The Lakers’ deficiencies on the wing were well-documented heading into the season, but an underlooked aspect of the roster was how light they were on frontcourt players period.
Thomas Bryant missing the first month of the season compounds that, but the Lakers are really struggling to find big bodies to put on the court. Damian Jones has been ill-equipped to handle even backup center minutes. Wenyen Gabriel was in the G League at this point last year; as important as his energy has been for the Lakers, he’s still someone who has averaged about 11 minutes per game in his NBA career and who’s trying to do center things in a 6’9 body.