The Los Angeles Lakers have a glaring weakness that has been biting them all season.
For the entire NBA season, trade rumors have hinted at the Los Angeles Lakers wanting to add more size. They have been linked to Walker Kessler, Jakob Poeltl, Jonas Valanciunas, and others in their search to add a solid backup behind Anthony Davis.
So far, the only trade they have made this season was adding Dorian Finney-Smith, and the Lakers are 2-4 since trading for him.
When Davis is on the court, the Lakers have one of the best paint presences in the league on both sides of the court, but concerns about their depth have been raised ahead of a playoff run.
Rui Hachimura must make use of his size
By just watching the Lakers play, it’s clear that they have a rebounding issue. They rarely get any second-chance looks, and LeBron James, one of the best open-court players in the league, even at 40 years old, often has to crash the glass and slow down a would-be fast break.
“Our real problem is we have no size outside of ‘Bron and AD,” said Gilbert Arenas on his self-titled podcast, before blaming one key player for rebounding woes.
“Our real problem with rebounding is I don’t think Rui Hachimura knows he’s a power forward. I don’t think he thinks he’s a power forward.”
Of the Lakers’ six bench players who play more than 10 minutes per game, Jaxson Hayes is the only player taller than 6-foot-8.
Hachimura, who is a starter for now, grabs the third-most rebounds of anyone on the team per game, but is seventh per 38 minutes, with James grabbing two more boards than him per 36.
Arenas said he believes Hachimura can and should do more, and put the team on his back.
“Bron’s 40. Rui, go get that [rebound]. You are supposed to be the dude that ‘go get that’.
“Our forwards are not attacking the glass if AD is out. Our bench is guards.”
Stats back up Arenas
This season, the Lakers rank 28th in rebounds per game, ahead of only the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets. However, per 100 possessions, their starters are the seventh-best rebounding unit in the league. Their bench, meanwhile, is dead last, and it isn’t particularly close.
Thanks to the lack of rebounding, the Lakers score only 12.5 second-chance points a game, which is near the bottom of the league. When they do manage to get a defensive rebound, James’ passing chops make starting a fast break easier, indicated by their above-average mark of 15.5 fast-break points a game.
Granted, injuries to backup big men Hayes, Christian Wood, Christian Koloko, and Jarred Vanderbilt have slowed down their efforts on the glass. In an ideal, healthy world, the Lakers would already have depth behind Davis, but unless they get healthy quickly, the Lakers will be buyers ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.
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