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The Los Angeles Lakers decided that the risk that came with acquiring Luka Doncic in a trade was minimal compared to the reward. But while the Lakers should still be lauded as the runaway winner of that trade, that deal still did cost them Anthony Davis, a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate and the only legitimate rim protector that they had on the roster. Davis' departure forced the Lakers to go small, and in turn, the Minnesota Timberwolves exposed them in their first-round series en route to a five-game playoff exit for the Purple and Gold.
The Timberwolves mauled the Lakers on the glass on Wednesday night, with Rudy Gobert turning in a performance of a lifetime with a 27-point, 24-rebound beatdown of LA on their homecourt. It's safe to say that going small did not work for this particular iteration of the Lakers, and LeBron James, who had to act as the team's de facto rim protector, could only resort to a humorous reaction following their failure to address the center position — even referencing Davis' requests to play alongside a true center that were seemingly shut down at every turn.
“No comment. My guy AD said what he needed, and then he was gone the following week, so I got no comment,” James said with a laugh during his postgame presser, via the official ClutchPoints account on X (formerly Twitter). “I put that uniform on every night, I give everything I have, and that's all that matters.”
"No comment. My guy AD said what he needed, and then he was gone the following week."
LeBron James on the Lakers playing with no center since the Luka Doncic 👀
pic.twitter.com/Ph3Vt2LwNV— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) May 1, 2025
But even with James or even Luka Doncic for that matter, not requesting for the team to acquire a center via trade, the Lakers front office has to know that this should be their first order of business this summer after the Timberwolves managed to overcome a putrid shooting night to win an elimination game on the road thanks to their dominance on the glass.
Lakers learned the hard way that size matters
Skill has been prioritized over size in today's NBA, but that doesn't mean that size no longer matters. The Lakers learned the hard way that getting pounded on the boards is not a very good way to bow out of the playoffs, and they must rectify that situation by acquiring a big man who can bang with the best of them.
Rob Pelinka may have earned himself some very nice job security with the Luka Doncic trade, but he should get to working the phone with the goal of acquiring a game-changing presence at center as soon as possible.
