Locked On Lakers - Daily Podcast On The Los Angeles Lakers - The Lakers Would Love to Get Players Like PJ Washington... But are the PJ Washingtons Available?

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Lakers is still looking for players, but are any of the rumored targets actually on the market? That's next. You are Locked-on Lakers. Your daily Los Angeles Lakers podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. Thanks to everybody for stopping by Locked on Lakers, Brian Komenetsky, Andy Kaminetsky. Today's episode brought to you by Fandul. Join all the action at fanduel.com, play Daily Dingers, and make your free pick on who is hitting. a homer this MLB season.

Starting point is 00:00:38 We'll bust into the mailbag over the course of this episode. We'll also hopefully talk a little bit about Dalton Connect and maybe some other guys at the end of the roster who we have not been talking about, maybe aren't expected to make contributions this year and see if any of them might have a shot at surprising. But in the meantime, Andy, obviously, quite frankly, a lot of our mailbag questions are centered on how the Lakers are going to fill out the rest of the roster, who might be out there and all these other things. Where do they need to go to fill their holes?

Starting point is 00:01:08 And to that end, like, some of the guys that get talked about a lot, P.J. Washington, Clay Thompson has been kicked around a little bit. Both Dallas Mavericks, Andy, and maybe it's the season. Maybe it's real truth. But are those guys even available? Yeah, there was Mark Stein, Stein line report, excellent NBA report. everyone should subscribe to a substack. He is also in particular very well sourced with the Dallas Mavericks.

Starting point is 00:01:40 Part of a recent report said, quote, Masayu Jerry, who's now running basketball ops for the Mavericks, is also said to be a fan of PJ Washington, despite the long-held belief among many rival teams that Washington, like fellow Nico Harrison acquisition, Daniel Gaffert and Clay Thompson, will remain a trade candidate. than Jake Fisher, who works often with Mark Stein in a recent, I believe it was Bleach Report

Starting point is 00:02:12 podcast. To this point, Dallas has not been looking to find a buyout agreement with Clay Thompson. He's got one year left on a three-year, $51 million deal that he signed two seasons ago when he left Golden State Warriors franchise and won four champions with, yada, yada. Clay Thompson very nearly chose the Los Angeles Lakers with then LeBron James over joining Dallas to pair with Lupin. and where's Donchich now, of course, with the Lakers. There's plenty of connective tissue there that makes sense there. The only thing is the Mavericks have been very resistant to my understanding of actually moving forward and agreeing to a buyout with Clay Thompson. They believe this market is shaping up for them the fact that there is some L.A. interest,

Starting point is 00:02:52 the fact that there is Miami interest. There's probably other places that have interest in Clay Thompson as well. As you alluded to, Brian, it is right now. lion season, half-truth season, narrative-creating season. And while Mark Stein and Jake Fisher are two of the best in the business, two of the best source, you know, everybody gets told things, and you have to take everything they say with guys like them with some degree of skepticism. My hope, though, with PJ Washington in particular,

Starting point is 00:03:28 is that this is not simply lying season or posturing or, or trying to drive up PJ's price or whatever, that for the time being, PJ Washington really is off the market because I think if you're, if you are gauging the Lakers' chances of actually landing PJ Washington in a deal, I think this is good news for the Lakers.

Starting point is 00:03:54 Do explain. Because if PJ Washington is actually on the market right now or at the very least more getable than down, Dallas is looking to message, I find it very difficult to believe that the Lakers can put together the most competitive offer for P.J. Washington, who I think would have a lot of suitors. He is a very well-established player. You know what he can do. He's been part of a finals run. He's on a reasonable deal. And he is in his prime. The Lakers, as we have discussed to death, are not steeped in tradable assets. Therefore, if the Lakers actually tried to get into a bidding war right

Starting point is 00:04:33 now for PJ Washington, I'm pretty confident they'd lose. Therefore, I actually think it's better if the Mavericks do sincerely want to see what they have with Washington. I guess Clay as well, but you and I both establish we have zero interest in bringing in Clay Thompson, I guess. Well, zero interest in trading for him unless it was just, unless it was a way to get rid of a different contract that is less useful. I, well, I'll table that for a second, but yes. PJ White, would you agree, PJ, you have more interest in bringing in him than Clay Thompson. Just, oh, I'd give up real things for him. What's interesting about it to me is that PJ Washington is like the perfect example to me of what,

