Mikal Bridges, SF, 6′ 6″, 209 lbs, 27-years old, 2-yrs @ $23.3M
19.6/4.5/3.6 on 15.8/7.2/3.9 shooting 43.6/37.2/81.4% in 34.8 mpg

Mikal Bridges is the last and probably the hardest of the four affordable young stars for the Lakers to trade for. Recent rumors indicate that the Nets may prefer to keep Bridges and find a second star to pair with him.

The prototype 3&D wing that every NBA team covets, Bridges will likely draw more interest than even Markannen and Murray and will certainly require multiple picks and swaps for a team to pry him away from Nets.
Bridges is a long shot for the Lakers. His greatest advantage is he is a true small forward, which would mean Anthony Davis would play center while LeBron James would be able to play his preferred power forward position.

The Lakers desperately need a bigger point-of-attack defender who can guard the 6′ 7″ to 6′ 10″ wing scorers every team in the West seems to have. Lakers need to stop trying to defend these scorers with smaller guards.
Lakers fans are tired of watching bigger wing scorers taking smaller Lakers shooting guards into the paint and easily shooting over them with easy midrange jump shots. That’s why the Lakers need somebody like Bridges.

One of the major decisions the Lakers need to make when rebuilding their starting lineup going forward is who plays power forward. If the Lakers opt to start two-bigs, then Davis or the second big will play power forward.
The problem with that scenario is that it forces LeBron James to play small forward, which often involves chasing bigger wing scorers around multiple screens and picks, not what you want your 40-year old superstar doing.

Mikal Bridges would be a great fit as the Lakers starting small forward as he would allow Anthony Davis and LeBron James to play the 5 and 4 though they’re still a longshot to trade for him due to heavy competition.

Despite tormenting moments of sorrow and angst, the Los Angeles Lakers are on the verge of a momentous franchise-defining move as they prepare to hire J.J. Redick to be their head coach of the future and next Pat Riley.

After a dismal season that ended in the Lakers’ disappointing first round ‘gentlemen’s sweep’ by the Nuggets, Jeanie Buss and Rob Pelinka fired Darvin Ham and announced they were looking for their next legacy coach.
Two months earlier, when it was starting to become obvious to everybody that he was not happy with Lakers’ head coach Darvin Ham, LeBron James started a podcast called ‘Mind the Game’ with none other than JJ Redick.

LeBron said he started the podcast with JJ Redick because he was tired of the overdone ‘barbershop debate’ approach to sports shows and wanted to teach the NBA’s fans “what the game of basketball really, truly means.”
The irony that the ‘Mind the Game’ podcasts served to display to the NBA and the Lakers’ front office just how ready JJ Redick was to become a head coach has not been missed. Just a coincidence or LeBron James LeGM?

Brian Windhorst recently said JJ Redick’s podcasts with LeBron James were essentially interviews for the Lakers job as well as a confirmation from the King should the Lakers decide to hire him as their next new head coach.
“They’ve extensively broken down the Lakers’ offense, extensively broken down what they do. It’s been out there for the whole world to hear, including the Lakers’ front office.” No wonder, L.A. zeroed in on Redick.

While LeBron has denied being involved in the Lakers’ decision to hire a new head coach, there’s no question he’s made sure everyone knew he thought JJ was a true basketball savant and potential great head coach.
But to his credit, Bron didn’t hesitate to text Dan Hurley and let him know he was not leaving L.A. and would love to have him as the Lakers’ next head coach. Bron’s likes to exert his influence without picking a favorite.

While the Lakers job scares many, JJ’s embraced the challenge and loves the opportunity to become the team’s next great head coach. Here are five reasons why JJ Redick is the right pick as L.A.’s head coach of the future.

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1. Redick Is Only Candidate With Legacy Potential

Despite being turned down by NCAA championship coach Danny Hurley, the Lakers’ primary goal is still to find the franchise’s next great head coach to build a modern championship identity and culture in the new NBA.

J.J. Redick is the only candidate for the Lakers’ head coach position who possesses the charisma, leadership, and basketball intelligence to become the franchise’s next legacy coach in the mold of Pat Riley or Phil Jackson.
Once Danny Hurley declined their offer, the Lakers immediately turned back to JJ Redick instead of James Borrego or any of the available NBA assistants like the Nuggets’ David Adelman or Timberwolves’ Micah Nori.

Whether you believe he was a gift from the basketball gods or the result of a grand scheme by LeBron James, JJ Redick is the Lakers only candidate who has the star power or basketball mind of a Pat Riley or Phil Jackson.

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2. The NBA Is Undergoing a Changing of the Guard

There’s no question the NBA’s undergoing a changing of the guard where older players, coaches, and teams are being replaced by younger players, coaches, and teams. This is not your father’s or grandfather’s NBA.

The Lakers have prioritized player development as a main focus of their new head coach. Just three years away from playing in the league, JJ has the elite communication skills to get young players to buy into his system.
Hiring a 39-year old recently-retired former player like Redick, who since transformed himself into a respected basketball analyst and podcaster, is a smart and savvy way to connect to the new generation of NBA players.

