The LA Lakers still have a gaping hole at the center position that they hope to address in the offseason.
They do have the no.2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft but there are no centers projected in the top 5. Thus, the Lakers will just have to strike on free agency with Hassan Whiteside, Al Horford, Joakim Noah or Bismack Biyombo as possible targets.
It doesn't matter if they strike out, they already have the small-ball specialist (at least for the first half of the season) in their incoming head coach Luke Walton.
Not so fast! In a Sunday Shootaround feature from Paul Flannery at SB Nation, Walton himself cast doubt on whether the Warriors small-ball would work with the Lakers right away.
While the Golden State Warriors have had the most success with their "death lineup" which has Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green as an undersized center, it's not something that can easily be imitated by other teams. Green is the big difference as he is able to guard the opposing team's big man and Walton acknowledges that.
"It's really physically draining to guard bigger people," Luke Walton said, as an assistant to the Warriors. "If it's a true center we don't want to do it for too long because Draymond's already playing 40 minutes as it is. If we have him wrestling with someone bigger than he is for a lot of the time we're wearing him down too much. We know how potent our small lineup is, but we try to use it in spurts to take advantage of them."
This is why the Warriors can't field the death lineup for extended periods. And this is why the Lakers cannot have its own version-yet. There could be some players who would develop into that role, like Julius Randle.
Until then, the Lakers need to get themselves a rim protector and they are also looking at possible options at the draft. Kentucky standout and former candidate for first overall pick Skal Labissiere was reported to have a workout with the team as Silver Screen and Roll reports.
Labissiere is definitely not in play for the 2nd overall pick and is unlikely to be available for no.32. This could spark some trade speculation, but working out players even outside a team's draft range is common practice (besides, "draft range" is not easily determined).
While it could be nothing but the team exercising its due diligence, the fit has aroused some curiosity among Laker fans.