The Los Angeles Lakers are back with their sights set on moving up to the top of the NBA mountain now that LeBron James is in the picture. There are plenty of new faces, including veterans like JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Michael Beasley, and Lance Stephenson.
But will this be enough to push the Lakers back into contention? The Lakers have their deepest roster in years, however, they are dangerously thin at the center position.
On this episode of the Lakers Nation News Feed, Trevor Lane takes a look at whether Los Angeles should attempt to address their biggest weakness by signing veteran big man Joakim Noah, who was recently released by the New York Knicks.
For the time being, the Lakers’ center rotation consists of McGee, Ivica Zubac, and rookie Moritz Wagner. While McGee has been impressive in preseason, he hasn’t logged major minutes over the last five years of his career.
Counting on him to play full-time starters minutes may be a risky proposition.
Zubac, on the other hand, is hoping to have a bounce-back campaign after a disappointing sophomore season last year. He has a soft touch around the rim and the ability to block shots, but if he can’t get his game back on track then he won’t merit minutes.
Wagner shows promise with his ability to stretch the floor but he is currently recovering from injury and will need some time to get back up to speed.
Thus, the Lakers could use another presence in the paint, and Noah, in his prime, could do the things the Lakers need: defend and rebound.
Now 33, it’s unlikely that Noah would be able to play major minutes and there are serious questions regarding his declining skills, but on a veteran minimum deal he would certainly be worth a look to see if he has anything left in the tank.
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