So far, the one addition the Los Angeles Lakers have made this offseason in free agency is forward Jake LaRavia. LaRavia is a 23-year-old forward who stands 6-feet-7 and weighs 235 pounds, and he has had some stretches of promising play in his three seasons in the NBA.
There seem to be conflicting opinions on how effective a defender he is, although he has shown the ability to get steals and deflections. Perhaps his biggest skill is outside shooting — he made 42.3% of his 3-point attempts during the 2024-25 season while with the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings.
LaRavia averaged 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 0.9 steals in 20.4 minutes a game this past season. At first glance, he may not seem to be a true replacement for 3-and-D forward Dorian Finney-Smith, who decided to leave and join the Houston Rockets.
But two executives had some true praise for him.
Via The Athletic:
“‘Everyone can use a player like him,’ one Western Conference executive told The Athletic.
“Another executive praised LaRavia’s toughness, his shooting and promising skills as a playmaker off the dribble.”
LaRavia attended Indiana State University and Wake Forest University, and in his final season in the NCAA, he put up 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game while shooting 55.9% from the field and 38.4% from downtown. He could have some real potential as a glue guy off the bench for the Lakers moving forward.
He reportedly agreed to join them on a contract that will pay him $12 million over two seasons.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Two NBA executives think highly of new Lakers forward Jake LaRavia
Reporting by Robert Marvi, LeBron Wire / LeBron Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
