Lakers season preview: Robert Sacre profile

Name: Robert Sacre

Season: 3rd season (3rd with Lakers)

Role: Celebration MVP, last big off the bench.

The Good: Robert Sacre won't be expected to do much for the Lakers this season and that's OK. The last pick of the 2012 NBA Draft still has development to do, and not having to play a role he isn't prepared for is a good thing. Sacre has great size for a center, is agile despite being 7' tall, and is a very active player on both ends of the floor. He won't play outside of his comfort zone, and will be ready to hit the floor with plenty of energy if his number is called.

Oh, and this:

The Bad: Sacre is still very rough around the edges. The Lakers were looking at him as their lone big before re-signing Jordan Hill and sneaking in the Ed Davis contract. There's a reason he'll start the season as one of the last players who will come off the bench. His bread-and-butter on offense is pick-and-rolls (1.07 points per possession, per Synergy Sports Technology) and putbacks (also 1.07 points per possession).

Unfortunately, those are the same strengths as Davis and Hill. The Lakers trio of centers isn't versatile, and Sacre falls to the back of the line without the experience or realized-talent of his big man brethren.

The Could Be: It's hard to project what "could be" for Robert Sacre in the upcoming season. He could be an option at center if he plays well enough and has a chance prove himself. He could take the next step in his career and look like a real role player off the bench. Or he could have another season where his inclusion on the roster has no impact on the Lakers regardless of how he performs.

The Hope Not: Hopefully the Lakers don't play so horrible Sacre doesn't get a chance to show off his dancing celebrations on a routine basis. I'd also like to hope against the Lakers frontcourt being so decimated Byron Scott is forced to throw Sacre in for 30 or more minutes per game.

The Likely: Sacre will likely spend the majority of the season on the bench. Unless Davis and Hill go down with injuries, or grind Scott's will to the ground, they'll both stay ahead of him in the depth chart all season. Expect another quiet season from the Lakers last big.

What It Means: At the very least it means Sacre will have plenty of time to keep morale up on the sidelines and give fans a place to shoot their eyes to every time the Lakers complete a highlight play.