The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the best performers in the recent NBA offseason. They have been simply terrific. What the Lakers have been able to do really well is keeping the core together. Moreover, after what happened last season, the front office was sure that this core group of players could win them the title in the future. However, the previous season did not end in the way the team hoped for. Hence, they needed the offseason to go according to plans. Moreover, the front office was able to retain three essential players – Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell, and Rui Hachimura.
On top of that, Rob Pelinka and Co extended the contract of Anthony Davis to more than three years. However, the Lakers must make sure that AD stays healthy as long as possible. From the 2020-21 season, AD has not been able to play more than 65 games. That’s why the Lakers have been trying to acquire a strong big man as a center for their 14th spot on the roster who can take some load off the eight-time All-Star. There have been many options available for the Lakers, like Christian Wood or Bismack Biyombo, and so on. What if the LA side brings back JaVale McGee?
Is JaVale McGee A Good Option For The Lakers?
On Tuesday, a piece of news came out that the Dallas Mavericks may waive McGee, which will make him a free agent. With seven feet tall and weighing 270 pounds, McGee can box pretty well with star players like Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. When he was part of the Lakers, JaVale McGee was a lob threat; for easy transitions, he used to run on the floor easily and was able to protect the rim. That’s what the Lakers are looking for in a center. Adding to that, McGee played for the Lakers a few years ago.
Hence, it won’t take much time for him to settle down. But the disadvantages are that he is not very good at three-point shooting and he is 35 years old. Moreover, he played an average of 8.5 minutes per game last season. It was a career-low game time for McGee. Everybody knows that if Anthony Davis stays healthy, he can be among the best players in the league. But he is very injury-prone as he has not been able to play more than 75 games in his career. AD would need a center alongside him like McGee.
A Brief Lookback To The Incredible Comeback Last Season
But a lot of positives can come out from a detailed analysis of what happened last season. After the first fourteen games, the 17-time champions won only two games last season. Moreover, key players kept suffering from injuries. On top of that, there was no balance on the side. The front office had to make a serious decision to let Russell Westbrook go. There was a chance that this decision could have backfired.
But what happened after the mid-season trades is an epic tale of the fightback of the iconic Lakers franchise. Nobody gave them a chance to make the postseason. However, they did the unthinkable with a new roster that Anthony Davis led pretty well. Moreover, after LeBron James came back out of injury, the LA side looked strong enough to win the whole thing. On the other hand, the Lakers shocked everybody to reach the Western Conference Finals. But they could not reach the NBA Finals.
