The brand new Los Angeles Lakers star, the Slovenian Luka Doncic, already has another pivot in template as he had claimed as soon as he reached the franchise. The problem is that it is not the interior that he wanted. After explicitly asking and getting the incorporation of young Mark Williams, five of the Charlotte Hornets, a failed medical review forced the team to undo the transfer and look for an emergency solution with the already closed winter market. The Ukrainian Alex Len, released from his contract only a few days ago by the Washington Wizards, has been the patch that Angels have found to reinforce their rotation within the painting.
The interior of 31 years and 2.13 meters was born in Antratsit, a city in the Lugansk region current The bench. Throughout his career, he has averaged 6.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 17.1 minutes of play, with a total of 680 games played in the United States. Len arrives at Los Angeles after occupying a residual role in the Sacramento Kings in the last four campaigns and having fills in the three -band transfer that led Marcus Smart to the Wizards from the Grizzlies.
To give space to the template to the Ukrainian, the Lakers have had to terminate the contract to the 29-year-old Pivot Christian Wood, former Doncic partner in the Mavericks and unpublished this campaign because of a knee injury. The emergency movement in the middle of a “dry” pivot market, according to the general director of the Angelina franchise, Rob Pelinka, allows the team to reinforce an interior rotation that Jaxson Hayes now leads after the exit of Anthony Davis towards Dallas. The young 24 -year -old pivot has so far reserves in his six campaigns in the NBA, but has averaged eight points, six rebounds, a robbery and almost two caps per game since his former companion suffered an injury to the abdomen and had to occupy Your position in the initial five.
Hayes shares Agent with Doncic, Bill Duffy, and was the first player of the Angelina squad to go to dinner with the new team’s star. “When I was in Dallas and I in my early years in New Orleans, they tried to get a transfer for me, but they never allowed it,” the interior recalled in statements to ESPN. “If one day you need a pivot, I would love to play with you,” he whispered in his ear after each match between the Mavericks and the Pelicans. Although it seemed unlikely, both have gathered in the Lakers and their profiles fit. The ability to generate game and open spaces of the Slovenian benefits the athletic pivots accustomed to finishing off the task released within the area, often based on ALLEY -OOPSalthough the greatest concern is in defense.
Doncic’s first play with the Lakers was precisely an assistance with Alley -oop For Hayes, a profile with less potential, but similar to that of Williams, the express desire of the 25 -year -old star asks the signing of Len, a more classic cut and not at all Atlético, serves to fill the closet fund and Complete the rotation, but does not change the initial plans of the coach, JJ Redick. The technician, also former partner of the Slovenian in the MAVs, will bet on an alignment of children in the absence of template size. Already at the premiere of the project, the Lakers took only three minutes to run out of five to use on the track. The coach, since he lost due to injury to Davis, has rotated Jarred Vanderbilt, Dorian Finney-Smith, LeBron James and Rui Hachimura in the pivot position when you have, which has twenty -one Minutes per night, he is on the bench.
Given the foreseeable complications in defense, the competitiveness of the Lakers will go through its efficiency in attack and in the fortune of the crosses once the time of the Playoffswhere most rivals have greater potential within painting. “What excites me most is the spirit of the group,” said Redick after a positive maid debut, but not spectacular. The team remains in an excellent streak of six consecutive victories-all them without already having Davis-with 11 victories in the last 13 games that place them in the fourth place of the West Conference (32-19), far from The unstoppable Oklahoma City Thunder (43-9).
The Lakers play this next morning (03: 00h, League Pass) against the Utah Jazz before the break for the weekend of the All Star, which is celebrated in San Francisco between February 14 and 16.
