Jake LaRavia is one of two new faces to the Los Angeles Lakers organization as general manager Rob Pelinka looks to build a better roster around Luka Doncic.
LaRavia was the Lakers’ first call at the start of free agency and he will help fill a void left by Dorian Finney-Smith, who signed with the Houston Rockets. Admittedly, that will not be an easy task as Finney-Smith led the Lakers in plus-minus after being acquired last season.
However, as Pelinka looks to make his roster more athletic and youthful, LaRavia is an upside play that has the makings of paying off long-term. In a seemingly weak free agency pool, Pelinka talked about what stood out in his first signee of the summer.
“Jake is a high IQ two-way player with ideal skills for a JJ Redick basketball system,” Pelinka said in a statement. “He’s a disruptive defender who uses his size and physicality to create turnovers. Offensively, he can score at all three levels and has a knack for creating space for himself and his teammates. Being just 23 years old, we think Jake has significant basketball upside, which will be honed nicely in our Lakers basketball development program.”
The Lakers saw these skills up close and personal as LaRavia averaged 15.6 points against L.A. with a 28-point performance and a 25-point performance accompanied by making seven 3-pointers mixed in.
Sacramento wanted to keep him and thought they would, but presenting a large bench role for a franchise like the Lakers is a massive opportunity for LaRavia. Playing next to LeBron James and Luka Doncic it will result in easier scoring looks for the wing.
Head coach JJ Redick prefers players that play with an edge on the defensive end and the Pasadena native embraces being a pest on defense. Defense and shooting is the name of the game today and hopefully LaRavia can get those 3-point attempts up and continue taking strides as a perimeter defender.
Austin Reaves welcomes Jake LaRavia to Lakers
An early tell-tale sign that this signing was in the works is when Austin Reaves and Jake LaRavia worked out together this offseason. Both players have the same agent and have a close relationship, so it’s safe to assume Reaves put in a good word for the Lakers.
Now that LaRavia is officially a member of the Lakers, Reaves took to social media to welcome the fourth-year forward to the team.
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