Los Angeles Lakers: 3 reasons signing Tyson Chandler would be smart

1. Defense, defense, defense

The Los Angeles Lakers have been a joke on defense this year. They surrender the fourth-most points per game in the NBA at 119.9. They give up the most points in the paint in the NBA at 57.8 per game. The only time they are somewhat decent on defense is when JaVale McGee and his NBA-leading 3.6 blocks per game are on the court. McGee boasts a team-best 102.0 defensive rating according to NBA.com (not counting Ivica Zubac in his three games played).

The experiment of Kyle Kuzma playing the 5 has come and gone for the most part and rolling out the foul machines Zubac and Johnathan Williams has gone well either. Tyson Chandler is not the end-all, be-all to fixing the Lakers defensive woes, but he’s a great anchor to have for his would be expected playing time.

Chandler isn’t the defender he once was, but his communication, rim protection and rebounding still is miles ahead of what the Lakers have on their roster after McGee. He is constantly barking out screens and where everybody is on the defensive side of the court, an underrated part of defense.

He could be targeted when switched onto smaller guards, but the Lakers have shifted away from switching every screen allowing McGee to roam the paint. Chandler would be allowed to hang in the paint for the most part, challenging shots and dominating the boards when on the court.

Tyson Chandler won’t fix the Lakers’ problems, but for 15 minutes a game, having him on the floor would be a significant upgrade over what was on the roster. For his price tag and without having to surrender anything in return, this would be a smart move for the organization.