With one win down and three to go, the Los Angeles Lakers' focus shifts to Game 2 of their first-round series with the Houston Rockets. Game 1 was a dominant showing from the Lakers, led by Luke Kennard's 27 points on 5-for-5 shooting from 3-point land. His hot shooting from deep shut the door on the Rockets.
Repeating that recipe in Game 2 is unlikely. With the Lakers shooting 52.6 percent from deep in Game 1, Houston is going to prioritize running shooters like Kennard and Rui Hachimura off the perimeter.
Situations like this, where shooters are doubled or are forced to drive, open up opportunities for some of LA's less reliable 3-point threats to get clean open looks from beyond the arc. This is where Jake LaRavia can leave his imprint on this series.
Through the 2025-26 regular season, LaRavia has been one of LA's most impactful rotational pieces.
Since the All-Star break, the Wake Forest product is fifth on the team in total plus-minus behind the team's three stars and Marcus Smart. His ability to stuff the stat sheet and make winning plays like diving for loose balls hasn't gone unnoticed, but his struggles from 3-point range have held him back. If he can cash in from distance in Game 2, the Lakers could take a commanding lead in this series.
Jake LaRavia could be the Lakers' biggest X-factor in Game 2
In the regular season, LaRavia shot 32.1 percent from triple on 3.0 attempts per game, which isn't going to cut it against Houston.
Even more disappointing was how poorly he shot from the corner, being in the 14th percentile among forwards in corner 3-point percentage according to Cleaning the Glass. But Lakers fans shouldn't lose all hope, as throughout his career, and at times this season, LaRavia has been knocking down from outside.
Most recently, against the Golden State Warriors in the third-to-last game of the Lakers' regular season, he went 4-for-5 from deep and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and four stocks (steals + blocks). He also finished with a team-high plus-29.
All of this showed that when his overall impact is supported by a good shooting night, the Lakers have a real x-factor in LaRavia. Pair that with a career 37.1 3-point percentage in college and him shooting 42.3 percent from long range last season, there's reason for Lakers fans to be optimistic.
Don't be surprised if, whenever Kennard initiates the offense from the point of attack, the Rockets show two. With Houston being a bottom-level 3-point shooting team this season, keeping that margin close matters a ton in this series. The biggest threat to that is Kennard.
So, on top of the attention LeBron James is drawing as a driver now, Kennard will be a focus too. That will create plenty of opportunities for LaRavia to make Houston pay on the deep ball.
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