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Los Angeles Lakers a potential an under-the-radar fit for Cody Zeller

At first glance, the Los Angeles Lakers do not need a center. They have a star in Anthony Davis there to open games. And, when Davis slides to his preferred power forward spot, they have a plethora of players to put on the floor alongside him.

However, those players have either not performed up to snuff or do not have the track record to bolster their position over someone with more experience.

They have Christian Koloko, Christian Wood, and Jaxson Hayes.

Koloko, a second-round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is on a two-way contract and missed the entire 2023-24 campaign with blood clots. Wood is currently recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent in September. Hayes had a negative impact on the Lakers last year.

“The Lakers were a minus-4.1 and allowed 118.9 points per 100 possessions last season with Hayes at center,” Marks wrote.

Zeller is older than everyone in the Lakers’ current group of centers, including Davis.

Hayes and Koloko, both 24 years old, are young enough to keep around as developmental projects. But Wood battled injuries in 2023-24 and was brought in largely at the behest of former head coach Darvin Ham.

Wood is in the final year of a two-year, $5.7 million contract, exercising his player option for the Year 2 in May.

Zeller is taller than Wood and more proven than Hayes and Koloko.