National Basketball Association

Lakers Debate: Better Young Frontcourt, Lakers or Minnesota Timberwolves?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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October 28, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) moves the ball against Los Angeles Lakers forward Julius Randle (30) during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Continuing our ongoing series, we ask who has the better frontcourt, the Los Angeles Lakers or the Minnesota Timberwolves?

So far in this series, the Lakers have won narrowly at both point guard and small forward, with the upside of the young D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Ingram outweighing the more seasoned Andrew Wiggins and Kris Dunn.

On the other hand, the Wolves edged out a win at shooting guard, with the explosive Zach LaVine narrowly defeating the similarly dynamic Jordan Clarkson.

This time, we’ll be taking a look at the big men on the two team’s rosters, with a couple of big name players going up against two slightly lesser-known contributors. For each team, one of the players considered will be a high draft pick, with the other falling closer to the steal category.

For Lakers fans, this category might not be quite as fun as the previous two, as the frontcourt is where the Timberwolves keep their biggest weapon. Regardless, the Lakers have a bright future at these positions as well. With that, let’s get into the head-to-head matchups.

Power Forward: Julius Randle vs. Gorgui Dieng

This position is made interesting by the fact that Gorgui Dieng is not really a true power forward at all. A promising young center, Dieng has been pushed to the four by the emergence of one of the league’s most impressive young players, Karl-Anthony Towns. He is also a bit older than most of the players on this list, but was included because of having only played three seasons in the NBA.

Because of these facts, it is a bit difficult to compare Julius Randle and Dieng as young power forwards. For the purposes of this piece, they will be compared based on their merits alone, rather than how well they fit into the role of a power forward.

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In three seasons in the league, Gorgui Dieng has proven to be a reliable presence in the paint. An athletic big man who is able to protect the rim, finish down low, and act as a threat from the mid-range, Dieng has grown into a well-rounded role player. In the versatile seven-footer the Wolves look to have found a long-term starter at the position.

Randle, however, has shown the potential to be even more than that. While his development has been stunted by a injury that cost him his first season, Randle came back strong. Along the way to turning in an underrated first season, Randle averaged 11 points and 10 rebounds.

His unique combination of strength, agility, and straight line speed make him difficult for opposing players to guard, despite his currently limited arsenal of moves. Julius Randle has also shown potential as a playmaker, as his ball handling skills and vision are quite advanced for his position.

While he will need to develop a jump shot and improve on the defensive end in order to become a true star, Randle has already outproduced his counterpart in Minnesota. Despite being nearly six years young than Dieng, Randle averaged more points, rebounds, and assists in his rookie season than Dieng did in his third.

His struggles with efficiency are a mark against him, but much of that can be attributed to Byron Scott’s iso-heavy system. Ultimately, a combination of upside and NBA production makes this one a fairly easy call in Randle’s favor.

Winner: Lakers

Center: Ivica Zubac vs. Karl-Anthony Towns

This one isn’t really fair. While Ivica Zubac was brilliant in Summer League and has the potential to become truly special, there isn’t a young center in the league who would have a chance to win a head-to head comparison with Karl-Anthony Towns.

A ferocious shot-blocker with impressive athleticism and a smooth jump shot, Towns is everything a team could ask for out of a big man. He steamrolled the competition on his way to Rookie of the Year honors and looks to make his first All Star appearance sooner rather than later. Few young players at any position can come close to him in terms of value and upside.

In Towns the Timberwolves have something that the Lakers haven’t yet found: a cornerstone player that the team can commit to building around for years to come. While it’s too early to guarantee Towns will lead his team to a championship, it’s likely that he will be an MVP contender during his career, and is as good a bet as any young player to anchor a title-winning roster.

9/16/2016 #whoready @Ronnie2K @NBA2K pic.twitter.com/HjXi1pMBu0

— Karl-Anthony Towns (@KarlTowns) August 25, 2016

This is not to say that the Lakers are in a bad spot at this position. While Zubac slipped to the second round in this year’s draft as a result of his refusal to remain in Europe, he was valued as a late lottery pick by multiple analysts. Even those rankings seem low after he demonstrated an effective jump shot and the ability to protect the rim at a high level, both of which were concerns prior to the draft.

Zubac will have to continue to build on his impressive debut, but he certainly has the potential to be a starter in the NBA or better if he continues to improve his game. Regardless, nothing short of Zubac dropping a Kobe-esque 81 points in Summer League would have made this a close call. The Timberwolves win this one handily.

This one should probably count as two.

Winner: Timberwolves (By a landslide)

In our final piece, we will be breaking down the battle of the reserves, so stay tuned for that later this week.

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