Jake LaRavia was the Los Angeles Lakers’ first signing in free agency and the young forward has lived up to his two-year deal.
LaRavia has been a solid role player either as a starter or coming off the bench for the Lakers, filling any role that head coach JJ Redick needs him to.
Offensively, LaRavia has been a decent outside shooter who can keep a possession moving by finding open teammates. However, his defense has stood out in recent weeks as he’s been assigned some of the harder matchups against playoff teams.
Redick explained what makes LaRavia a quality defender and why he believes his future is bright.
“We knew that he would be disruptive in terms of steals and deflections,” Redick said before Sunday’s win over the Sacramento Kings. “And look, he takes a lot of primary matchups. A lot of those guys, when you look at it, they have higher blow-by rates because they’re typically guarding better players. He’s been really good in terms of his physicality and in terms of executing what we want, particularly off ball. We talk about grabbing and holding all the time, he’s really physical with that.
“He’s done, for the vast majority of the season, everything we’ve asked of him in terms of what his responsibilities are. This is the most he’s played in his career, this is the most he’s started games in his career. So he’s getting to this age and how much he cares, I think the trajectory for him is really good.”
Playing physically has been a problem across Los Angeles’ roster, but LaRavia has played with much more force on that end recently. His combination of size and IQ help him get to spots before opponents do and he’s also great about making second efforts on closeouts.
While LaRavia might not be considered a lockdown defender by any stretch, he has become a positive influence in that area and it’s helped the Lakers stay afloat in some games. Los Angeles will continue to be limited in its coverages due to the roster, but at least players like LaRavia are around to help with execution and effort.
Jake LaRavia takes pride in wearing Lakers jersey
Jake LaRavia’s signing with Los Angeles marked a return home to Southern California and so far the results have been great for both sides. Win or lose, LaRavia emphasized he takes pride in wearing a Lakers jersey and that’s something that isn’t lost on fans.
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