The Los Angeles Lakers will need to improve their defense this offseason, and one of the easiest ways to do so is by adding a competent center.
If the Lakers want to be a better team than they were last year, it'll require them to improve their defense under the basket.
Milwaukee Bucks free agent Brook Lopez could be that guy, and Bleacher Report thinks so, too. They added that the Lakers need a center, and bringing back Lopez to Los Angeles could be something that intrigues them.
“The Lakers, as you may have a heard, need to add a center this summer. While they're most often connected to the rim-running types who could feast on lob passes from Luka Dončić, they could also see value in opening up the offensive end by bringing the sweet-shooting Lopez back to Hollywood.
“What they'd probably like even more from the one-time Laker is his ability to clean up mistakes on the defense's back line. Assuming L.A. keeps Austin Reaves around, it figures to have more than its share of defensive breakdowns in the backcourt,” they wrote.
If the Lakers can't find a younger, athletic center, Lopez wouldn't be a bad option to pursue. However, it's also important to note that the Lakers' defense wasn't great with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves on the court together last season.
Adding a slower Lopez would be a pick-and-roll nightmare for the Lakers. Teams would put him and Reaves or Doncic in action, and if the Bucks learned anything, it was that Lopez doesn't perform well when he has to move away from the paint.
That doesn't mean things can't work out in Los Angeles, but the fit might not be as clean as it seems.