The Los Angeles Lakers have made it a point this offseason to add youth to the roster. All five of the free agents the Lakers have signed are under 30 with three of the five being under the age of 25. This is a welcomed sign from the old players that occupied the team last season.
However, this is not the only area where the Lakers have differed from last season. Los Angeles had quite a few consistent three-point shooters who shot over 37% from three last season. Those players, though, did not play good defense and left the team one-dimensional.
Los Angeles swung the pendulum back in the other direction as nobody who the team has signed this offseason is really that good of a shooter. Granted, there is potential that the team is going to add Joe Harris and/or Seth Curry in a Kyrie Irving trade but that is not a guarantee. LA needs shooting.
Here are 3 sharpshooters the Lakers can still pursue in free agency:
1. Ben McLemore
Another trend that the Lakers have had thus far this offseason is signing Klutch Sports clients. As much as the team wants to deny it, LeBron James and Klutch Sports have influence over the decisions being made and that is why more Klutch clients are joining the team.
Ben McLemore isn’t just a Klutch client but he is also a former Laker. Rob Pelinka has brought ins several former Lakers over the last two years, including Thomas Bryant this summer. McLemore appeared in 21 games with the Lakers during the 2020-21 season.
McLemore only shot 36.2% from three last season but that seems to be his floor as a three-point shooter at this point in his career. While he did not shoot great last time he was on the Lakers, he did post back-to-back seasons with the Rockets in which he shot above 40% from three. That was only three years ago.
Age is also on McLemore’s side as he is 29 years old and turns 30 during the season. He might not be as young as other Lakers but he certainly is not old in the NBA world.
2. Nemanja Bjelica
The Los Angeles Lakers need to continue looking for size that can shoot this offseason and quite frankly, the team should be looking for someone who can log minutes at the power forward position. Wenyen Gabriel is the only other option at the four other than Anthony Davis and he is not the best role player.
Gabriel had some promising spurts last season but the Lakers definitely should not be trusting him to be the only backup option at the four. LA needs more size and needs a shooter. Nemanja Bjelica would provide both.
Bjelica is a five in today’s NBA because of his size but he is someone who could play the four next to Anthony Davis, could play the four next to Thomas Bryant/Damian Jones or could even offer a five presence in a smaller lineup. Regardless, he might not be the most dynamic offensive scorer but he plays decent defense and can shoot threes off the ball.
Bjelica is a career 38.4% shooter from beyond the arc and he shot 36.2% from three last season. He was a better shooter last season than his numbers indicate as he started the season red hot and eventually saw that number creep down as the season went along.
The Lakers would not need Bjelica to come in and play 25 minutes a game. However, getting another size option with a jump shot that can play 15 minutes a game would be great for the team.
3. Lou Williams
Lou Williams might not be a sharpshooter by the typical definition of the word. He is not someone who is going to be a deadeye from three off the ball like some other shooting options in the league. However, he is someone that, even at his older age, can still create his own shot.
Williams may not fit the youth movement in LA but adding one more veteran to the mix is not a bad thing. Plus, to continue typical Rob Pelinka behavior, the Lakers would be signing someone who was formerly on the team.
Williams’ career three-point percentage is not the best as he was a high-volume shooter for most of his NBA career. However, his shooting has gotten more efficient as he has leaned into being a veteran role player. Williams is shooting 38.5% from three in 2.3 attempts per game over the last two years.
Retirement is not completely off the table for Williams but it does seem like he wants to play. In fact, the Lakers seem like a perfect fit for the veteran guard. Earlier in the offseason, Williams said the following about his playing future (h/t Joey Linn, SI):
"“If I continue to hoop, it’s going to be because I find a situation that feels good, that feels right, is organic, is somewhere where I can grow still as a player, is somewhere where my influence can be used for younger guys. And you can still use me on the floor or not, I can be there as a conduit for what you got going on, it’s just gotta be beneficial.”"
Not only are there a lot of young guys on this roster that Williams could work with but he would also be in contention for the first championship of his career. If that is not enough reason to collect a $2.4 million paycheck then I don’t know what is.
2022 free agency proves just how horrible the Lakers roster was last year
Eight players who combined for over 6,100 regular-season minutes last year with the Los Angeles Lakers have not been offered a contract.
There are a lot of things that are worse than getting a veteran Williams to play 12 minutes a game and help some of the young guys like Lonnie Walker IV.