*FEATURES OF THE DAY*
Inside the tumultuous Kawhi Leonard era in Los Angeles
Baxter Holmes, ESPN
A top pick in next year's NBA draft is playing for something much bigger
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC Sports
TEAM-SPECIFIC
BKN: Nets’ Recent Development Record Hasn’t Matched Reputation
Steve Lichtenstein
BOS: Is Payton Pritchard due for another leap?
Jay King, The Athletic
BOS: Which bench wing will step up in 2025?
Robby Fletcher, Celtics Blog
DAL: Cooper Flagg’s Trainer on Dirk Nowitzki Meeting, Rookie Season Prep
Mark Medina, RG.org
GSW: How Quinten Post has improved this offseason
Joseph Dycus, Mercury News
IND: Who are the Pacers without Tyrese Haliburton?
James Herbert, NBC Sports
LAL: How the Lakers’ bench could make or break their playoff push
Rucker Haringey, Fansided
…one key bench member… is new arrival Jake LaRavia. The Lakers signed him away from the Kings in free agency on a modest, two-year, $12 million contract in free agency. That doesn't sound like the sort of salary an NBA title contender would pay an important bench piece, but Los Angeles did not have much salary flexibility to spend on the open market.
They inked LaRavia with the idea that he can be a quality connector for them on offense. At 6-foot-8 he has the size to see over opposing defenders and make a variety of passes. He shoots the ball just well enough from behind the 3-point arc to keep defenses honest. If the former Wake Forest standout can find the courage to take more shots from 3, he could become an even better contributor for the Lakers than he's been at earlier stops.
Defensively, LaRavia has the ability to switch onto multiple positions. He does not possess the foot speed required to stop point guards at the point of attack, but he can switch onto bigger wings and compete against them on the perimeter and in the post. That versatility allows him to stay on the floor against all types of opposing lineups.
The rest of the team-specific stories as well as Leaguewide and Draft stories follow for paid subscribers