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Do the Lakers Really Have a Center Problem?

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It's been a heavy Lakers talking point since the failed Mark Williams trade:Do the Lakers Really Have a Center Problem? by @manastheman #LakeShow | @TheLeadSM https://t.co/7LbCCO7Bax— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) February 14, 2025

The Lakers Might Not Need A Center At All

The good news is the Lakers have been absolutely killing it without an elite center.

Over the past ten games, the Lakers have had the fifth-best defensive rating in the NBA. That’s without Anthony Davis and young stud Max Christie.

JJ Redick’s small-ball looks have been exceptionally effective against some of the best teams in the league. The Lakers held the Knicks to a 35% three-point percentage in the Garden. They followed that up with a beatdown of Kawhi and the Clippers, holding them to just 97 points. In their first game with Luka Doncic, they held the Jazz to just 30% from beyond the arc while forcing 19 turnovers.

The blueprint for success in that game against Utah on Feb. 10 was clear. The five-man lineup of LeBron, Luka, Austin Reaves, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Rui Hachimura had a door-busting offensive rating of 147.1 and a historically legendary defensive rating of 88.9.

There will undoubtedly be some serious issues when the Lakers fly to Colorado to play Nikola Jokic.

But one thing is clear: the future is brighter than it has ever been in LA, with or without a center.