NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates 
After the Lakers’ front office doled out hundreds of millions of dollars in contracts, many fans were left wondering how many of these players could realistically outperform their contracts.
Here are four new Lakers and one returning player who look well positioned to obliterate the national media’s low expectations and a cautious local fanbase that’s been burned once too often.
Advertisement
Note: Since cheaper rookie deals are locked in, recent draft picks like Cameron Carr, Bronny James, Dalton Knecht and Adou Thiero were left out.
Defense-starved Lakers fans have dreamed about adding Matisse for years. Now, an injury-filled career has left him playing for LA on a minimum deal right in the middle of his prime.
Availability will always be a concern. But the former All-NBA defender has one trait that will position him to outplay that minimum deal: He’s the best at what he does on the entire team.
A look at Thybulle’s numbers reveals an impossibly high steal rate combined with an increasingly reliable three-point shot. He’s also shown the ability to defend up and down, offering head coach JJ Redick a level of versatility he had in Marcus Smart, only in a taller and younger package.
Advertisement
Injuries could once again have Matisse in street clothes for much of the upcoming season. But if he can regain some level of health like Smart did last year, LA could end up with a rotation-level wing fighting for one of the team’s 2027 exceptions.
Besides injuries, one sure-fire way to make fans crazy is consistently missing wide-open 3-point shots. So, no one was surprised when many ended last season ready to move on from the once promising “Jake of All Trades.”
Still, there are several reasons to believe LaRavia can have a significant bounceback season.
First, he is still relatively young, with his 25th birthday coming just a few days into the regular season. Second, Jake spent his first three years on relatively aimless teams, forcing him to develop lasting NBA skills and habits in less-than-optimal environments.
Advertisement
Third, before his mid-season collapse, LaRavia looked poised to build on his career-best prior…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/5-lakers-poised-exceed-expectations-152400117.html
Author :
Publish date : 2026-09-14 15:24:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
