Los Angeles Lakers: Power ranking team’s top 5 players right now

3. Brook Lopez, C

Despite his standing as the highest paid Laker and possibly the most talented, Brook Lopez finds himself at No. 3. While it may seem like a slight to the outstanding big man, I have my reasons for slotting him here.

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First and foremost, Lopez came to Los Angeles in a controversial trade that many fans weren’t, well, fans of. The move sent D’Angelo Russell, seen by some as the new franchise player, to the Brooklyn Nets. Although it eventually landed Kuzma with the Lakers and got rid of Timofey Mozgov‘s contract, the trade’s inclusion of Russell received plenty of criticism.

Second, I don’t think that he’s exactly what the Lakers needed at center. Sure, Lopez is a tremendous talent who brings plenty of value on the offensive end. On the other hand, his defense is average at best and he’s not the rim protector the team needs. Considering how awful the Lakers’ defense was in 2016-17, he’s not exactly a perfect fit.

So while I believe Lopez was a terrific addition to this lineup, he wasn’t a home run. That is, unless you consider the fact that bringing him to Los Angeles puts Magic in a much better position to make a splash during 2018 free agency.

Regardless, Lopez should do plenty of damage in 2017-18. If he can replicate the numbers he put up for the Nets last year, he’ll be one of the top pieces of this Lakers lineup throughout the season.