Lakers Know Kevon Looney Is Not Backup Center Solution

The Los Angeles Lakers swapped out their two centers from last season — Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes — for Walker Kessler and Kevon Looney. Kessler was the premier offseason acquisition by L.A., landing him on a four-year, $130 million deal in a sign-and-trade with the Utah Jazz. Looney was one of the best remaining backup bigs on the market that would take a minimum contract.

However, it has become clear through the first few weeks of the regular season that the Lakers cannot turn to Looney for any real minutes. He hasn’t played more than five minutes in a game since the season opener, and has been a DNP-Coach’s Decision in seven of the last nine games. According to Dan Woike of the Athletic, L.A. knows they’ll need another backup at some point.

The Lakers have already decided that Kevon Looney isn’t a workable backup center, and they have limited trade assets to address that (at a time when supply for backup centers is low and demand around the league outside of the Lakers is high).

The Lakers could have kept Ayton on the roster as a backup, but chose to trade him to the Washington Wizards for Jaden Hardy and two second-round picks. While that move has been criticized, it’s very possible that Ayton would not have wanted to play a low-minute backup role, and the two second-rounders would be more valuable long-term.

Now, they’ll likely need to use those picks to get a replacement for Looney, as the team hugely struggles defensively when Kessler is off the floor. It’s unlikely a trade will materialize any time soon, as trades at this part of the season are relatively rare outside of true desperation. But at some point, a backup big will need to be addressed.

Lakers’ Walker Kessler wants to improve as decision-maker

The Lakers’ backup center situation is a flaw for the team, but they have their starting center locked down with Kessler. The early returns are that he has been worth every penny they spent to get him, but he’ll admit he’s not a finished product as a player.

His biggest area of emphasis is improving as a decision-maker with the ball in his hands.

“I gotta do a lot better job I can tell you that,” Kessler said on Spectrum SportsNet after the Lakers’ victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. “I’m getting the ball stripped from me too much when I hold the ball low. There’s a lot of factors, but yeah, I gotta do a better job of that. But yeah, it’s kind of a game feel. If you feel like you can go up with it depending on who’s around you, if you pass it out. It just kinda depends.”