The Los Angeles Lakers were oh-so-desperate for a center this past offseason that they were happy to get just about anybody to fill minutes at the five. However, after just one game, it is already evident that Deandre Ayton isn't the best fit, and there is still no depth at the pivot spot.
The Lakers lost their opening game against the Golden State Warriors despite Luka Doncic having a game for the ages. The Slovenian superstar scored 43 points, added 12 rebounds, and was only one assist shy of securing a triple-double. Outside of Austin Reaves, Doncic had very little help, and the flaws that were evident against Golden State could plague the Lakers all season long.
The Lakers have a center problem
The Lakers traded for Doncic in one of the most shocking deals ever last season. The move was widely regarded as a massive fleece in the Lakers' favor, but without Anthony Davis, the team has had nobody worth trotting out at the center position. Jaxson Hayes was used late last season, but the Lakers were also forced to play non-centers like Rui Hachimura and LeBron James at the five.
That made adding a center in the offseason the biggest priority, but there weren't many on the open market. The Lakers were able to sign Ayton after the Portland Trail Blazers bought the former first overall pick out of his contract. At the time, it appeared that the Trail Blazers were just creating space because they had a logjam at center. First-rounders Donovan Clingan and Hang Yansen need center minutes, as do Duop Reath and Robert Williams.
However, it is quickly becoming apparent that the Trail Blazers were onto something, and the reasons as to why Ayton busted out of both Phoenix and Portland are clear. Against the Warriors, Ayton only scored 10 points and secured six rebounds, despite seeing over 33 minutes of court time. He was manhandled by the much shorter Draymond Green.
Considering the Warriors' small-ball lineup was successful against Ayton, he may really struggle against true bigs. Ayton refused to post up, and when he did, Green's strength bothered him. Ayton had numerous baby hooks that weren't close to going in.
The Arizona product also didn't look like an ideal fit with Doncic because it was evident that he isn't much of a lob threat. With the Dallas Mavericks, Doncic found tons of success throwing alley-oops to Dereck Lively, Daniel Gafford, and others, but that isn't Ayton's game. James likes to feed his centers in a similar way, too, so things might not improve upon his return from injury.
Hayes and Christian Koloko are the only other true centers on the Lakers' roster, and neither of them has gained JJ Redick's trust. That means that the Lakers' center problem that haunted them last year and prevented them from making a deep playoff run will still be an issue this season. Unless the Lakers can somehow add another center to the roster, they may be wasting the James-Doncic duo that has the potential to be so special.