It helps when you’re from the same generation and speak same language. Building a championship identity and culture starts with hiring a head coach like JJ who can command respect and win the support of the players.

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3. Former Players Have Advantages As Head Coaches

The Lakers dodged a serious bullet when Danny Hurley declined their offer because his having never played or coached in the NBA was likely a greater handicap than JJ Redick’s having never coached other than at youth level.

While having played in the league is not a requirement to become a good or great head coach, there’s no question it’s a clear major advantage JJ Redick has over Danny Hurley, James Borrego, David Adelman, and Micah Nori.
The coaching transition from college to the NBA has proven to be difficult because the players are rich men and not college kids and the transition from assistant to head coach requires a completely different set of talents.

JJ Redick’s experience as an NBA player and analyst/podcaster gives him clear advantages over candidates who never played in the league. Former players are more easily accepted and better understand roster dynamics.

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4. Redick Will Embrace NBA 3-Point Revolution

Hiring a head coach who built his brand as a volume 3-point sniper is the best way to guarantee the Lakers will fully embrace the 3-point revolution that’s transformed how basketball games are played and won in the NBA.

The Lakers ranked 27th out of 30 NBA teams by averaging just 31.4 3-point attempts per game last season. Despite the 8th best average of 37.7%, the Lakers still only finished 24th with only 11.8 made 3-pointers per game.
The teams in the finals — the Celtics and Mavericks — finished 1st and 3rd in made 3-pointers per game with 16.5 and 14.8 respectively, which means they score 14.1 or 9.0 more points per game from deep than the Lakers.

JJ Redick understands that the Lakers need to take between 35 to 40 threes per game to be competitive in the modern NBA. Under Redick, the Lakers will finally run plays and try to add players who can take and make threes.

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5. Redick Is Built For the Bright Lights of L.A.

JJ Redick’s 3-year career as an NBA analyst and professional podcaster makes him uniquely qualified to be deal with the scorching press, media spotlight, and bright lights that come with the Lakers’ head coaching job.

From his role as part of ESPN’s Finals crew to his ‘Mind the Game’ podcasts with LeBron James and his Old Man and the Three podcasts, JJ has shown he has the charisma, quick intelligence, and charm to manage the media.
As we saw with Darvin Ham and previous Lakers coaches, being able to hold your own in post game pressers is critical. The Lakers’ press can smell blood in the water like hungry sharks. Having a media pro like JJ is a plus.

Unlike Danny Hurley, JJ Redick has not wavered in his desire and belief that he can be the Lakers’ next great head coach. Like Kobe said, it takes a certain kind of person to embrace the L.A. experience. JJ is built for L.A.

Looking to upgrade starters and role players rather than chasing a third superstar and realizing teams aren’t valuing picks in this draft, the Lakers would be smart to use the #17 pick to draft a modern two-way center.

The modern two-way center the Lakers need is a big man who can be a difference maker at both ends of the court, who can score, defend, and rebound the basketball outside the arc, in the paint, and at the rim.
Anybody watching the NBA playoffs knows that today’s NBA prototype big is a tall, long, and fast player whose size, length, speed, and athleticism bullies opposing players and shrinks the size of the basketball court.

While the 2024 NBA draft is considered to be one of the weakest in years, it ironically is stocked with four big men projected to be drafted between #12 and #25 who would be great fits as modern two-way centers for the Lakers.
With a draft day deal to trade for a third superstar looking unlikely, the Lakers should view the #17 pick in the draft as a unique opportunity to fill one of three main needs by drafting a young modern two-way center.

The Dallas Mavericks are in the NBA Finals partly due to their decision to tank last summer so they could draft 7-foot rookie center sensation Dereck Lively, who started and was selected to second-team All-NBA Rookie Team.
The Lakers have hopefully learned they need to spend resources to find quality backup for superstar Anthony Davis, both to limit AD’s wear-and-tear and minutes as well as provide insurance against any possible injury.

This is the second straight season the Lakers had the #17 pick in the draft. Last season, they chose guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, passing on better prospects like Jaime Jaquez, Brandin Podziemski, and Cam Whitmore.
Hood-Schifino was a disappointment as the #17 pick in the draft, which has historically included quality NBA star players like Donte DiVincenzo, Jrue Holiday, Trey Murphy III, Dennis Schroder, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

Since there also aren’t any obvious affordable modern center solutions in free agency, the chance to add the 17th best player in even this draft to fill a position of exceptional need is an opportunity the Lakers cannot let pass.
Unless a superstar suddenly appears on the market and demands to be traded to L.A., the Lakers best option will be to upgrade the starters next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis with an elite modern two-way center.

Here are four elite modern two-way center prospects who would be great fits on the Lakers either starting alongside Anthony Davis in a two-bigs lineup and/or coming off the bench to back up AD when he needs rest.

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1. DaRon Holmes

DaRon Holmes, 6′ 10″ w 7′ 1″ wingspan, 235 lbs, 21-yrs old
20.4/8.5/2.6/2.1/0.9 while shooting 54.4/38.6/671.3%

NBA Comparison: NAZ REID

DaRon Holmes fits the rangy, long, athletic big man mold that’s sweeping the league these playoffs and is especially intriguing right now because of rumors he’s been promised a first round pick by an unknown NBA team.

