Jake LaRavia dipped from a 42.3 percent 3-point marksman in 2024-25 to a dreadful 32.1 percent shooter in his first season with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was a step in the wrong direction. LaRavia spent the summer of 2026 setting himself up for a bounce-back in the coming campaign.
JJ Redick said: "He's worked on his shot. ... There's a lot of things that we did this summer. He's really focusing on three very minor tweaks. From there, he felt really comfortable with those tweaks. ... It just comes down to repetition. From repetition, you get confidence."
LaRavia has certainly been confident throughout the preseason. That much has been a standout during those games for anyone watching. The Lakers forward has shot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc in the first three tune-up contests for the 2026-27 season.
Should LaRavia's success as a shooter hold up, there will be a spot for him in the rotation. Perhaps that can even balloon into a breakout season with the Lakers. Luckily for the franchise, Rob Pelinka set this situation up perfectly for the team to retain their forward long-term in those circumstances.
Lakers' early bird rights on Jake LaRavia are pivotal in the event of a breakout
With a ton of the new arrivals in Los Angeles, their short term deals are going to force the Lakers to use either their nontaxpayer midlevel exception or bi-annual exception should the need to retain them long-term arrive. That is thankfully not the case for LaRavia.
Pelinka handed LaRavia a straight-up two-year deal in the summer of 2025. That has opened the door for the Lakers to use early bird rights to secure Jake on a long-term contract in Los Angeles once the summer of 2027 is upon us.
An explainer on Hoops Rumors helped break down that the Lakers would be able to give LaRavia a contract worth up to 175 percent of his previous salary, up to the max, and capped at four years, but no less than two. In layman's terms: Los Angeles has the means to make Jake a mainstay with the team.
That is important if LaRavia does truly prove how premature talks of his demise were. In all fairness, the end to 2025-26 was rough enough to discourage many. Even the young Laker discussed the mental hurdles that came with his highs and lows last season.
A newfound resilience and an improved jumper is working wonders to revive hope around his upside. The Lakers need the minutes on the wings, too. If LaRavia can capitalize on the opportunity, the franchise can reward him adequately when next year's summer comes around.
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