Grading the Los Angeles Lakers signing of Damian Jones
By Jonny Camer
NBA free agency is officially underway. Players are getting re-signed or finding new homes. This is the moment Los Angeles Lakers fans have been waiting for. The team has made its first official signing by bringing in 27-year-old Damian Jones.
Lakers fans may remember the former Vanderbilt basketball star, who played briefly for the team in 2021. The Lake show will look to add more players to retool this roster, but they’re making it clear they want to compete this season.
Grading the Los Angeles Lakers signing of Damian Jones
Jones has a great start to his 27th birthday by signing with one of the best franchises in league history. The former first-round pick is an excellent addition to this team. The center is coming off his best season with the Sacramento Kings, averaging 8.1 PPG and 4.4 RPG. He looked good this season as he shot almost 70 percent on 2-point attempts and even expanded his game shooting a career-high from three.
The former NBA champion excels at finishing around the rim. His soft touch and post moves are definitely a plus for this team. As a real interior finisher off the bench, Jones could provide the Lakers with some solid output.
Jones will look to play some solid rotational minutes with this team. The team struggled to have solid center play between Deandre Jordan and Dwight Howard. Jones comes in immediately and is a piece new head coach Darvin Hame can use.
His floor spacing ability is something this team desperately needed last season. Though he wasn’t the best three-point shooting center last year, he was still above average. The 6’10” big man also has plenty of this time this offseason to continue working on that three-point shot.
It’s also a breath of fresh air to see some youth on one of the older teams in the league. The young athletic big man will be a change from what the Lakers saw this past season.
With everything being said, I will give the Lakers an A- on this signing. The only reason this isn’t an A+ is that he isn’t the best defender in the world. He is in no way a bad defender, but it would’ve been ideal if he was a better rim protector and shot blocker. Overall, Lakers fans should be thrilled for the addition of Damian Jones.