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The Los Angeles Lakers have signed Kostas Antetokounmpo, the brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo, to a two-way contract as one of the final additions to their 2019-20 roster. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that the Lakers initially claimed Antetokounmpo off waivers.
“The Los Angeles Lakers have claimed Kostas Antetokounmpo off free agency waivers, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium…Kostas Antetokounmpo — the younger brother of NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo — heads to the Lakers on a two-way deal,” Charania tweeted.
As the two-way deal indicates, Antetokounmpo is a bit of a project and played in just two games last season for the Mavericks. Antetokounmpo averaged 1 point, 1 steal and .5 rebounds in those contests. He also played in the G-League for the Texas Legends averaging 10.6 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.3 blocks last season.
Lakers Roster & Projected Starting Lineup 2019-20
C: DeMarcus Cousins, JaVale McGee
PF: Anthony Davis, Jared Dudley, Johnathan Williams (RFA)
SF: Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Talen Horton-Tucker
SG: Danny Green, Troy Daniels, Alex Caruso
PG: LeBron James, Rajon Rondo, Quinn Cook
Two-Way: Kostas Antetokounmpo, Zach Norvell
Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle noted that Antetokounmpo needed to develop a “consistent motor.” We will see if the Lakers are able to get the most out of Antetokounmpo with the change of scenery.
“He needs to develop that consistent motor,” Rick told ESPN. “His brother is a great example of that. Kostas has made significant improvements, particularly over the last few weeks, and that’s one of the reasons he’s on this trip. He’s earned it.”
Antetokounmpo noted to The Undefeated that he received a good bit of advice from Isaiah Thomas who was also a late draft pick.
“[Thomas] just told me get to work,” Antetokounmpo explained to The Undefeated. “Work hard and play hard. It doesn’t matter if you’re the No. 1 pick or undrafted. You define your game, not your pick.”
LeBron James Is Expected to Start the Season at Point Guard
LeBron James is expected to have a bit of a position change and start the season at point guard. This move could allow the Lakers to start both DeMarcus Cousins and Kyle Kuzma in the lineup. Yahoo Sports Chris Haynes detailed James’ potential position change.
The new-look Los Angeles Lakers are heading into the 2019-20 season with the intention of starting LeBron James at point guard, league sources told Yahoo Sports.
James, 34, will be entering his 17th NBA season and is prepared to become the floor general in an effort to maximize a roster that’s suddenly built to contend for a championship with the addition of All-Star forward Anthony Davis and a few complementary pieces.
There will be a lot for Lakers fans to watch as the 2019-20 season starts. L.A. has put together almost an entirely new roster around James after year-one of the LeBron era failed miserably. Thanks to the trade for Anthony Davis, James has a lot more talent around him. We will see if James’ second year wearing purple and gold can result in a deep playoff run.
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