The Los Angeles Lakers quietly landed Jaden Hardy in the trade that sent Deandre Ayton to the Washington Wizards. Unfortunately, Hardy is a realistic candidate to find himself at the mercy of Los Angeles' need to trim its roster to 15 players as a fringe rotation piece with an unclear role.
If the Lakers spare Hardy from being cut, however, then they could finally fill the void that Luke Kennard wasn't able to as a volume shooter from beyond the arc.
Los Angeles' in-season acquisition of Kennard was a move that ultimately paid dividends in the short term and cost them dearly beyond that scope. He was a pivotal piece of the puzzle as the Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets to win their first playoff series since 2023.
Unfortunately, Kennard left mere months later via free agency, meaning the Lakers gave up a second-round draft pick for a rental and a second-round exit.
One of the primary revelations from the Kennard acquisition, however, was that he was never actually going to fill the volume shooting role they needed him to. He's a career 44.2 percent shooter from beyond the arc, but he also averaged just 1.6 conversions per game and 2.6 per 36 minutes over the past two seasons.
Thankfully, Hardy is a fearless and efficient three-point shooter who can check the boxes that Kennard hasn't necessarily proven ideal for.
Jaden Hardy is the volume shooter Lakers needed Luke Kennard to be
Los Angeles is coming off of a season in which it ranked No. 14 in three-point field goal percentage, but No. 23 in conversions. The Lakers also ranked No. 12 in catch-and-shoot three-point field goal percentage, only to finish dead last in makes and attempts.
For a team that's built a heliocentric offense around downhill playmakers Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, there's an unreasonable lack of volume from the three-point shooters who should be feasting off of the manner in which the stars collapse opposing defenses.
Though Kennard couldn't address that issue, Hardy can. He's a career 38.6 percent three-point shooter who buried 39.7 percent of his attempts in 2024-25, as well as a high-volume player at 1.4 conversions in 14.1 minutes per game through four seasons.
Hardy's per-game average translates to 3.3 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes. He buried 1.8 per game and 4.2 per 36 in 2025-26.
Lakers should at least give Jaden Hardy a chance to crack the rotation
Though Hardy has his question marks on the defensive end of the floor, his shooting is a constant. He's not only capable of knocking down shots with borderline elite efficiency, but is willing to shoot with the type of volume that Los Angeles' previous players simply haven't displayed.
For that matter, the new additions aren't exactly the ideal answer to this issue, as they're either in more demanding on-ball roles, are less efficient, or are stretch bigs with more limited mobility, i.e. Sandro Mamukelashvili.
For instance: Quentin Grimes is an efficient catch-and-shoot specialist, but he's coming off of a season in which he buried just 33.4 percent of his three-point field goals. Collin Sexton can score from anywhere, but he's more of a shot creator who can play off ball rather than a true spacer. Perhaps Cameron Carr is the true answer to the Lakers' prayers, but he's also an unproven rookie.
With these question marks in mind, the Lakers should at least enter the season with Hardy on the roster and give him a chance to prove that his volume can be the missing ingredient.
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