Jake LaRavia is heading to Hollywood. The 23-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers for $12 million. What makes him an exciting prospect for the Lakers is his defensive versatility, with accurate outside shooting. Therefore, he would be a crucial addition as a new forward for the LA Lakers. But before this move, what has been the story of Jake LaRavia? What does stats tell us about the new forward who arrived at the Crypto.com Arena? Here’s everything you can know about the power/small forward.
Jake LaRavia: Team History and Movement
Jake LaRavia marked his NBA career after getting drafted as the 19th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. But soon, his draft rights were immediately traded to the Memphis Grizzlies. As part of the trade, Memphis sent the 22nd overall Walker Kessler and 29th overall TyTy Washington to Minnesota.
The youngster began his 2024–25 season with the Memphis Grizzlies. He appeared in 47 games for the Grizz, recording an average of 7.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists.
At the trade deadline, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings. He featured in 19 games for the Kings, bringing his season total to 66 games. In the 19 games for Sacramento, LaRavia averaged 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
If combining both teams and his total of 66 games, LaRavia averaged 6.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game over 20.4 minutes. He recorded a field goal percentage of 47.5%. The youngster shot 42.3% from three-point range (averaging about 2.2 attempts per game).
During his time with the Memphis Grizzlies, he notably improved his three-point shooting. He recorded 44.4% on 1.9 attempts, and therefore got some solid numbers right after the trade to the Sacramento Kings, where he got 38.5% on 2.0 attempts per game.
Role and Style
LaRavia joins the LA Lakers roster as a valuable “3-and-D” bench forward. These types of players are good at shooting three-pointers (3) and are part of a strong defense (D). Therefore, he has the efficient skill of spot-up shooting, multi-positional defense, and good passing.
The narrative that talks with the Kings about an extension did not materialize, leading to him signing with L.A., is substantiated by NBA and team news reports.
No Playoff Experience
An interesting fact is that Jake LaRavia does not come with playoffs experience. This comes even after the Memphis Grizzlies made it to the playoffs. The Grizzlies faced his current team, the Los Angeles Lakers in the first-round series of 2023 Playoffs.
Unfortunately, Jake LaRavia missed out on featuring in the playoffs after sustaining a right calf soreness. He could only witness his then-team, the Grizzlies losing to the Lakers 4-2 in a fixture that went till Game 6.
But now, things can change. He joins a team that is famed for featuring in the Playoffs and even winning the NBA multiple times. With teammates like LeBron James and Luka Doncic, Jake LaRavia can learn from their skills and experience, to become an integral part of the Lakers team, for a good amount in the future. The Lakers can capitalize on LaRavia’s skills and utilize him as a vital rotational player from the bench, as he continues to mature and possibly take the helm of Los Angeles Lakers.
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