Lakers officially sign 7-foot defensive monster to address biggest problem
The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t have much by way of an interior presence last season.
They’ve tried to address that this offseason. First, they added former No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton. And now they’ve picked up a standout 7-foot defender.
The Lakers announced Tuesday that they’ve signed center Kylor Kelley.
While not officially reported, it’s likely an Exhibit 10 contract, which lets Kelley partake in training camp and the preseason while setting him up to play in the G League for the South Bay Lakers if he doesn’t make the roster.
Kelley had signed previously this summer to play in Italy, so it appears he has postponed that journey for a chance to make the Lakers. He’s originally from Logan, Utah, and he had no Division I offers out of high school. He had grown from 6-foot-1 to 7-feet tall in high school.
Kelley started his college career at Northwest Christian University (which is now known as Bushnell University), an NAIA school. He then transferred to Lane Community College, where he captured the attention of Oregon State.
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With the Beavers, Kelley had a game with a school-record nine blocks, and he set Pac-12 and school records for the season with 3.35 blocks per game.
Kelley made two Pac-12 All-Defensive Teams and has also led the G League in blocks while making an All-Defense Team there.
It’s clear he knows how to protect the rim. He likely wouldn’t be much of a scorer at the NBA level. But you can’t teach height, and you really can’t teach timing for a shot blocker.
Kelley clearly has that, and maybe that’ll give him a chance to make the Lakers as a bench piece.
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