Starting point is 00:05:19 something we were talking about earlier in the week. Like the Lakers have a Uber superstar Luca Dachia, top five player in the league. Like, you know, a step above your Donovan Mitchell type. So you're just like, who are franchise players, you know, Jalen Brunson, franchise player. He's not Luca Donchitz, that kind of thing. So the Lakers have one of those dudes. They have, Austin Reeves,

Starting point is 00:05:44 who certainly played at an all-star level last year, didn't play enough games, getting the all-star game. We'll see if that happens this year. Obviously needs to repeat that, needs to be all-star caliber for the Lakers this year. To justify that contract, I at least right now have no reason to believe

Starting point is 00:05:59 that he won't do that, especially with a little more breathing room in this reconstructed roster. Every day that goes by, I like the Kessler acquisition more when you start to see the costs of centers and how it fit in the fact that the Lakers went big in terms of assets, but they also went young. They got a guy who is very, very young and should be able to grow with them. and I believe his defensive metrics and stuff that he's seen are legitimate. I think the sample size is big enough to say if nothing else, even if he never develops into a little bit more of a score,

Starting point is 00:06:39 Walker Kessler is a significant difference maker defensively and is an all-defense candidate every year he plays. Excited about that. Washington, though, isn't a star, but he doesn't need to be. Like the Lakers do not need a star in that spot. When we talked about it, they need a guy who can defend. They need a guy who has a little bit of positional versatility. And they need a guy, quite frankly, who has a high floor.

Starting point is 00:07:11 You know, somebody who is smart, can be plugged into. PJ Washington ticks all those boxes. He's not a perfect player, but he's not paid like one. And man alive, he is about as consistent and good. a high floor players they're going to find. Yeah, and I'm seeing some comments in the chat going right now that a guy like PJ Washington could end up stealing minutes away from Cam Car or do Thero.

Starting point is 00:07:38 And obviously those guys need to prove that they are ready for the rotation in the first place or at the very least that they are on the even the low end of the spectrum for ready. And by the way, if they are, we've both said we think it's important that they play. like that they the lakers look if possible jay j looks if possible to play those guys even if it might be over the course of 82 games at the expense of a couple wins i do think it's important that those guys play that being said though if they are ready to play i can just as easily picture a scenario where the guys they end up taking away the minutes from are like matisse fible or maybe even

Starting point is 00:08:22 zaire williams because they're jake loravia i i'm just the ravia Because those guys are all potentially short timers as it is. So if it really, if Carr is a hero already, you can find time for them. And I'll say this too. I agree with you. Like the way the roster is constructed right now, 100% agree. It doesn't make sense to take, you know, if you might win an extra game or two by giving a few more minutes to Jake or maybe in Vando or whatever it might be.

Starting point is 00:08:54 It's worth it in the long term for this sort of two or three or four year project to let those guys have the opportunities if they earn them, like, as you say. But that doesn't mean you don't go continue to add good players. PJ Washington is signed for the next like decade. Like he's on a long, if you get, if you acquire somebody like him, you know, if you sign in trade for Jonathan Kaminga, separate question of whether I don't know if that's like you gotta really believe it but if you do believe it you believe in it because like this is somebody we

Starting point is 00:09:32 believe improves us significantly for the long term. He's part of that core that we want to develop. That's why you go get PJ Washington. The Lakers just you know you don't want to put just bodies in front of those players but you don't stop going to get quality

Starting point is 00:09:49 guys who you think can be part of your core. And plus you know Washington might probably gets in the way of Thero more than he gets in the way of of car. But the Lakers got a lot of guys who get in the way of car too. Like you want good player like Oklahoma City has three or four or five guys who can never play on their team who probably would play for at least 20 other NBA teams because they just have too many good players. That's a good problem to have.

Starting point is 00:10:19 Yeah. And I mean this addresses one of the questions that we had in the mailback section on YouTube. We also put out a call on Twitter at Ham Brothers for people to hit us up. But ALS 2983, we need a big wig defender with solid plus offensive gravity. Do the bros suspect we will have a better opportunity at the trade deadline to make this trade? Or is Polinka better equipped to make the move before the season starts? I would say the very least. Let's answer that question next.

