What Is the Biggest Need for the Lakers? Starting Forward? Backup Center? Another Guard?

Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers · Oct 13, 2026 · 20m

The Lakers look like a team that should be pretty good, and have some balance and coherence to the roster construction. But everyone also knows the Lakers are, as currently constructed, a tick or two below the elite squads in the West.

So what is their biggest need? ESPN says "starting caliber forwards," and explained thusly:

"Look, there's going to be a little less positional certainty whenever LeBron departs. Rather than target a single replacement for the four-time MVP, the Lakers invested their resources into re-signing guard Austin Reaves, acquiring starting center Walker Kessler and…