The Lakers new player debuted: 3D champion + organizational brain, James Luca won the golden puzzle!

When Finney Smith chose to leave the Los Angeles Lakers in free market, the team suddenly found that it had more disposable salary space. At the beginning of the free agent negotiation period, the Lakers quickly reached an agreement with Jack Laravia, one of the most eye-catching forward candidates in the market.

With the end of the free market freezing period, the Lakers officially completed the signing of Laravia. At a media meeting held on Wednesday, the new player talked about how his organizational skills will help the team compete in the new season.

"Yes, I will be that type of tandem player. Obviously I want to play alongside teammates like Luca (Doncic) and LeBron (James), who are also good at organizing," said Laravia. "But last season I could easily break into the penalty area to attract defense, then divide the ball to the outside line, and make simple and effective judgments. I consider myself a high-ball player, good at passing the ball in the most reasonable way. "

While playing for the Memphis Grizzlies in the first half of last season (later traded to the Sacramento Kings), Laravia averaged 2.8 assists per game, setting a new NBA career high. As a Wake Forest senior in the 2021-22 season, his best performance in college career averaged 3.7 assists per game also confirmed his organizational talent. As a potential replacement for Finney Smith, Laravia has slightly different technical characteristics - he is better at breaking through the ball and reading defense, and his figure advantage allows him to play a guest role in a tall point guard. Similarly, he also shows the qualities of a high-quality 3D player, with both external projection and defense versatility.

"I am very versatile on both sides of the offense and defense. I can not only open up space to cooperate with LeBron, Luca and Austin (Reeves), but also improve on the defensive end and can take over the opponent's strongest attacker," Laravia added, "I think I perfectly fit the 3D tandem character that the team needs. "

In the past season, the Grizzlies and the Kings, Laravia's three-point shooting percentage reached 42.3%, and his career three-point shooting percentage remained at 37.1%. According to statistics from the data website, although the Kings only played 19 games, their defensive efficiency is still ranked in the top half of the team. In the 2025-26 season, this new player is likely to play for the Lakers as a substitute and is expected to play an important role in the championship team.