Zubac or Bryant: Who lands the Los Angeles Lakers’ backup center spot?

Who gets the minutes?

After assessing both players’ games, I think the Lakers will stick with Zubac for the early part of the season as the backup center. He gained some valuable experience at the end of last season with the team deciding to rest veteran players, and proved he deserves an early chance to win the job. I’d like to see him share the floor with four tough perimeter defenders and ask him to carry an offense for brief stretches.

Bryant will press him for minutes, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the one earning the minutes as the season progresses. He offers more floor-spacing and rim protection on the defensive side of the ball. I expect him to spend some time in the G League like Zubac did. This will bode well for Bryant and allow him to work on other aspects of his game.

Despite not being listed as a center, Larry Nance Jr. could be the first person off the bench for Lopez. He is technically a power forward, but Kyle Kuzma’s prescence may push him from the 4 to the 5 for some minutes. For this article, however, we stuck with the official positions listed online.

Next: Ranking the 10 NBA teams who have 'next' after the Warriors

Both Zubac and Bryant are part of a youthful Lakers’ bench that excites me. With Jordan Clarkson, Josh-Hart, Corey Brewer and Kyle Kuzma on the court, Zubac or Bryant will have some defensive help and floor spacing on offense to work with. And when teams decide to go super big on the bench, there’s a way to experiment with a jumbo frontcourt with both big men sharing the floor together.