Holmes has been rising on many mock draft boards with comparisons to Naz Reid as a mobile big who can score and defend at all three levels. DaRon’s an explosive leaper and elite shot blocker who’s quick off his feet.
His 3-point shooting took a huge leap from his first two years which is worrisome since his free throw shooting did not. The other concern about Holmes is the mediocre level of competition he faced playing at Dayton.

Holmes may be the smartest of the four modern center prospects. He’s got a great engine, great hands, always hustles, always makes the right play. There are several drafts that have him being drafted before the other three.
Holmes’ big strength may be his switchability. Of the four centers, he is the best at switching out and defending smaller players on the perimeter. That’s something that sets him apart defensively from the other candidates.

DaRon Holmes may be relatively unknown but could end up being the best of the four modern two-way center candidates the Lakers are considering because of his explosive leaping, elite athleticism, and high basketball IQ.

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2. Kel’el Ware

Kel’el Ware, 7′ 0″ w 7′ 4″ wingspan, 242 lbs, 20-yrs old
15.9/9.9/1.5/1.9/0.6 while shooting 58.6/42.5/63.4%

NBA Comparison: MYLES TURNER

Kel’el Ware could be the perfect modern two-way center for the Lakers as he has the raw physical skills of Myles Turner, a player L.A. has almost traded for several times and who’s the prototype modern two-way center.

Ware’s not the finished product but he’s got freakish athletic potential that gives him a giant upside. He’s going to take longer to develop but could easily have a higher ceiling as a player than the other three older centers.
Ware will need consistent team patience and good player development coaching to reach his potential but he’s already shown the best 3-point shooting stats of the four candidates, although on a small sample size.

Predicting where these four candidates are going to actually be drafted is more of an art than science. There are mock drafts favoring each center. The Ringer’s mock draft, for example, has Ware going as the 17th pick.
But there are reputable mock drafts that have Filipowski going first among the four and other drafts where it’s Edey, Ware, or Holmes going first. There are no drafts were all four of these centers are gone by #17.

If DaRon Holmes isn’t available, the Lakers should not have any qualms turning to Kel’el Ware as he could easily turn out to be the best of the four modern two-way center candidates being considered in the long run.

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3. Kyle Filipowski

Kyle Filipowski, 7′ 0″ w 6′ 10″ wingspan, 248 lbs, 20-yrs old
16.4/8.3/2.8/1.5/1.1 while shooting 50.3/34.8/64.1%

NBA Comparison: KELLY OLYNYK

Kyle Filipowski could be the best fit of the candidates for a modern two-way center because of his proven ability to stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting, protect the rim with shot blocking, and make plays for others.

Filipowski has everything the Lakers want from an immediate backup center or from a potential starter to play alongside Anthony Davis. Kyle has all the legitimate modern two-way center skills the Lakers have coveted.
Of the four modern center candidates, Filipowski is the most versatile. Besides excellent 3-point shooting and solid rim protection, he’s the best playmaker of the group and is capable of playing the point center role.

The Lakers are rightfully focused on optimizing Anthony Davis as the face and future of the franchise. Kyle Filipowski is clearly an excellent fit as a modern two-way center who can both complement and enhance AD.
It’s no secret that Anthony Davis prefers to play the four rather than the five, that the Lakers are a better when playing two bigs, or that the league is transitioning to a bigger, longer, and more physical version of basketball.

If DaRon Holmes and Kel’el Ware are not available, the Lakers should pick Kyle Filipowski at #17 because he’s the most ready, polished, versatile, and well-rounded of the four center candidates and great fit for Anthony Davis.

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4. Zach Edey

Zach Edey, 7′ 4″ w 7′ 10″ wingspan, 300 lbs, 22-yrs old
25.2/12.2/2.0/2.2/0.3 while shooting 62.3/50.0/71.1%

NBA Comparison: BROOK LOPEZ

Choosing Zach Edey with their #17 pick would be a high-risk-high-reward move by the Lakers due to questions about his ability to defend in space and not be played off the floor by teams targeting him in pick-and-rolls.

On the positive side, however, Edey’s elite size, length, and physicality could be difference-makers as few teams have personnel to defend a player of his stature. He can almost dunk and block shots standing flat footed.
The biggest issue about Edey is teams will game plan how to force him off the court. The NBA trend today is the now possible dream of a positionless fivesome of tall, long, fast, and athletic players who can switch everything.

While Edey only made one out of two attempted 3-point shots last season, he did shoot 71.1% on an of 11.2 free throw attempts per game and showed promising ability to stretch the court with threes at the draft combine.
His ability to draw fouls and make 8 free throws per game also fits perfectly into the Lakers overall game strategy. They want to dominate points-in-the-paint and free-throws-made and Zach Edey fits that strategy perfectly.

If the win-now Lakers want to double down on size and length at both ends of the court, then they could draft 7′ 4″ center Zach Edey with the #17 pick to rack up points in the paint and protect the rim as their backup center.