Jonathan Kuminga opting to join the Minnesota Timberwolves has created a vacancy at starting forward with the Los Angeles Lakers that screams opportunity for a number of players. Jake LaRavia could secure that gig quickly if his jumper can come back around.
If the Lakers are planning to deploy Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Quentin Grimes, and Walker Kessler as the other four starters, they do not need anything absurd from that last starter. They are just asking for a player who can prioritize the defensive end and finish scoring opportunities when they come. LaRavia has half the equation down.
The defensive end was a strongpoint for him in 2025-26. When it comes to guarding his matchups, LaRavia can stay in front of his man with solid effectiveness. His energy on that side of the court is easy to spot. The Lakers forward fits what the team is looking for.
Offense is a different story. There was a lot of optimism around how LaRavia could fit in with the Lakers when Rob Pelinka signed him in the 2025 offseason. The initial returns were promising, too. The sound of his log ball attempts clanking off the rim haunted fans in Los Angeles last season. If that can change leading up to the new campaign, the 24-year-old has a path to regular starting minutes.
Jake LaRavia bouncing back as a shooter would give Lakers a clear fifth starter
LaRavia arrived as a free agent in Los Angeles after shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the arc in the 2024-25 season. Everyone should have read the fine print. That would be the part where that figure came on only 2.2 attempts from deep.
In 2025-26 with the Lakers, LaRavia upped that number to 3.0 shots from downtown per night, and the effectiveness of knocking those attempts down dropped to only 32.1 percent. That wound up being his worst season as a 3-point shooter during his career.
His playoff percentage of 28.6 on those same looks was even worse.
The added problem here was that LaRavia was getting great opportunities. During the regular season, 2.3 of his 3-points attempts were wide open. The closest defenders on those shots were more than six feet away. Despite that, the Lakers forward was only knocking down 31.6 percent on those takes.
Jake needs a jumper. It is simple as that.
LaRavia problem himself to be effective, by the numbers, as a finisher in 2025-26. He shot 72.1 percent at the rim. The majority of his shot diet came behind the 3-point line, though. LaRavia took 46.5 percent of his attempts from deep.
If the young forward can level out the percentages and shoot a mark around league average, there is a solid case for him to be the starter among a forward group that carries plenty of question marks. LaRavia's biggest area of doubt is that jumper. Start making that shot and the starting job could easily be his.
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