Only one player appeared in every regular season game for the Los Angeles Lakers this season and that was forward Jake LaRavia. Whether he was starting or coming off the bench, LaRavia was a trusted member of the rotation throughout the year, though some of his faults really began to show in the playoffs.
This season was LaRavia’s first ever trip to the postseason and his struggles, particularly with shooting the ball, became amplified. Ultimately, the wing fell out of the rotation, not seeing the court in the team’s final two games against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But instead of looking at it negatively, LaRavia is using it as a leaping point going into this offseason.
“There’s highs and lows to every season,” LaRavia said after the Game 4 loss. “Obviously I hit a couple of my goals this season with playing all 82. That’s just something I needed to see with just health reasons my first couple years in the league. I thought I had a good season in certain areas and I think there’s a lot of things I can work on in other areas.
“Obviously now seeing what the playoffs are like and stuff like that, falling out of the rotation these last two games, it just makes me excited. Not looking at it negatively, but I’m just excited to go into this offseason and work on the things that I need to. Obviously I didn’t shoot the ball in any capacity that I wanted to this year, having months where you’re shooting sub 30% is just not gonna cut it and I know I’m a way better shooter than that. So just going into this offseason working on specific things to be able to bring it to next year.”
While LaRavia brought a lot of positives to the table in terms of his defense and energy, he shot a career-low 32.1% from 3-point range and that number dropped to 28.6% in the playoffs. Rotations always get crunched down in the postseason and unfortunately LaRavia just wasn’t doing enough to make up for his lack of offensive output.
But that mindset is something to be encouraged by and he will undoubtedly put in a ton of work to improve in those areas of need this summer. LaRavia is one of the few Lakers under contract for next season and if he can build on the positives he showed and get better where needed, he will be able to provide an impact for this team next year.
Lakers’ Austin Reaves rehabbed oblique injury with Dodgers medical staff
This offseason will be full of changes throughout the entire Lakers organization, including their facilities. The medical facilities will be upgraded, but in the meantime some players will have to work with the staff at Dodgers Stadium, which is apparently what Austin Reaves did as he rehabbed from his Grade 2 oblique strain.
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