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Starting point is 00:12:27 opportunity at the trade deadline to make this, or is Polink a better equipped him? make a move before the season starts. I think for the type of forever forward, and as we said, it doesn't need to be, we're really talking about defensive versatility more than anything. They need to be able to shoot a little bit. PJ Washington can certainly do that. And you need defensive versatility.

Starting point is 00:12:45 So whether it's PJ Washington or anybody else, I think it's pretty clear to me that they're going to have a much better opportunity to do that later in the year. I will put this caveat out. The problem or a problem the Lakers could face. that could make in-season trading more difficult because I think the even more realistic answer might be next off-season.

Starting point is 00:13:09 But in-season trades are going to be a challenge for the Lakers because they can really only trade players. And maybe you can get somebody as opposed to picks or something like that. Maybe you get somebody who will take Vando off your hands for the right price. Maybe you package that with Laravia and a couple of expirings,

Starting point is 00:13:31 and maybe you can make that work. The problem comes, like, if you have to trade some of your, like, more core rotation guys, you know, because you need a $14 million contract or that's who the other team wants or whatever, so you get into a little bit of potential addition by subtractions.

Starting point is 00:13:49 It's going to be really tricky for the Lakers to get a player of high caliber while only sort of trading the chaff on the roster. That may be true, but I just feel like if you're playing the odds, you have better odds once you get to say at least December 15th and all of your players become tradable, than what you're dealing with right now. I'm not saying I just meant more that it won't be easy. There are some potential complications even that. Sure, but the question did not ever ask us which one we thought would be easier. I'm saying more relatively likely because I feel like right. now, it's almost Jonathan Kaminga or the field in terms of your options. Right.

Starting point is 00:14:36 And the field increases both in terms of what the Lakers can trade, but also who is trade eligible around the league. I just feel if you're looking to play the averages, I'm not saying the Lakers can't get it done before the season begins. But if you're playing the averages, to me, it's clearly sometime between December 15th and the deadline. Right. And half the teams the league need to unload players, not.

Starting point is 00:14:59 not add more. I mean, it's funny, like the clay thing, for example, like, do I believe that the Dallas Mavericks new management, all these other things might be interested in actually keeping PJ Washington for the length of his contract? I absolutely do because, you know, the Mavs are, you know, poised to make a little bit of a jump this year, certainly over last year. They're going to, if nothing else, try a little harder to win games and Kyrie is back and you know Cooper flagg even though he's only 19 still which is crazy is going to be better this year than last they've got a pretty decent roster and i think they certainly think that they are in the mix if nothing else for a play in this year like you know that they they can do that um and Washington it's not like he's 36 you know he he's young

Starting point is 00:15:50 enough and provide stability for a young group that could need it. So that makes a lot of sense. Clay, do I think the Mavs would trade clay in a heartbeat if they got a good offer? Absolutely. Everybody else around the league is waiting for him to be bought out. But the reason why this report, I think like you said, Jake Fisher, that the Mavs might be interested, aren't interested in buying Clay out is because if he, if he, goes out and has a good season, around the deadline, they absolutely could get people to trade for him as opposed to just waiting for that buyout. If he's still shooting at 40% and is played in 85% of the games and all that, that has value. And so, yeah, the Mavs, I believe it when, it certainly

Starting point is 00:16:41 makes sense that they would want to hold on to him for now, which again, points to a Lakers team that could look pretty similar when the season starts what it looks like now. Yeah, I mean, the Mavericks like the Lakers do need to lose a guaranteed contract at some point, which could be an impetus for buying out Clay, just because it might be the simplest thing that you ultimately end up doing. But the point being, if Clay does not make nearly as much sense for this team in terms of any type of big picture as PJ Washington, but you are correct that he could gain some value over the course of the season

Starting point is 00:17:15 for a team that just wants to add some scoring punch while they try to make a playoff run. You're correct. Yeah. So, you know, we'll see what happens with that. You know, kind of a tangent to that question. We have too many guards. This, again, from ALS-2983,

Starting point is 00:17:33 we have too many guards on the roster. We need to invest more roster spots in the front court. What is the hold-up in moving brawny, a plus trade value asset? Is Philadelphia's latest roster move created too big of a challenge? to overcome the trade the vast majority of the NBA community expects to happen. That one is interesting to me because, like, do people expect it to happen because we just expect it to happen?

