The Los Angeles Lakers are on one of their many downswings at the moment, but they are still 20-17 and solidly in seventh place in the Western Conference as the season nears its halfway point.
The Lakers have lost three games in a row now after a stretch of great play put them well above the .500 mark, and now it's that time of year where teams like Los Angeles try to make marginal improvements that can put it over the top. JJ Redick and company made one of those key moves on Wednesday when they brought in former Pelicans center Trey Jemison to a two-way deal, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.
The Lakers made room for Jemison on Wednesday when they cut guard Quincy Olivari. Jemison will likely split time between the Lakers and their G-League affiliate, and it remains to be seen if he will have an impactful role on the team this season as they make a playoff push.
The debate around whether the Lakers should go bigger and add a consistent center to the roster has been a loud one in recent years. Of course, the Lakers won an NBA Championship in 2020 while playing a massive lineup with LeBron James at the three, Anthony Davis at the four and either Dwight Howard or JaVale McGee at the five. Since then, the Lakers have been starting Davis at center and haven't experienced quite the same results.
Davis has said before that he likes playing the four over playing the five, but that hasn't stopped him from having an excellent season so far that will earn him serious consideration for First Team All-NBA if he keeps it up. So far this year, Davis is averaging 25.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game while being clearly the Lakers' best player on both ends of the court. LeBron James has been very inconsistent this season, and while he can still play at an elite level at times, Davis is the most consistent star on this Lakers roster.
Maybe the plan is for the Lakers to start mixing in more two-big lineups, and maybe Trey Jemison can work his way into the rotation as one of those complementary bigs. Regardless, he adds good depth for Redick and the Lakers in the front court.