Why are Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison not on Lakers playoffs roster? Explaining absence of two backup Centers
The Los Angeles Lakers rode a dominant second half of the season all the way to the third seed in the Western Conference, but their rotation will change a bit heading into the postseason. Los Angeles will be without backup centers Christian Koloko and Trey Jemison, who are not eligible to make the Lakers' postseason roster.
While Jemison and Koloko have shown flashes in their minutes on the floor this season, the Lakers would have had to cut players from the team in order to convert both players' two-way contracts into standard deals. According to Corey Hansford from Lakers Nation, the team decided that the move wouldn't be worth it in the long run.
Even though they won't be able to play for Los Angeles in their first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Lakers head coach JJ Redick and the team will keep the two centers with the team throughout the playoffs. ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that they are doing so to maintain the team's chemistry.
After the Lakers traded away Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic at the deadline and rescinded a deal that would've brought in Mark Williams a few days later, they struggled to find a backup big for a stretch of their season. However, Koloko and Jemison stepped up, providing valuable minutes for Los Angeles down the final stretch of the season.
Both players staying with the team and practicing with them could be an advantage for Los Angeles, who could use Jemison and Koloko to mimic opponents they face in the playoffs, including Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert. Having skilled players around the team, even if they are only able to practice, is an advantage for Los Angeles ahead of the postseason.
What will the Lakers be missing without Koloko or Jemison?
Without their two solid backup big men, Los Angeles will rely on Jaxson Hayes to hold things down on the interior as the team's only remaining center in the rotation. However, Los Angeles has embraced playing small in the back half of the season, often putting LeBron James at center in many of their lineups. They will almost surely employ a similar strategy against Minnesota in the first round.
Rudy Gobert presents a large problem for a smaller Los Angeles squad, but Luka Doncic has proven multiple times that he can play the French big man off the floor in the postseason. If he is able to take Gobert out of the series, the Timberwolves would turn to Julius Randle and Naz Reid to be their center in smaller lineups, both of whom are better matchups for James down low.
JJ Redick has shown great ability to gameplan around his roster throughout the season, but his biggest challenge remains ahead of him. He will have to navigate Los Angeles through the postseason without Jemison and Koloko, but if Los Angeles does indeed try to go small, Redick might not need them as much as he did during the regular season.