After missing out on top free agents and trade targets, the topic of conversation surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers is the question of who will fill the open power forward role in the team’s starting lineup for next season.
With Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes, and Walker Kessler all projected to start for the Lakers next season, the coaching staff is expected to pick from one of the other forwards currently on the roster, and Jake LaRavia is a name that keeps coming up as a strong candidate for that role.
LaRavia did start on many occasions for the Lakers last season, his first with the team. However, after a subpar shooting year, his chances of joining the starting lineup hinge on his ability to get that aspect of his game down.
He shot well from three-point range earlier in his career, and whether or not he can hit that mark again could decide if he’s the right option to join the Lakers’ starting lineup for the 2026-27 campaign.
Jake LaRavia Could Join The Lakers Starting Lineup If He Starts Hitting Shots
Last season with Los Angeles, LaRavia averaged 8.2 points, four rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.3 steals in 82 games, including going just 32.1% from three-point range.
If LaRavia, or any other player on the Lakers roster, wants to join the starting lineup, they’ll need to hit outside shots. However, at least as it relates to this forward, he is coming off the worst shooting season of his career.
While his 35.1% career average has room to improve, LaRavia shot 42.3% from deep on more than two attempts per game with the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings in 2024-25, a surprising number considering that skill set wasn’t seen in his first year playing in the Purple and Gold.
Writing for LakeShowLife.com, Maxwell Ogden described how if LaRavia can get back to his pre-Lakers shooting numbers, he’s the exact fit to fill out the starting lineup, assuming that his best three-point shooting season wasn’t a fluke.
“Jake LaRavia finished the 2024-25 season among the most efficient shooters in the NBA, burying 42.3 percent of his three-point field goals. A year later, however, his jumper fell apart as the Los Angeles Lakers forward buried a mere 32.1 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc,” he wrote. “As the Lakers look for the best possible fit for the final spot in the starting lineup, LaRavia will decide his fate by answering a simple question: Which season was a fluke?”
There were several changing factors in play between his last two NBA seasons, making it tough to tell if the 42.3% or the 32.1% is his more accurate outside shooting percentage. Ogden added that if LaRavia is given more opportunities to shine, he’ll prove his true potential.
“The path to LaRavia rediscovering his efficiency as a shooter may very well depend on how well JJ Redick incorporates his other skills into the offense,” he wrote. “LaRavia may very well be the type of player who needs the chance to handle the ball and explore other facets of his game in order to develop a rhythm as a shooter.”
There’s a chance that, in a bigger role, LaRavia proves he is the missing piece in the Lakers’ starting lineup. There’s also a chance he proves he isn’t the right one for the job. LaRavia’s offense has been shaky throughout his tenure in the NBA, but he’s proven his value on the other end of the court.
Defense Isn’t An Issue To Play Starting Power Forward
Though his overall offensive skill set and outside shooting could be the biggest reason why LaRavia isn’t placed in the starting lineup, he has half of what Los Angeles is looking for to round out the starting lineup.
Throughout his early career and with the Lakers last season, LaRavia has proven to be a more than capable wing defender. He averaged 1.3 steals in just 25 minutes per game, and as Svyatoslav Rovenchuk explained, there’s no worry about whether he’ll struggle on that end of the floor.
“They are just asking for a player who can prioritize the defensive end and finish scoring opportunities when they come. LaRavia has half the equation down,” Rovenchuk wrote. “The defensive end was a strong point for him in 2025-26. When it comes to guarding his matchups, LaRavia can stay in front of his man with solid effectiveness. His energy on that side of the court is easy to spot. The Lakers forward fits what the team is looking for.”
Playing alongside Doncic and Reaves, the Lakers need someone like LaRavia who can pick up the pieces and guard multiple positions on that end. Though having a strong outside shooter would help, making sure the team doesn’t get crushed on the defensive end of the floor could be a more important reason to select LaRavia to join the Lakers’ starting lineup.
The offensive firepower is there with Doncic and Reaves, and if LaRavia can hit roughly 35% of his three-point shots, his defense should even out his limitations on the offensive end.
Sandro Mamukelashvili, Ziaire Williams, and Matisse Thybulle are the other options to play the starting power forward position for the Lakers next season, but LaRavia might have the strongest case out of all the candidates, especially if his outside shots start falling.
Jake LaRavia Poised For Open Lakers Starting Lineup Spot, Under One Condition