There's one way the Los Angeles Lakers could solve their continuous issues in the frontcourt.
If the Los Angeles Lakers are serious about solving their frontcourt issues, Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez could become a viable trade target for general manager Rob Pelinka. The acquisition would make sense since Lopez is set to become a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the season and it wouldn't present the team with much risk moving forward. If nothing else, Los Angeles could view Lopez as nothing more than a rental for the rest of the season.
At 36 years old and entering the twilight years of his career now, Lopez could very well be that missing piece the team needs to get back in contention for the Western Conference crown. Lopez would bring stability to the center position either serving as a backup to Anthony Davis or he could be inserted next to him in the starting lineup at center and allowing Davis to play his more natural position at power forward.
Why the Los Angeles Lakers may need Brook Lopez
The Lakers also have Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt on the roster who the organization had hoped would be healthy enough early on to contribute in the frontcourt but both players are still out with injuries. Jaxson Hayes is also currently sidelined with a right ankle sprain and is expected to be out for at least a few weeks which already compounds the problem of the lack of depth at the center position.
Hayes's production wasn't quite enough to offset the effect Davis has when he goes to the bench as he only averages a mediocre 6.4 points per game to go along with 4.5 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per contest. With the injury to Hayes, Koloko has seen a slight uptick in minutes during the Lakers' past few games but the team could use more help at the position as they have been decimated by injuries.
Lopez played in 74 games as a member of the Lakers during the 2017-18 season as a starter and averaged 13 points and four rebounds in 23 minutes per game which happened to be his second lowest minutes average of his entire career. In the perfect scenario, Lopez can come in and help supplement the position while Wood, Vanderbilt, and Hayes continue to heal. If he can come in and help the team weather the storm, play meaningful minutes with efficiency, and continue to contribute like has done for the Bucks over the past few seasons, the Lakers could find themselves in a prime position for a deep run in the postseason.
Lopez is currently averaging 11.2 points and 5 rebounds per game on 46.6 percent from the field and those numbers are not that far off from his career averages of 16 points and 6.2 rebounds. More rebounding would be desired from a 7-footer which is what the Lakers desperately need as they rank 27th in the league.
The area of struggle where Lopez would be able to provide help immediately is protecting the rim as he is currently 3rd in blocks per game averaging 2.4. He still excels at defending the paint and is capable of knocking down threes. Lopez is also a great teammate and a solid veteran presence with championship experience and his addition to the Lakers roster would be a plus.
Lopez is an older player and the Lakers would have to sacrifice speed on the perimeter whenever he is on the floor as he often struggles to stay in front of quicker guards, but the other intangibles he brings should make up for it as Lopez will always hustle, dive for loose balls, willingly take charges and will do whatever it takes to win in whatever role he is assigned.