When the Los Angeles Lakers signed Jake LaRavia, the hope appeared to be that they were addressing the need for a 3-and-D wing. LaRavia had proven himself as an efficient shooter and competitive defender who fit the needs of the team and the culture JJ Redick was building.
Though LaRavia has delivered in an encouraging number of areas during his first season with the Lakers, he'll need to make a last-minute fix to his jump shot or risk being benched in the playoffs.
LaRavia finished the 2024-25 season shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. He converted just 0.9 three-point field goals per game, but his ability to knock down the shots he attempted greatly enhanced his value and made him an ideal fit for the Lakers.
Unfortunately, LaRavia has converted just 32.0 percent of his three-point field goal attempts in 2025-26, thus damaging the Lakers' hopes of checking the 3-and-D box.
LaRavia shot 43.9 percent on catch-and-shoot threes in 2024-25, but is down to 31.4 percent in 2025-26. He also buried 45.5 percent of his wide-open threes in 2024-25, but has again declined to 30.9 percent in 2025-26.
LaRavia's shooting woes haven't offset his value to the Lakers, but when the postseason rolls around and the ability to knock down open shots becomes an invaluable ability, the spotlight will shine on him.
Lakers need Jake LaRavia to fix his jumper or risk postseason benching
It's an unfortunate tale as old as the three-point revolution: Teams with non-shooters along the perimeter struggle to consistently play them in the playoffs. Whether fair or foul, it's a development that takes hold when defenders begin to cheat off of inefficient players and force offenses to play 4-on-5.
The unsustainability of such an approach, as well as the constant double teams the primary ball handlers face, inevitably cause coaches to adapt or face the elevated risk of defeat.
It's a perhaps unfair result, as players who offer value in other phases of the game are effectively neutralized by a singular weakness. Given the history of such a development taking hold, it's fair to believe LaRavia could endure such a fate if he can't at least occasionally punish nonchalant defenders.
If he's able to discover at least some degree of the form he displayed a mere season ago, however, LaRavia could play massive minutes for the Lakers in the playoffs.
In that scenario, he'd not only further solidify his place as a building block, but enable the Lakers to maximize their defensive potential. If he's unable to shoot with anything resembling efficiency, however, then defenders will begin to sag off of him, the stars will have narrower driving lanes, and head coach JJ Redick will be forced to make a difficult decision.
It's too late in the season to believe LaRavia can rediscover his elite efficiency from a season ago, but if he can simply find a reasonable middle ground, he can secure his place in the Lakers' playoff rotation.