LeBron James sidesteps question about Lakers playing without a center, getting exposed by Timberwolves

The Los Angeles Lakers season is over after a gentleman’s sweep in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves finished off the Lakers on Wednesday night with a 103-96 win in Game 5, where big man Rudy Gobert was the star of the show for Minnesota. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year winner finished with a career-high 27 points to go along with 24 rebounds and two blocks. While a tip of the cap should be given to Gobert for his efforts, it also highlighted a glaring weakness for the Lakers.

For the entire game, the Lakers did not play with a traditional center on the floor. Jaxon Hayes, who started in each of L.A.’s first four playoff games against the Wolves, didn’t see a single second of playing time in Game 5. Alex Len played a total of 3 minutes and 40 seconds over the entire series, with his last appearance coming in Game 3. Len and Hayes were basically deemed unplayable by Lakers coach JJ Redick, and for good reason. Hayes provided no rim protection while on the floor and doesn’t offer enough offense to warrant his presence there. Len even less so. So Redick had no choice but to play Game 5 without a center, and the Timberwolves capitalized on it.

Rudy Gobert silences doubters, saves Timberwolves on historically bad shooting night to eliminate Lakers

Colin Ward-Henninger

It went about as well as anyone could’ve expected, which was incredibly poorly. Minnesota outrebounded the Lakers 54-37 and had a plus-16 advantage in points in the paint. After the game, LeBron James, who at 6-foot-9, was the biggest player on the floor for the Lakers for the entirety of Game 5, was asked about L.A. playing centerless not just against the Wolves, but throughout the whole season.

“No comment,” James said with a smile. “I never say that, but my guy [Anthony Davis] said what he needed and he was gone the following week. I got no comment. I put that uniform on every night, give everything I have and that’s all that matters.”

James was smiling and laughing when he said it, but he was referencing a comment Davis made in late January, when Davis said the Lakers needed another big man so he could return to playing power forward. Just a week later, after making that comment publicly, Davis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Luka Doncic. Funnily enough, Davis got sent to Dallas, where the Mavs employ two solid starter-quality centers in Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford.

The Lakers got Dončić, a top-five talent in the league, but sacrificed an All-Defensive-level player in Davis, who is capable of playing center when needed. Once that trade was made, L.A. knew it would have to improvise for the rest of the season at the center position, and in the regular season, it didn’t matter much. But when matched up against a team like the Wolves, which features Gobert, it was always going to be a problem, one that the Lakers had no answer for.

Fortunately, while the Lakers’ season is over, the trade to acquire Dončić was never about the short-term success. Having a 26-year-old talent like him ensures the Lakers will be competitive for at least the next five and perhaps even 10 years if they build around him correctly. But the first order of business this offseason will be to get a quality big man who can protect the rim and thrive in pick-and-roll situations. Perhaps Rob Pelinka, who the Lakers just promoted to president of basketball operations, could go back to the well with the Mavericks and convince Nico Harrison to part with Gafford or Lively, though that’s probably unlikely now. There will be other big men available for the Lakers to try to acquire either through trade or in free agency; it’s just a matter of what the asking price is. 

The Lakers had their weaknesses exposed against the Timberwolves, but now they know what needs to be addressed to come back stronger next season.