The Los Angeles Lakers have won their first two games of the 2026-27 NBA season.
The Lakers dominated the Golden State Warriors in their season opener, 127-105.
They followed it up with a hard-fought 125-117 win over the LA Clippers on Friday.
However, the Lakers appear to have an early problem with their backup center position, currently occupied by veteran big man Kevon Looney.
Lakers’ Kevon Looney Called “Glaring Hole” in JJ Redick’s Rotation
On a recent episode of the Buha’s Block podcast, Los Angeles Lakers insider Jovan Buha was critical of the team’s backup center situation.
Buha argued that Looney is not the answer if the Lakers want to be considered a legitimate contender in the Western Conference.
“The Looney minutes, to me, he’s just not a rotation player against, like, competent playoff-level basketball teams,” Buha said via BasketNews. “He’s too slow-footed defensively. He does not have the foot speed to defend the pick-and-roll. He does not have the foot speed to make multiple rotations.”
Buha also mentioned Looney’s offensive limitations.
“It’s like, Kevon Looney’s almost like a turtle out there, just how slow he is moving offensively,” he continued. “And, like, just the timing isn’t right with those two, and he’s just not a threat out there offensively. The Lakers still have this glaring hole at the backup five.”
In his first two games in a Lakers uniform, Looney is averaging 3.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 9.5 minutes per game.
Sandro Mamukelashvili seems to be a better option, but he offers more offensively as a stretch man.
Buha also offered a couple of options for the Lakers: Moussa Cisse of the Dallas Mavericks and Jericho Sims of the Milwaukee Bucks.
JJ Redick on Kevon Looney’s Role
If the Los Angeles Lakers make a move for a better backup center later in the season, coach JJ Redick has an important role for Kevon Looney.
Speaking to The New York Post, Redick explained how important Looney is to what they are trying to build in Los Angeles.
“Really just have admired him as a competitor, teammate, high IQ player for a number of years, played against him, covered him, coached against him,” Redick said. “Great locker room guy. Felt like he could help us in a number of ways, and he’s done that, he’s been that.
“Understanding what we’re trying to do and then going out and executing it,” the coach added. “A big part for him on this team is going to be his willingness to build relationships with these young guys.”
Looney has plenty of championship experience, winning three NBA titles with the Golden State Warriors.
And at the age of 30, Looney could be one of the locker room leaders for the Lakers this season.
Los Angeles Lakers Big Man Named ‘Glaring Hole’ in Current Rotation