One of the biggest contributors in the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers was Jake LaRavia. The wing, who has been inserted into the starting lineup in the absence of Marcus Smart, knocked down all five of his shots from the field and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
It was great to see for LaRavia, who has struggled mightily with his shot over the past few weeks. But he never let that stop him from contributing to this team in other ways and that has stood out to Luka Doncic, who feels he has been great for the Lakers.
“Yeah, I mean, it was great today, but he’s been playing great for us,” Doncic said after the win over Cleveland. “You know, sometimes you are not going to make shots, but he can play the game and do other things. So, he’s been doing that every game, so we appreciate what he’s doing for us.”
Oftentimes, a player can struggle on offense and that negatively affects the rest of his game, but that hasn’t been the case for LaRavia. He shot just 24% from 3-point range in March and averaged just five points per game in the month, but regularly found other ways to make an impact which is why he has remained in the rotation.
His energy and effort on defense and the glass has been greatly needed, especially as Smart has been out due to injury. In March, LaRavia had seven games with at least four rebounds and five games with at least two combined steals and blocks. His efforts are not going unnoticed, which is why Doncic and the rest of the Lakers were happy to see some shots go down for him against the Cavaliers, because he has never stopped working hard for this team.
Every player on the Lakers has bought in to their role and for LaRavia that means being an impact player defensively first and foremost. Knocking down his open shots is certainly welcome and will greatly benefit this team going forward, but whether the shots are falling or not, he will give everything he has for the Lakers to win.
Marcus Smart out for Lakers vs. Thunder
Hopefully, his hot shooting will continue as LaRavia will once again be in the starting lineup for the Lakers when they take on the Oklahoma City Thunder as Smart will miss his sixth consecutive game due to injury.
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