NBA forward Jake LaRavia stands out as an offseason acquisition for the Los Angeles Lakers who has flown under the radar. He and the Lakers agreed to a two-year, $12 million deal this summer, and he could prove to be an important depth piece for Los Angeles this coming season.
LaRavia recently spoke with folks over at Lakers Nation and unveiled some details of a phone call he had with Lakers head coach J.J. Redick. It isn’t entirely clear whether LaRavia had committed to the Lakers yet at the time of the call.
“I mean, when we were on the phone and he had first called me, I had told him — I was like, ‘Dude, I used to watch you,'” LaRavia said. “It’s so cool for that to happen in any way.
“Even with players, it’s like, I grew up watching you, and now I get to play alongside you. Or I grew up watching you, and now I’m guarding you. And now, it’s like, I grew up watching you, and now you’re my coach.
“And even from watching him back then, being a movement shooter, and you don’t even really see that kinda archetype anymore where it’s just like the constant movement, off-ball sharpshooter.
“So, I think in that way, because I haven’t really fully developed into that kinda shooter yet, where I’m lower volume right now, I think he can maximize my game into where I’m taking more attempts per game, maintaining that 40 percent 3-point shooting average and then just becoming an elite shooter at a high volume.”
Maybe LaRavia’s trademark NBA skill is his ability to score the ball from behind the 3-point arc. After all, he’s a career 37.1 percent 3-point shooter in the NBA and shot an impressive 42.3 percent from deep across 66 combined contests with the Memphis Grizzlies and Sacramento Kings last season.
He should become one of L.A.’s best 3-point shooters, as no player shot better than 41.3 percent from deep for the iconic Lakers organization last season.
His penchant for scoring the ball from behind the arc could prove to be especially valuable playing alongside two elite scorers and playmakers in forward LeBron James and guard Luka Doncic. Because Doncic and James draw so much attention from defenses, LaRavia is likely to find himself shooting plenty of open 3s in the 2025-26 campaign.
LaRavia mentioned to Lakers Nation that he wants to increase his volume as a 3-point shooter, and it would be interesting to see if his scoring efficiency would take a hit with a higher volume. When he took a career-high 4.5 shots per game from deep with the Grizzlies in the 2023-24 season, his accuracy left a little bit to be desired, considering he buried 34.0 percent of his 3s.
Regardless of whether one of LaRavia’s goals for the coming season should be to shoot more 3s or not, a career year for him in the 2025-26 campaign feels very much within the realm of possibility.
Maybe he has found a long-term NBA home with the Lakers and will stick around with the team beyond his current contract.
