National Basketball Association

Lakers Debate: Who Will Get the Final Roster Spot?

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

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Wednesday morning the Los Angeles Lakers cut their roster by three players but they still have two cuts to make. The question remains, who deserves the final roster spot?

On Wednesday, the Lakers broke some hearts by cutting rookie hopefuls, Zach Auguste, Travis Ware and Julian Jacobs bringing their total roster down to 17 players, two above the maximum a team can take into the regular season.

With that in mind, the three players most likely to be on the chopping block are Chinese big man, Yi Jianlian, former lottery pick, Thomas Robinson, and defensive specialist, Metta World Peace.

Juding by their performance in the first four contests, in limited minutes, none of them have done anything truly significant to stand out, but here’s our opinion on who should get the final spot for the Purple and Gold.

Eric Yee, Editor

It’s definitely a toss up, and as much as I’ve been a fan of Thomas Robinson throughout his NBA career, I’m going to have to go with Yi Jianlian on this one.

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Despite having extensive NBA and overseas experience, Jianlian is still relatively raw, but his attributes paired with his unique skillset make him too hard to pass on. Unlike Robinson, who would likely be forced to play the role of undersized center the likes of Larry Nance Jr, Tarik Black and even Julius Randle, Yi is a legit seven footer and that has to count for something.

Also, in limited minutes he’s shown that he’s capable of being effective in the pick and roll with D’Angelo Russell and backup guards, Marcelo Huertas and Jose Calderon. Signing Robinson at this point would just be too redundant.

John Hills, Contributor

Robinson has not reached his full potential since being drafted 5th overall in 2012, I believe he should receive the final roster spot for the Lakers.

While he has played for five teams in five years, his talent is undeniable when he puts it all together.

In the final six games of last season, he averaged 15.3 points and 13 rebounds for the Brooklyn Nets and showed the impact he can have when given the chance. T-Rob will not get many starts for the Lakers, but he can provide some valuable minutes off the bench when needed.

Corban Ford, Contributor

I’m definitely breaking a rule here, but I feel like MWP should make the roster.

Forgive me here, but it’s obvious we’re not going to win anything this year. It’s gonna be a long year, and I feel that having a veteran influence that also doubles as the last link to the Lakers lore is good.. if only for nostalgic purposes.

He can continue to mentor Randle and the other bigs and I just love him in the Purple and Gold. If not him then I’d take Yi. You can never have enough bigs who can shoot from distance.

Shereen Rayan, Contributor

I think Yi will get the last spot and there’s one big reason: due to his connection with China.

The Lakers organization learned from Kobe and Jeremy Lin that love from China for our Lakers is tremendous. They likely stand to make a lot of money from jersey sales for having a player from China on their team

I personally like Auguste, he plays with a ton of heart and has experience under pressure from college, but based on the recent news, I’m guessing Yi gets the spot.

Christian Rivas, Contributor

Thomas Robinson might not ever live up to his fifth overall pick hype, but there’s still reason to believe he can be a productive NBA player.

If Robinson made the team, he likely wouldn’t see a ton of playing time, but his elite athleticism and youth is exactly what the team needs right now. He doesn’t space the floor the way Yi supposedly does, but he plays hard basketball.

Robinson also gives Luke Walton the option to go small in the frontcourt, something he has already experimented with in his first few games as head coach.

The $980,431 he’d make if he made the team is nothing compared to the $8 million the Lakers would pay Yi Jianlian, and Robinson is three years younger.

Let us know about who you think should get the final roster spot in the comments below or on Twitter at @TheLakeShowLife.

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