Lakers: 5 reasons why Maurice Harkless is a great free agent target
By Robert Marvi
1. He can defend
As far as I’m concerned, this is the biggest reason to sign Harkless.
He has a reputation as a strong defensive player, not just in terms of man-to-man defense, but also in team defense.
He not only has the ability to stop or bother his man, but to also block shots at times and get deflections.
When you look at the rest of the NBA, there’s an abundance of star and superstar wings who the Lakers will have to deal with at some point of the 2021 NBA Playoffs.
Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Luka Doncic, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Kevin Durant and Jimmy Butler will be standing in the way of a repeat championship for L.A.
A strong wing defender with length and athleticism is of critical importance, especially since James is getting up there in age and is unable (and unwilling) to play elite-level defense at all times. After all, he does have to pace himself at this point of his career.
Harkless not only has length, but he also weighs about 220 pounds, which gives him the girth and strength to body up the players mentioned above.
Next. Stars to pair with AD post-LeBron James. dark
As we all know, defense wins championships, and signing Harkless would go a long way towards keeping the Lakers among the NBA’s elite defensive squads.