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Lakers Rumors: Seven things to expect during the 2017-18 season

By Jason Reed

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 23: Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers, general manager Rob Pelinka and draft pick Lonzo Ball talk to the media during a press conference on June 23, 2017 at the team training faculity in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 23: Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers, general manager Rob Pelinka and draft pick Lonzo Ball talk to the media during a press conference on June 23, 2017 at the team training faculity in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 17: Brook Lopez (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) – Lakers Rumors
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 17: Brook Lopez (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) – Lakers Rumors /

Brook Lopez will disappoint

Sorry to burst this positivity bubble that has been surrounding the Lakers, but next season will not be all fine and dandy. For the most part, the entire purpose of acquiring Lopez was to even out the salaries to send out Mozgov. Lopez is under contract for just one more season and is owed $22 million dollars. The entire purpose of this deal will be achieved, however, Lopez will still disappoint.

Like any fan base throughout sports, the Laker faithful are expecting their newfound talents to perform far better than their predecessors. For Lopez, who averaged 20.5 points per game last season, these expectations may be the highest. Lopez can shoot the ball fairly well from deep as well, only raising his stock in the eyes of fans.

However, Lopez’ is not as impressive as his stats may suggest on the surface. Lopez did average the third most points out of centers last season, yes, but he also ranked 18th in shooting percentage among qualified centers. Lopez took a lot of shots in Brooklyn and did not make them as much as a DeAndre Jordan or Rudy Gobert.

Granted, this is likely because he expands his game and shoots the ball from deep, but in your center, you want a guy that can camp the paint and dominate. Lopez does not necessarily show that domination, as his 5.4 rebounds per game ranked 32nd in the NBA. Tarik Black, the former Laker who played 13 fewer minutes per game than Lopez, averaged 5.1 rebounds.

Don’t get me wrong, Lopez will be a good player and will contribute to the Lakers making a push for improvement. However, he will not be this world beater that many fans are expecting.

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