The Lakers will regret not signing Jay Huff
This is another example where the Lakers had Jay Huff in the organization and let him slip for reasons that are beyond understanding. Yes, the Lakers have a great track record of evaluating talent and should be trusted but letting Huff walk doesn’t make much sense.
Huff has not proven much at the NBA level but he has been nothing short of fantastic in the G League. That should be worth something and with the Lakers’ player development, they could have gotten something special out of Huff.
The G League Defensive Player of the Year would have provided the Lakers with exactly what the team is looking for. He can space the floor and give the team a different outlook than Jaxson Hayes but can also play serviceable defense on the other end.
The NBA is obviously more difficult than the G League but Huff could have definitely given the Lakers 15 solid minutes of rim protection. Heck, Huff could have even proven enough to move into the starting five since the Lakers are planning on running a two-big lineup again.
Huff only signed a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets. Los Angeles absolutely could have signed him with a standard NBA contract. The Lakers probably could have signed him to a non-guaranteed standard contract as an insurance plan just in case.