LA is apparently on the hunt to shore up its frontcourt.
It appears DeMarcus Cousins isn’t the only veteran big man being considered for a roster spot by your Los Angeles Lakers.
Marc Stein reports that Los Angeles took a look at longtime Charlotte Hornets center Cody Zeller while in Charlotte for an eventual 121-115 Lakers win, powered by a Herculean effort from All-Star forward LeBron James (43 points, 11 rebounds, six assists).
The 6’11” center was drafted by the then-Charlotte Bobcats with the fourth pick (!) out of Indiana University in 2013. That was a mistake from team president Rich Cho, considering some of the talent left on the board, though it was a bit of a thin draft. The two best players, perennial MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo (the 15th draft pick) and perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate Rudy Gobert (the 27th draft pick), were selected beyond the lottery, so they flew a bit under the radar.
That said, the lottery wasn’t bereft of talent beyond Zeller: New Orleans Pelicans star point guard CJ McCollum (who really should have been named an All-Star by now), future 2020 Lakers champ Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Steven Adams, and Utah Jazz 3-and-D center Kelly Olynyk were all still available.
Zeller, who’s only 30 despite looking 45, has played eight of his nine NBA seasons with the Bobcats/Hornets, but spent the 2021-22 season as a reserve with the Portland Trail Blazers. Through 494 NBA contests (including 273 starts), Zeller holds averages of 8.5 points on 52% shooting, six rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocks a night.
Looking at LA’s roster, Zeller (or Cousins) is probably being considered as the team’s fourth center, behind Anthony Davis (when healthy), Thomas Bryant, and power forward/center Wenyen Gabriel, but ahead of Damian Jones, who seems most likely to be waived to clear space should Los Angeles sign someone new.
