The Los Angeles Lakers need to sign a new backup point guard during the offseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers abused teams while LeBron James was on the court, outscoring their opponents by a total of 483 points. When LBJ sat, things weren’t as pretty. The Purple and Gold morphed from one of the most dominant teams in the league to a below-average squad. Overall, opposing units were 16 points better than the Lakers without LBJ.
You can chalk up some of that massive point swing to LeBron’s “GOAT-ness,” but it was also clear that the Lakers needed another point guard, someone who could keep the Lakers engine humming along when LBJ was on the bench getting a breather.
Rajon Rondo tried to keep the momentum going when “The King” rested, but he’s no longer a realistic option. He’s lethargic on defense, and he can’t create his own shot on offense.
Alex Caruso proved to be a great 3-and-D wing. He’ll occasionally get to the rack and make a spectacular play, but he’s not capable of running the Lakers offense against the elite defense squads in the NBA.
The Purple and Gold don’t have a viable backup point guard on the roster, a player who can run simple offensive sets, produce a high-quality shot when time is running out, and play adequate defense.
Everyone around the association expects Anthony Davis to resign for a max deal with the Lakers, which means Rob Pelinka and the rest of the front office will have little cash to work with over the offseason. The Purple and Gold won’t have the cap room to chase their dream backup point guard, but some intriguing free agent options could be willing to take a pay cut to pursue a chip with LBJ and AD.
We’ll rank three interesting point guard options for the Lakers to consider over the offseason.