Starting point is 00:17:57 Or is there any actual basketball reason for it to happen? Do these Sixers, now that they actually have LeBron, need to trade for Brony? Do the Lakers have any motivation to trade them, certainly unless they weren't, you know, somebody offers good players or three second rounders or something? for Brani, sure, but they're not going to give them away. Like from a basketball standpoint, should we be expecting that deal anymore? Well, I would say that if LeBron signing with the Sixers was contingent on Brony becoming a Sixer, he'd already be a Sixer.

Starting point is 00:18:32 So the idea that this needs to happen or should be expected to happen simply because LeBron is in Philly, I think that ship sailed in terms of like A to B, expect. as far as the motivation on the Lakers end to move him or keep him or whatever. As far as keeping him, I'm not as sold on him as you as a prospect, but, you know, he, that's saying something because sold would be doing a lot of work. No, but you are, I think. I'm more optimistic than you are. Right.

Starting point is 00:19:09 So, right. I'm laughing because it's, it's, you know, it speaks to. the amount of distance Brani still has to cover that I could be far along and still be like farther along than you and still be like, it's got a lot of work. Yeah, I just, I

Starting point is 00:19:29 think he has a long way to go before he shows he can be even a back end of the rotation player. It's not through any lack of effort or bad attitude on his part. It's largely because he needs like a four or five inch growth spurt and I don't picture and I don't picture that happening. He also

Starting point is 00:19:45 needs to become either elite defensively or develop much more offensive utility because right now he is too small, I think, to be a defensive specialist. I take one comment, though, from Eric McGill, McClip, that, you know, Brony might get cut. Brony is not going to get cut. You know, they, they, short of a situation where they just have to, where they just got to unload players or whatever it might be, I would be very surprised. They aren't just going to cut him for the, you know, to open up a roster spot or something like that.

Starting point is 00:20:22 I don't see that happening. I mean, it could. I mean, his contract is less than some of the others they'd have to eat. And I don't think he has a guaranteed deal all, a guaranteed year already past this one. So it could, I mean, it's possible. But it's, no, but I'm just saying if you're looking at this from a pure economic standpoint, I think he actually, if you had to cut somebody, you couldn't find a way to unload. anybody else, he is certainly a candidate just because of the number.

Starting point is 00:20:49 Yeah, that's true. I'd be surprised. I'm just saying, you're right. They have a team option. There is work left. Yeah. Right. I mean, if you look at the numbers of the other guys around, you know, on the team that might be more peripheral, he makes the least amount of money and they're not cutting a due.

Starting point is 00:21:04 Right. But it doesn't matter. The money at this point, all these guys are guaranteed. So if you cut Jake, you know, you cut, you know, Hardy or whatever, you're still paying it. It doesn't matter. No, but it could, but it, it, it, I think it matters in terms of who also might have more value in a trade or might be a more useful number. I mean, Jake LaRavia is a much more use contract could be more.

Starting point is 00:21:27 Yeah. I mean, it's, it's, dude, it's, Bronny is a candidate for this if they have to do it. You're right. He's clearly a candidate. You're right. And a lot of the, I think the speculation, too, was like, you know, before when the, there was an assumption coming that there was going to be a roster move that was going to kind of. clear up some of that space. But we'll see how there goes. They do have, and this gets to something we can talk about next, too many guys in the back court, and by that, looking at you, Jaden Hardy and Dalton Connect and Brony, who aren't necessarily, who take up space,

Starting point is 00:22:05 but aren't necessarily expected to contribute. Is that baked in fully, though, with Dalton Connect, something we'll talk about next. If there is anybody on this roster, Andy, that we have spent virtually no time talking about over the course of this summer, it is Dalton Connect. I mean, he is just...

Starting point is 00:22:35 I thought you're going to say Jaden Hardy, but both are acceptable answers. Well, I mean, Jade and Hardy at least has the advantage of not having been on the roster. Right, fair enough. He's been here, man. And, you know, he's just a dude on the roster

Starting point is 00:22:50 taking up space that we, we don't talk about it in the rotation. We don't talk about it as sort of the offseason plans. We don't talk about it. It is worth noting. He's just going into his third season. He's not a young player by third year standards, but he is a third year player.

