Playing on the wings beside Luka Doncic should be simple. You need to be a capable defender with a willingness to move without the ball and the ability to knock down the opportunities that come your way. The Los Angeles Lakers are banking on their latest UDFA signing to round out into that type of player.
Jon Chepkevich of DraftExpress reported on Twitter/X: "NEWS: Marquette’s Chase Ross has agreed to an Exhibit-10 contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, sources tell DraftExpress. ... Hangs his hat on disruptive defense, leading the Big East in steals."
Ross spent four years at Marquette, really coming into his own as the years went by. There should be plenty to like about the upside here. The Lakers will hope to pick up where his school left off when it comes to player development.
Chase Ross can grow into a mold of role player that Luka Doncic will love
The value of disruptive defense should be well understood in Los Angeles after watching the ways in which a player like Marcus Smart can impact the game with his relentlessness and tenacity. That high-level energy is something Ross is not short of.
Doncic needs defenders around him. Luka would also benefit a lot from his supporting cast being able to win ugly games as much as they can the high-scoring affairs. Ross can be envisioned as a player who can help that cause down the line.
Despite being listed at a modest height of 6-foot-5, weighing around 210 pounds, Ross has routinely proven himself capable of guarding bigger players. His athleticism otherwise translates effectively against matchups closer to his size, too.
His scoring improved every year at Marquette, but there was notable concern in there. His 3-point shot dropped off mightily in his senior season.
Ross shot a combined 36.4 percent on 2.6 attempts per game between his sophomore and junior campaigns. That figure dipped to 29.5 percent from deep when his volume went up to 4.0 attempts a night in his final year.
That is the area which the Lakers will most hope to really develop for a lasting fit around Doncic. Ross' mechanics on his jumper are far from busted. Los Angeles should feel reasonably confident about what they can do with his development.
The defensive end is just such an intriguing selling point for him as a prospect. If the Lakers can mold Ross into a player capable of regularly capitalizing on the opportunities that Doncic creates, they could have themselves their latest undrafted gem who is built to last around Luka.
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