4 former Lakers who thrived last season and 2 who fell flat

Former Lakers player who thrived: Josh Hart

Josh Hart was traded to the New York Knicks at the deadline and it really did seem like he was born to be a Knick. His hustle and style of play instantly translated both for Tom Thibodeau as well as Knicks fans as he quickly became a fan favorite.

Hart also reunited with college teammate Jalen Brunson and the chemistry between the two players is off the charts. Hart might not be a star in this league but he is a playoff guy that every single team in the league would want to have. The Knicks would be foolish not to bring him back long-term this summer.

Hart makes the cut over several other Lakers that seemingly should be on the list but just narrowly missed the cut. Those players include:

Kyle Kuzma: Kuzma had a solid season but if you look at his numbers it really is not that much better than what he was doing before. He was a high-usage guy on a bad team that could score a lot without consequence.

Jordan Clarkson: Jordan Clarkson averaged 20 points per game for the first time in his career and while that is great he did it for a Utah team that missed the playoffs. Like Kuzma, it is easy to put up empty stats on a bad basketball team.

Julius Randle: Randle returned to all-star form this season after a down 2021-22 season. While Randle was undoubtedly solid this year, he has reached this level before and Knicks fans still seem to have their doubts in him when the going gets tough.