Lakers’ latest undrafted signing has all the makings of a hidden gem

If there is one thing the Los Angeles Lakers have consistently been great at in recent years it is finding hidden gems in unusual situations. Whether it be late draft picks or outside the draft altogether, there are several examples that make the Lakers’ scouting team one of the best in the sport.

Los Angeles has brought two of the most prolific undrafted players into the league in recent years. Alex Caruso was the first undrafted success story and after he unfortunately left, Los Angeles decided to find another gem in Austin Reaves.

Very few undrafted players actually work out for their respective teams but the Lake Show has earned the benefit of the doubt. When the team signs someone who can be something special it is worth noting. That is why Lakers fans should take notice of the latest undrafted signing, D’Moi Hodge.

D’Moi Hodge could be special for the Los Angeles Lakers

There are two things that any role player can do in the NBA to get minutes in a playoff rotation. That is shoot threes and play solid defense. If someone can do both of those things at a high level then chances are they will work out in some capacity in the NBA.

That is exactly what D’Moi Hodge would offer the Lakers if he makes the team. He does not have a massively high ceiling and isn’t going to be a future all-star but he has all the makings of being someone who plays an important role in a playoff rotation five years from now.

Some Lakers fans have called Hodge a Kentavious Caldwell-Pope clone and it is easy to see why. Hodge was one of the best defensive players in all of college basketball last season as he was a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award, which is given to college basketball’s best defensive player.

Hodge is a bit on the smaller side at six-foot-four so he will not offer a defensive wing presence but he still has all the tools to thrive as a perimeter defender in the same way that KCP (or Caruso for that matter) did.

The 24-year-old guard is also more advanced offensively than Caruso was when he came into the league. Hodge is not going to be someone who creates his own shot often or takes over games but he can be a reliable off-ball shooter that benefits from the gravitational pull of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Hodge shot 40% from three in 7.1 attempts per game for Missouri last season. You don’t shoot that well from three in that many attempts by accident.

And best of all, Hodge might be ready to contribute right away as a backend rotation guy, at least in the regular season. Because of his age, Hodge is further along in his developmental process and the maturity leap of playing in the NBA isn’t going to be as big for a 24-year-old as it would be a 20-year-old.

Granted, he has to earn his roster spot in the Summer League but there is a real chance that Hodge turns heads like Austin Reaves did two years ago.