Lakers better get used to being dominated by French centers in the playoffs

LeBron James will be seeing red, white and blue in his nightmares -- but it won't be the stars and stripes.

One of the San Antonio Spurs' great enemies, both before and after he joined the Los Angeles Lakers, was just dominated by the greatest French player to never play for the Spurs. Rudy Gobert was at the center of the Minnesota Timberwolves' winning Game 5 of their series against the Lakers and sending LeBron and company spiraling into elimination.

Down 3-1, the Lakers had to defend home court and pull out a win to stay alive. They certainly had a great chance to do so, with LeBron James still playing at a Top-10 level and Luka Doncic showing an ability to carve up the Minnesota defense. Then Gobert showed up, dominating an undersized front line for Los Angeles and putting up a monster stat line.

27 points, 24 rebounds, two blocks and only three missed shots the entire night. It was a beatdown for the ages, as Gobert was a two-way stud all game long. If the Lakers tried to score in the paint, he was there. If they tried to trick him in the pick-and-roll, he read it perfectly. If any shot missed he was there to gobble it up, and his putback slams were downright thunderous.

It is the first time that LeBron James and the Lakers have faced Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs, but it may not be the last. Gobert is tied to Anthony Edwards, one of the league's rising superstars, as well as a deep cast of depth around him and Jaden McDaniels as a capable running mate. Gobert and the Wolves could certainly be back in this position next year.

More than that, however, even if the Lakers can avoid the Timberwolves, there will be another French center standing in their way.

Victor Wembanyama will dominate the playoffs very soon

The San Antonio Spurs were one year removed from the league's second-worst record, didn't add a star in the offseason (Chris Paul and Harrison Barnes were solid but unspectacular additions) and the brilliance of second-year center Victor Wembanyama was nearly enough to propel them in the Play-In Tournament. Perhaps if Wemby is not ruled out for the season after 46 games they do make it into the postseason field with a chance at the playoffs.

Next season the Spurs will have a healthy Wembanyama, a healthy De'Aaron Fox and the Rookie of the Year winner Stephon Castle. They may even add to that core -- which could include Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell if you like -- with another pair of lottery picks this season. The team around Wembanyama is only getting better.

He is the exact sort of player who can dominate a team like the Lakers, who don't operate at anything resembling a breakneck pace. They are slow, methodical and strong -- and Wembanyama eats such teams for breakfast. He is already one of the two or three best defenders in the league, and when you add in his prodigious offensive skill and shooting ability, you get a player who is already one of the 10 best in the league. After his second season!

LeBron James won't have many games left to his career. Luka Doncic is likely to wear a Lakers jersey for any years to come. For the time they overlap, it would seem that the Lakers have a title window they need to find a way to pry and prop open.

Yet Luka and LeBron were helpless to stop Rudy Gobert, who positively dominated the Lakers. And soon Victor Wembanyama will be anchoring a playoff team and unleashing a force of nature on the league. The window to make it to the Finals without facing such a team is likely over. The Lakers have some hard questions to ask themselves.

One of those might be the French word for "surrender." It may come in handy.