5 Things: Will Jake LaRavia Be the Steal of the Summer?

The Lakers have been walking a tightrope for so long when it comes to developing talent and retaining/acquiring top-tier talent they could give as Ted Talk on it. Some seasons have seen us go too far towards the vet side (the AARP Lakers squad of 2021-22) and of course, post Kobe, we were too young (the Baby Lakers who eventually moved on or became AD who became Luka). So you’ll have to forgive me if I wasn’t floored when it was announced we signed Jake LaRavia. I didn’t know the guy, not sure I’ve seen him play more than a handful of times, and wouldn’t have put him on a list. So let’s get into why this signing might be the steal of the summer.

1. Jake’s strengths as a player. I compare Jake to a more athletic version of Luka Walton. The do-everything glue man that played a pivotal role in 2 banners hung on the wall at Crypto. Jake, like Luke, does a littler bit of everything but none of it at an elite level. He’s a below league average shooter at 42.9% (league average last season was 46%) and a slightly above-average three point shooter (37.1% and the league average was 36%). His career averages in points (6.9), rebounds (3.3) and assists (1.7) certainly don’t scream “future All Star!!!” but they do show us a player who fits into the cracks and can help smooth out the rough edges in a bench role. All of that should be considered against the backdrop of his minutes per game (18.9 for his career) and how that number has tracked up every season to a career high 20.9 in Memphis prior to being traded to the floundering Sacramento Kings last season where he got hurt after 19 games and missed the remainder of the season. It can be said that there aren’t many weaknesses to Jake’s game. He competes on D, is capable scoring the rock, and seems to fit in well with a largely undefined role.
2. Jake’s only weakness seems to be a lack of overall aggression and excellence at any one thing. This makes his role on the Lakers more of a riddle because, with Luka, LeBron and Reaves, you need to be a plus defender and a solid three point shooter. Jake trends towards the bottom half of league average in terms of his overall defensive rating but he averages 1.4 steals/game for his career. That’s something to build off of and work around, especially in a bench role because it’s pretty certain he’ll be sharing time with Smart, Vando and a starter or two. The Lakers bench likely won’t win many scoring accolades but if they can be a lockdown, gritty defensive unit that could go a long way to finding some success this season. Jake can contribute to that kind of identity well, I believe.
3. A building block for the future? The first thing that jumped out at me when we signed Jake was that we were able to land a 23 year old with upside for a measly $6 million/year for 2 years. While he hasn’t started many games and missed the end of last season with an injury, you can see the ingredients in Jake’s game to be a solid 3rd or 4th option as a starter or a key contributor off the bench. What’s great about this signing, in my opinion, is the low risk/high reward factor. 23 years old, has a valued skill set, solid size on a very team-friendly deal. No options means we’re getting a solid player on a bargain deal who could very easily become a solid rotation player in the coming season, if not beyond. With the 2 year deal we get a great window where we can ascertain how he fits in alongside the future core of Luka and Austin.
4. Role on the Lakers this season. With guys like Austin, Rui, and LeBron James being eligible to become unrestricted free agents next season, it’s not hard to see a starting small forward spot opening up after this upcoming season. Cracking the starting five would take something of a miracle, at least for the 2025-26 season, however. After that? It’s anyone’s guess. Clearly the first thing you need to do as a Laker is fit in alongside Luka and, to a much lesser degree, Reaves. With his career shooting percentage 42.9% (not great) and his 3 point shooting percentage being 37.1% (decent, approaching solid) Jake has some work to do inside the arc to be a no-brainer fit in the starting five. I expect Jake to be the 2nd or third player off the bench, depending on whether Smart is available to play and how Vando’s role is shaped in camp. If Jarred Vanderbilt has gotten his hops back after two foot surgeries and two summers of rehabbing injuries, that bodes well for him. If he can hit the corner three at a 35-38% clip and provide his excellent hustle and defense and timely offensive rebounding Jake’s role gets even murkier. If Vando looks like he did last season there is a door open for Jake to walk through into a larger role on a world famous franchise.
5. All in all, it feels like the Lakers scored another bargain in terms of a young player with some decent upside left who could fill a position in the event that we make a late season trade or see a player or two sign elsewhere for more money in the summer of 2026. Reaves is all but guaranteed to return after the upcoming season because the return on the dollar for his skillset is in the garbage this year. It’s not good business to trade a $30+ million dollar talent when he’s on a $13.9 million dollar deal. You’re getting less than 50% of his estimated value back in a trade, that’s a really crappy return on the investment. Rui Hachimura, on the other hand, could see his role on the Lakers priced above his value and have to look elsewhere next summer. Time will tell. I’m always hard on the GM, they don’t take enough flak for building bad rosters and getting their coaches fired as a result. But for the money and draft capital available to us, Rob did a solid job securing solid talent for very team-friendly price points.