Ranking each Lakers free agency signing by impact next season

4. Damian Jones

This is not Damian Jones’ first stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. Most fans likely recall that Jones spent some time with the team during the 2020-21 season after signing some 10-day contracts. Jones ended up playing just eight games with the Lakers and actually played quite well.

It was nothing that was revolutionary, but he did play well enough to earn himself a roster spot with the team. That ultimately did not happen, though, as Jones signed with the Sacramento Kings and spent last season there as well.

While Jones may have surprised some people as a 10-day contract signing two seasons ago, we should not let that overvalue what he brings to the table this upcoming season. Jones is the team’s backup center and he likely is not going to get big playing time.

There are two telling signs as to why that is the case. First is the simple fact that the team has Anthony Davis, who is going to play a lot of minutes in the front court. Sure, he might not be a traditional five, but having Davis is going to naturally take away minutes from the backup five.

The second is that the team is reportedly interested in Myles Turner, who would slot in as the starting center. This indicates that the team does not view the center position as complete and that, at the end of the day, Jones is a depth guy more than anything else.

And that is fine! There is nothing wrong with that. Jones averaged 18.2 minutes per game last season and on the Lakers, I would project him to get around 15.