The Los Angeles Lakers have decided to shut down Timofey Mozgov for the remainder of the season, which is a smart move to make.
The Los Angeles Lakers are going nowhere this season. At 20-47, and with a new front office regime in place, the Lakers focus has turned to the future. Part of that process is evaluating the younger players on the roster.
The Lakers have some intriguing young talent on their roster. They have been selecting near the top of the draft in recent years, landing high-upside players.
The Lakers have a potentially excellent core with players such as Brandon Ingram, D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr. and Ivica Zubac.
To get them the necessary time on the court to truly evaluate them, there are some tough decisions that need to be made. Veterans will see their playing time diminish, which has already began in Los Angeles.
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Luol Deng and Timofey Mozgov, the two biggest free agency acquisitions for the Lakers this offseason, began the season as starters. They have seen their roles greatly diminish as the season has worn on, as both have been inactive in recent games.
The Lakers have taken that a step further with Mozgov. Marc J. Spears of ESPN reports that the Lakers will be shutting down Mozgov for the season despite him being healthy.
Lakers recently shut down healthy center Timofay Mozgov to take a stronger look at their younger guys the rest of the season, a source said.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) March 14, 2017
This is an extreme measure to take. Shutting down a healthy player can make for an awkward situation. Given his contract, it looks like a weird decision to make. Mozgov is in the first season of a four-year, $64 million deal.
The Lakers seem to just be throwing away money at this point, but shutting down Mozgov makes sense and is a good move.
For starters, the Lakers need to open up as much playing time for their younger players as possible. Giving any minutes, even end-of-the-bench minutes, to Mozgov makes little sense; you know what you have in the 30-year old center.
Giving those minutes to players such as Zubac and Tarik Black makes sense.
Zubac has already taken advantage of the extra playing time and is looking like a legitimate building block for the Lakers.
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Giving him starter’s minutes at this point in time looks like a good plan; the Lakers can see if he can sustain production, or if they need to bring in another center this offseason.
Keeping Mozgov on the bench has other positives as well. In addition to evaluating the young players, they will undoubtedly go through some growing pains, which is perfectly fine with the Lakers.
For the betterment of the future of the franchise, the Lakers need to lose as many games as they can this season. If they do not secure a top-three pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, they will have to send the pick to the Philadelphia 76ers.
If that pick lands outside the top three, they will not only lose it, but they will lose their 2019 pick to the Orlando Magic as well.
For a team rebuilding as the Lakers are, they cannot afford to lose draft picks. That was part of their motivation in trading Lou Williams despite being in the midst of a career season. It is also why they are shutting down a healthy Mozgov.
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It may seem like a weird decision to some, but for the Lakers, it is the right call.