2. Troy Brown Jr.
Almost no one has fit better into their role this season than Troy Brown Jr. He has masked the Lakers’ glaring need for a wing over 6’5″ in their rotation by being able to step in right away and contribute.
The most impressive part of Brown Jr.’s game so far this season has been his ability to crash the boards to help out the big men down low. He is averaging just below five rebounds a game, ranking fourth on the team in total rebounds.
Even though he has had a recent rough patch, he has also been very efficient on the offensive end, shooting 33.3 percent from 3-point range, 45.2 from the field, and 100 percent from the free-throw line. That’s right, he is shooting 100 percent from the line, sure it is only on 11 attempts, but his success from the charity stripe is much needed on one of the worst all-around shooting teams in the league.
On defense, he has the athletic ability and size to compete with most players on the wing but lacks the experience and top-tier intangibles to lock down the stars at that position. At just 23, he has plenty of time to improve and he is the type of player the Lakers should look to lock up for a few years to fill their black hole of a void at small forward behind LeBron James.