Lakers: 4 best free-agent point guards to sign after missing on Kyrie, Wall
By Jason Reed
1. Delon Wright
You could definitely make the case that Delon Wright should be ranked lower on this list but either way, he is someone who the Los Angeles Lakers should definitely be interested in. He is unlike the other players on this list though as he probably would not be able to “take over” as the full-time starting point guard if the team were to buyout Russell Westbrook.
However, if the Lakers were able to just get another player who could handle the basketball, Wright could be someone who could play big minutes and make a big difference. Why? Wright is one of the best defensive guards in the game and the Lakers are severely missing that defensive presence without Alex Caruso.
Wright averaged 2.3 steals per 36 minutes last season and posted a 2.4 Defensive Box Plus/Minus with a career number of 1.7. Those are elite numbers that are in the same tier as Alex Caruso and Matisse Thybulle as it is undeniable that he is an elite defensive presence on the perimeter.
The entire reason why he is a potential target for the Lakers, though, is that he is virtually a zero on the offensive side of the court. Wright averaged just 4.4 points in 18.9 minutes per game last season.
That being said, Wright still has a decent three-point shot (37.3% over the last three years) and has shown that he can be more of a scoring presence off the bench if that is what his team needs. It is not ideal to run the offense through Wright, but he can absolutely be an off-ball player while LeBron is running the offense.
Los Angeles should still be looking to bring in shooters and other types of role players but they should not be ignoring defense like they did last season. That is why Wright is ranked number one.