Best available restricted guards
2. Tyus Jones (restricted)
Jones has spent his entire 4-year career in Minnesota trying to carve out a role as the Timberwolves backup point guard. His stats (7 PPG, 5 APG, 2 RPG) don’t jump off the page and his 3-point stroke (32%) needs work, but he’s a sneaky good point guard.
Jones can run an offense. He uses good burst to get to the rim and he also knows how to run the pick and roll.
He’s also a solid defender (0.70 in ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus, which was 17th out of 90 point guards) who has the speed and athleticism to stay in front of his assignment.
Jones would be a great pick up for the Lakers, but he’s a restricted free agent, so it might be hard for the Purple and Gold to snag him.
1. Delon Wright (restricted)
Wright’s a 6-5 point guard who played for Toronto and then Memphis last season.
He’s an expert at getting to the rim, where he finishes 64% of his shots. The one glaring hole in his offensive repertoire is his outside stroke. Last season he shot under 30% from deep, which makes his fit on the Lakers iffy.
Defensively, Wright is very good. He leverages his height and reach to bother opposing point guards. Last season he had a 107 defensive rating and a 1.9 defensive box plus/minus. Compare his numbers last season to Lonzo Ball’s (109 DEFRTG and 1.5 DBPM) and it’s clear to see that Delon could be special for the Lakers on the less glamorous side of the ball.
Like Tyus Jones, Wright is a restricted free agent, so the Lakers might not be able to land him either.