​PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 06: Head coach JJ Redick of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks with media prior to the game against the Phoenix Suns at Acrisure Arena on October 06, 2024 in Palm Springs, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) GettyPORTLAND, OREGON – DECEMBER 06: Walker Kessler #24 of the Utah Jazz dunks against Dalano Banton #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half at Moda Center on December 06, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) GettyIt is true that no one can dislike good-ol’ Loon. He remains an elite rebounder and a top-of-the-line screen-setter (beware, you small guards out there!), but is Kevon Looney actually what the Los Angeles Lakers need at backup center?Funny enough, the Lakers’ biggest move of the offseason was the addition of rising star big man Walker Kessler. Yet here we are, less than a month away from the regular season, and arguably the Lakers’ biggest need is at the center position. Still, that is not to underestimate just how significant a move the sign-and-trade for Kessler was.“We should first acknowledge the danger of not making this move. Let’s say the Lakers settled on a shorter-term solution at the position,” The Athletic’s Dan Woike wrote. “That could have sent a message to Dončić that his priority didn’t align with the team’s. That even if the center market wasn’t great. That Dončić would need to wait longer for a real answer that might not ever come. That stuff is all true.”Lakers Nation is Hyped to Watch Kessler, But He Has Little BackupGettyPORTLAND, OREGON – DECEMBER 06: Walker Kessler #24 of the Utah Jazz dunks against Dalano Banton #5 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the first half at Moda Center on December 06, 2024 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
If Looney was the Lakers’ third-string center, some might have argued that the Lakers have the best frontcourt depth in the NBA. Instead, L.A. sits here with just one big man who can play big minutes … and the season starts in what, less than four weeks now? Not only is Looney not a player the Lakers can bank on to back up Kessler, but they need to pull the trigger on another move, argues Lake Show Life’s Tyler Watts.“The Lakers signed Loon to a one-year veteran minimum contract in free agency,” Watts wrote. “They needed a reserve big man, but the 30-year-old isn’t the answer.He averaged 2.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 14.7 minutes per game last season for the Pelicans. New Orleans wasn’t contending as Looney struggled to stay in the