Los Angeles Lakers: 3 potential veteran minimum guards to target
By Jason Reed
Los Angeles Lakers veteran minimum guard targets: 2. J.J. Barea
If the Los Angeles Lakers do move on from Rajon Rondo and do not re-sign Dion Waiters if they do not get a chance to see how he fits with the team then the Lakers are not going to have any traditional point guards with experience.
Alex Caruso is an option but his lack of experience as well as him not really being a facilitator to be that second ball-handler behind LeBron hurts his chances. Quinn Cook is fine as a bench three-point specialist, but that is all he really is. Talen Horton-Tucker has zero tangible NBA experience and should not be thrown to the wolves in that matter.
Avery Bradley is the only one that has tangible experience but he has always been more of a two-guard in the NBA.
If this is the case, it does not hurt to bring in a veteran point guard to play a handful of minutes per game while also taking the likes of Caruso and Horton-Tucker under his wing. If that is the case, the Lakers do not want to break the bank and someone such as J.J. Barea could be a good fit.
Barea, who also has a championship to his name, has been in the league for 14 seasons and is heading into his age 36 season next year. This season, he is averaging 15 minutes, 7.5 points and 3.8 assists in just 26 games played.
Barea tore his Achilles during the 2018-19 season but all signs are pointing to Barea feeling completely healthy, so there should not be any concerns about his production next season.
Barea’s role on the Lakers could be exactly what it is for the Mavericks this season. He can come off the bench, play around 15 minutes per game and serve as the motor of the offense while LeBron is off the court. With a better three-point shot and more minutes given to Caruso, this could be a better outlook than keeping Rajon Rondo.