Lakers Shouldn’t Discount Colin Castleton amid Christian Wood, Bismack Biyombo Rumors

The Los Angeles Lakers are shut to wrapping what has been a truly successful offseason. The Lakers managed to assist key contributors bask in Rui Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves whereas including the likes of Gabe Vincent, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes and rookie first-spherical decide Jalen Hood-Schifino.

Assuming that LeBron James returns for the 2023-24 season and Anthony Davis can discontinuance wholesome, Los Angeles must salvage a championship-caliber roster.

But, Rob Pelinka and Co. have to no longer performed.

“We’re actively in the market to add one other mountainous,” Pelinka truly helpful journalists at some level of Sunday’s summer league sport towards the Charlotte Hornets.

Based fully on The Athletic’s Jovan Buha, the Lakers are pondering using “more two-mountainous” lineups this season, a technique that helped L.A. safe a title at some level of its 2019-20 campaign. Presumably, this is able to involve having a dedicated heart on the court with Davis on the vitality forward field.

“I feel including Jaxson Hayes modified into key to that,” Pelinka said, per Buha. “I feel Jaxson, grand bask in per chance Dwight Howard in that stretch for us: mountainous body, rim protector, energetic roller.”

Pelinka also illustrious, per Buha, that the Lakers would desire to add a heart with a exiguous bit diversified skill set than the one Hayes will bring. He mentioned what Hayes can add to the team at some level of Friday’s summer league sport towards the Golden Issue Warriors (h/t Harrison Faigen of Silver Disguise and Roll):

“He is
a mountainous kid, rim protector, plays with a excessive stage of vitality and he’s
also a terribly upright cloak setter, so whenever you occur to’ve got guards bask in D’Angelo
Russell that indubitably would favor to fair in the decide-and-roll and salvage Austin
Reaves as a secondary ballhandler, we conception Jaxson will doubtless be a upright
fit with those guys with the vogue he plays.”

The Lakers attain salvage alternate choices.

Back on July 1, Buha reported that Mo Bamba—who has since signed with the Philadelphia 76ers—and Tristan Thompson had been into consideration to come. On Sunday, Buha reported that free brokers Christian Wood and Bismack Biyombo had been also into consideration.

Wood and Biyombo are diversified gamers, nonetheless each and every may per chance fit with L.A.’s splendid plan. Biyombo will doubtless be a sturdy defensive likelihood, whereas Wood may per chance assist vastly as a scoring likelihood in an offensive lineup that comprises Davis.

While the Lakers are weighing their external alternate choices, though, they can’t ignore two-way free agent Colin Castleton, who signed with L.A. after the draft.

Castleton is no longer your traditional undrafted rookie. The 23-yr-inclined performed for four seasons at Michigan and Florida and possesses a cosmopolitan skill set that nearly all young bigs attain no longer.

For the length of summer league play, Castleton—who had 21 aspects 14 rebounds and three assists on Sunday—has been a fashioned highlight for the Lakers. He and two-way guard/forward D’Moi Hodge salvage arguably outplayed Hood-Schifino and 2d-spherical decide Maxwell Lewis.

At 6’11” and neatly over 200 kilos—Florida listed him t 250—Castleton may per chance indubitably assist give L.A. a size earnings specifically lineup rotations. Nonetheless, as
Buha fair no longer too long in the past explained, Castleton brings more to the proverbial table.

“He is higher than real a mountainous body—he’s an incredibly professional
offensive participant,” Buha wrote whereas noting that Castleton has showcased
“progressed traits and instincts that easiest the splendid mountainous-man passers salvage” at some level of the summer league.

Castleton has demonstrated enormous court awareness on plays bask in this one:

Naturally, there is a mountainous distinction between summer league competition and what Castleton would face on the NBA stage, nonetheless his size and skill set have to create for a brief transition. Castleton wants with a conception to contribute as a deep rotational participant early and barely.

As a starter at Florida, Castleton shined on each and every ends of the court, averaging 16.0 aspects, 2.7 assists, three blocks and 7.7 rebounds last season. Los Angeles must salvage exiguous distress finding a precious rotational position for him as a rookie.

None of this implies that the Lakers have to no longer pursue a high quality used bask in Wood or Biyombo, nonetheless it does imply that L.A. has one other likelihood for its heart rotation.

It’s an likelihood that the Lakers, and specifically, coach Darvin Ham, must be prepared to earn and create presumably the most of this season if they hope to stir a deep mountainous-man rotation to a championship.