Lakers' Yi Jianlian: Favorite to land backup center role

Jianlian has been seeing time during training camp practices as the Lakers' backup center behind starter Timofey Mozgov, Mike Bresnahan of Spectrum SportsNet reports.

Analysis:

Though he's seven feet tall, Jianlian lacks the rim-protecting ability most teams value at the center spot, but he could provide the Lakers with an interesting weapon on the offensive end. The 28-year-old possesses a reliable stroke from the outside, which could aid the Lakers with their floor spacing when Julius Randle is on the floor working the low block. While Jianlian looks like an increasingly safe bet to make the roster despite his contract not being fully guaranteed, he still figures to see fewer than 20 minutes per game behind Mozgov, which will limit his fantasy production.