There were plenty of takeaways from Rob Pelinka and JJ Redick’s season-opening press conference Thursday. With several issues surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers ahead of the start of a new season, Pelinka and Redick touched on a number of topics, including the team’s starting lineup.
While both Pelinka and Redick maintained that questions about the starting lineup will be addressed once training camp and preseason conclude, Redick offered a bit of an extra nugget during an interview with ESPN LA following his 40-minute presser with Pelinka.
The backup center position is one of the biggest concerns about the Lakers roster. While 25-year-old rising star center Walker Kessler firmly installed as the team’s starter, there has been plenty of speculation about what the Lakers are going to do to provide Kessler with a dependable backup option.
Lakers Head Coach Dishes on Backup Center Concerns
When asked about how he plans to strategize the team’s rotation, especially with the addition of several players, Redick immediately turned to the center position.
“We’re gonna have to play backup five minutes with (Kevon) Looney as the traditional (center), we’re gonna have to play some with (Sandro) Mamu(kelashvili),” Redick told ESPN LA in a phone interview. “I think the addition of Mamu gives us a lot of lineup flexibility because of his skillset and who he is as a basketball player.”
Many Lakers fans will love to hear that. Mamukelashvili has drawn plenty of attention among Lakers Nation this summer, especially after his elite play for the Georgian national team. The 27-year-old big man’s ability to stretch the floor and play multiple positions will open up more opportunities for the players around him.
“I remember when we did our free agency call with him. … He said something like, ‘Where do you see me in the lineup? What do you view me as?’ I said, ‘Don’t get me started on positions right now; I hate positions. I view you as a basketball player. Him alone, he is gonna drive a lot of that versatility that we have.”
Mamu Considered One of L.A.’s Best Offseason Moves
Especially if his performance meets — or exceeds! — the expectations of fans and the Lakers, we may be left wondering why we ever questioned the team for not making another move for a traditional center.
Mamukelashvilil, who averaged 11.2 points per game while shooting nearly 39 percent from the 3-point line in 80 appearances for the Toronto Raptors last season, is viewed as the Lakers’ “sneaky amazing” offseason acquisition, according to team reporter Khobi Price.
“Mamukelashvili finally showcased the skills and offensive versatility that every team in the NBA covets from a frontcourt role player: Shooting. Passing. Keeping the play moving. Being able to play off of primary and secondary ball handlers as a connector within the offense,” wrote Lakers reporter Khobi Price for the California Post. “It all may sound simple, but those were the type of skills the Lakers were coveting entering the offseason.”
More importantly, Mamukelashvili’s — dare we say rare — ability to slide up and down the lineup can unlock a plethora of opportunities for his teammates, especially those who are more productive inside the arc.
“And because he’s a credible center option in small-ball lineups, Mamukelashvili opens up opportunities for the Lakers to play bigger forwards who aren’t shooting threats (Jarred Vanderbilt, Adou Thiero) but can help cover for him on the less glamorous end of the floor,” Price wrote.
Mamukelashvili is stepping into a bright, hot spotlight. He is certainly not viewed as one of landmark free-agent signings in Lakers franchise history, but he can provide the Lakers perhaps something they have not had in the nearly two years since Luka Doncic has come to town.
Lakers’ JJ Redick Reveals Exciting 6’10” Elite Shooter as Walker Kessler Backup