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The Los Angeles Lakers might have their sights set on Kyrie Irving, but that shouldn’t stop them from concluding other business while they try to figure things out.
Especially since it’s clear the team needs to continue getting younger after a disappointing end to last season. According to Ben Stinar of Sports Illustrated, one player who the Lakers should be taking a closer look at, is former lottery pick Josh Jackson, who is currently a free agent.
“There is no question that Jackson can score the ball, but his efficiency has been very poor. In 291 games, he has a solid career average of 11.1 points per game. However, it’s on 41.6% shooting from the field and less than 30% shooting from the three-point range. In a bench role, with the right supporting cast, he could turn into a productive player,” Stinar wrote on July 26.
Jackson split his time between the Detroit Pistons and Sacramento Kings last season, participating in a total of 51 regular-season games, and starting three of them. Throughout the season, Jackson averaged 6.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per contest while shooting 40% from the field but just 25.4% from deep.
Does Jackson Fit the Lakers’ Needs
One of the biggest issues within the Lakers roster last season was their lack of floor spacing around Russell Westbrook, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis. Given Jackson’s career three-point percentage being a paltry 29.2%, he wouldn’t be fulfilling that specific need off the bench.
However, Jackson, 25, does bring athleticism, youth, and some legitimate size to the equation, and could be a useful bench scorer if given the opportunity to utilize his frame when slashing toward the rim. According to Cleaning The Glass, the Kansas alumn is at his best when finishing within four feet of the basket, converting 61% of his attempts this past season.
So, if Darvin Ham is looking for his team to continually pressure the rim, and attack the paint Jackson would be a viable option on a minimum deal. However, if the coaching staff still believes that the roster needs additional shooters, it would be advisable for Los Angeles to look elsewhere.
Lakers Likely Waiting on Irving Before Making Other Moves
Unfortunately, despite the clear rebuilding project that was undertaken at the start of the summer, the Lakers seem to be standing pat on making any further roster moves until Kyrie Irving’s future is decided, one way or another.
However, according to a July 25 report by Shams Charania, on the Pat McAfee show, it looks like Irving will be remaining with the Nets until the end of his current contract.
From everything I’ve been told, Kyrie Irving has made his intent, he wants to play out next season in Brooklyn and be an unrestricted free agent next summer,” Charania told McAfee on July 25.
So, if the Lakers are waiting on a resolution to Irving’s future, it may be worth making one final call to the Brooklyn Nets front office, because if both parties are committed to seeing out the remainder of the season, at least the Lakers can continue to rebuild their roster into a rotation they believe can challenge for an NBA championship.
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