Community Shootaround: Lakers’ No. 2 Option

The Lakers will have enough salary-cap space to sign another top-level free agent next summer and there’s sure to be plenty of speculation about who will join LeBron James in Los Angeles. Will it be Kevin Durant? Kawhi Leonard? Jimmy Butler? Klay Thompson? DeMarcus Cousins?

However, there’s still a full season to be played before those stars hit the market. Someone will have to emerge as the No. 2 scoring option from the current roster and establish himself as a top-level performer in his own right.

After securing a commitment from James, the Lakers front office brought in an eclectic mix of free agents on short-term deals. It’s more likely that James’ right-hand man will be one of the young holdovers.

Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma are the most obvious candidates. Ingram, the second overall pick of the 2016 draft, showed significant improvement in his second season. He averaged 16.1 PPG and shot 47% from the field and 39% from long range. He also display playmaking ability by averaging nearly four assists per contest.

Kuzma made an immediate impact despite lasting until the 27th pick of the 2017 draft. The stretch four also averaged 16.1 PPG last season while connecting on 45% of his attempts and 36.6% from deep.

It’s logical to assume they’ll play together when the Lakers go small; in more conventional looks, one or the other will be on the bench when James is on the court.

That could open up the possibility of a guard becoming the secondary option. If that’s the case, then Kentavious Caldwell-Pope could wind up as the second-leading scorer. Caldwell-Pope averaged 13.4 PPG in his first season with the Lakers and re-signed on a one-year deal. He’s improved steadily as a 3-point threat, making a career-best 38.3% last season.

And while Lonzo Ball‘s first year in the league didn’t go as smoothly as planned, the Lakers thought enough of him to use the No. 2 overall pick last summer on him. His shot needs a lot of work but he’s always a threat to post a triple-double and he’ll play more off the ball with the additions of James and Rajon Rondo.

That leads us to our question of the day: Who will emerge as the Lakers’ No. 2 scoring option during the upcoming season?

Please take to the comments section to weigh in on this topic. We look forward to what you have to say.

View Comments (15)