Many Laker fans are familiar with newest Laker center Chris Kaman for his time with the Los Angeles Clippers, however he hasn't played for a Los Angeles team for the past two years, and some may have forgotten about him. Whether you know a lot of about him or not, here's my scouting report of the newest Lakers:A part of the 2003 NBA draft class, considered one of the best draft classes of all time, rivaling the 1984 and 1996 draft classes that included Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, respectively, Kaman has built a solid career for himself. The 6th overall pick of that draft, Kaman is one of eight all star players of that draft class, averaging 18 points per game and 9 rebounds per game in his all star season. Having a career 12 points per game and 8 rebounds per game stat line, one can see right off the bat that Kaman is a solid, if unspectacular, player. Coming in at 7 feet, 268 pounds, Kaman has ideal size for a center, yet he runs the floor very well on both offensive fast breaks and defensive fast breaks. The one time All-Star center has the proper length to contest shots in the paint, and the proper weight to be effective on the low block. Possessing excellent foot work down low, Kaman has a few go-to post moves, including a good fade away jump shot, a solid array of righty and lefty jump hooks and a solid up and under move and is a capable finisher near the rim, with the ability to finish well with both hands.
Kaman has a very Al Jefferson like offensive game. Although he is a good player to have in the post, recent years have shown Kaman has a very nice jumper from 16 feet to the three point line, as he made 52% of those just last season. Though he isn't a three point shooter, Kaman does a very good job of stretching the floor with his mid range jump shot; this should help Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant in the low block as teams likely will hesitate to commit to the double teams with Kaman on the court. Kaman is also a capable pick and roll and pick and fade player, thanks to his diverse skill set.
Kaman has the potential to be one of the better centers in the league, even at 31 years old. He is very solid defensively, moving his feet well to stay in front of the opposition and using his body well to keep opponents from getting easy baskets. He isn't the most athletic center, and he can't jump anywhere near as high as the last Laker center, but he times his jumps well and uses his height and large wingspan to successfully block shots (averages 1.4 blocks per game, 1.7 per 36 minutes). He's not quite Dwight Howard in defensive presence, but is still a player teams take into account when driving to the basket. Kaman is also very good at rebounding, using his body well to box out opposing centers and power forwards, while timing his jumps well to ensure the rebound is his. During his better seasons, Kaman would average over nine rebounds per game, even averaging 12.7 per game during the 2007-2008 season.
As with every player, there are negatives to those positives. He doesn't have the highest basketball I.Q, but he generally knows when not to force the action, though Kaman isn't a good passer, frequently making mistakes with the ball, such as bad passes or holding it too long in the low block, leading to a turnover (evidenced by his career 1.3 assists per game to his 2.2 turnovers per game). He also has the tendency to get into quick and early foul trouble (he averaged over 3 fouls per game in his earlier days with the Clippers, and averages nearly 4 fouls per game per 36 minutes played). This still isn't Kaman's biggest issue, has he has been largely injury prone for the second half of his career, barely averaging 51 games played in the last 6 seasons, a number I believe should rise in a bench role behind Gasol and Jordan Hill.
Overall, Kaman is a good player to have on the roster, especially on a one year deal like the Lakers signed him to. The only question is: Can Kaman stay healthy?
