The Los Angeles Lakers saw their season come to a close Wednesday when they lost Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series. The Minnesota Timberwolves were paced by a stellar effort from big man Rudy Gobert, who scored 27 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in the win.
When the game concluded, Charlotte Hornets center Mark Williams quickly took to his X account and posted a smiling emoji and nothing else.
The Lakers were slated to acquire Williams following the acquisition of Luka Dončić as the team had a need for an athletic big man. However, Los Angeles ended up nixing the trade — citing Williams’ failed physical — and all of the players were returned to their original teams. Dalton Knecht and Cam Reddish were supposed to go to the Hornets in the deal.
Rudy Gobert silences doubters, saves Timberwolves on historically bad shooting night to eliminate Lakers
Colin Ward-Henninger
It’s safe to say Williams would’ve helped the Lakers against the Timberwolves. With the trade being rejected, the Lakers were forced to carry on with a big man duo of Jaxson Hayes and Alex Len. In fact, Len was signed during the season.
In Game 5, Lakers coach JJ Redick chose not to play Hayes and Len at all, while going with a smaller lineup. Maxi Kleber, who was acquired in the Dončić trade, logged five minutes down low, while Jarred Vanderbilt had 19 minutes of playing time. Both Kleber and Vanderbilt only scored two points apiece.
Simply put, the Lakers had no answer for Gobert in the low post, and Williams’ skillset would’ve been quite useful throughout this series.