Starting point is 00:23:07 Yeah, it was interesting. I saw a piece from Bobby Marks over at ESPN. He is their resident Cap Guru used to work for the Brooklyn Nets front office. And he wrote a piece. and part of it looked ahead to third-year players who could be rookie extension available, talking about Victor Reimonyama, got the ball rolling with his,

Starting point is 00:23:31 noted that eventually they're going to get to Stefan Castle, whatever. But then other rookie extension candidates include Alex Sar, Reid Shepard, Donovan Klingan, Zach, Edie, Modis Buzellis, Bob Carrington, Jared McCain, Collow Ware, Tristan De Silva, Jacoby, Walter, Jalen Tyson, Eve Misi, Kishon George, Terran Shannon Jr., Ryan Dunn, Isaiah Collar, and Baylor Shireman. Of only 19 first rounders from that class were named at all by Bobby Marks.

Starting point is 00:24:06 So to be clear, Dalton Connect, who you may have noticed, I did not name. He's not the only one. Ron Holland, Nikola Topic, Darren Holmes jumped out of me, but in fairness, the latter two missed entire season or seasons due to injury or case of a topage, a cancer bout. Like, you know, you have to take that piece of context into consideration because it matters. What does really, though, jump out at me with Dalton Connect, and I went through the entire first round of that class, he's the only unnamed guy from that class by Bobby Marks, whose career has had any real heat at all.

Starting point is 00:24:50 Like the first couple months of Dalton's career, the idea that he would be getting an extension, or at least it's something the Lakers would be talking about, was like a no-brainer and look at it now. It is much more of a brainer, Andy.

Starting point is 00:25:07 Or at the very least, it's a no-brainer, but for the exact opposite reason. Right. And by the way, just to clarify, because I didn't set this up as accurately as as I could ever specifically. These are next offseason extensions. This was a Bobby's, Bobby's column was an article about, you know,

Starting point is 00:25:27 an early look at next offseason. These are candidates for an extension next off season. But the point being, Dalton still was not named, and that immediately jumped out of me. And so when they drafted Carr, in a lot of ways I felt like this is, like this is like a Dalton,

Starting point is 00:25:46 do-over. It's like we're looking for the same type of player and the same, you know, the same ability to shoot, obviously, but a dynamic offensive player, we're going to try, we're going to try this again because the type is something that's very important, particularly around Luca. I know last year, we had a little bit of optimism around the potential for Connect to maybe have a little bit of a bounce back, in part because it's like, you know, man, you know, you're a full season with Luca, at least he's got like, if anybody can help get the best out of him, it's, it's, uh, it's him. But, yeah, obviously it didn't, it didn't work out that way. Do you have any sense of optimism at all that either connect can find something that clicks for him this season, um,

Starting point is 00:26:38 and restore a little bit of his value that is, you know, at the, in the basement at the, at this point, or that he'll even really have an opportunity to do that. Like, there'll be enough playing time available for him to even have a chance. It's going to be a tough road for him. I mean, there's no question about it. I mean, he needs to have a, not just a really good training camp, but a really quickly good training camp. Like, I don't think Dalton even has the luxury right now of starting slow in

Starting point is 00:27:15 training camp, but his final preseason game is good. Dalton, I think, needs to come out of the gate looking really good. A, just to regain JJ's confidence, but B, I think it's pretty clear he needs a change of scenery.

Starting point is 00:27:31 And the longer I think he goes without succeeding in L.A. in this uniform in this gym, the more it becomes a self-perpetuating prophecy for him. Yeah. Dalton's team option is Sky Falcon five points out.

Starting point is 00:27:46 I'll take his word for it. Dalton's team option decision is Halloween, October 31st. Say it is safe to say it's not getting picked up. That is almost certainly true. The only reason they might do it is just, you know, if they thought it was valuable to have the number available to them from a contract standpoint, but likely wouldn't be. This I actually think, I saw this from Kirk Hamilton, 16, 15.

Starting point is 00:28:12 J.J. has done more to ruin players' value than any other coach. I've seen. I assume he's talking about Dalton there. I don't think that's fair to JJ. Dalton wasn't buried on this roster. He had plenty of opportunities, both as a rookie and even as certainly as a second year player to keep, establish himself as a rotation player and keep those minutes. He didn't play well enough.

Starting point is 00:28:33 Like, you know, especially last year didn't play enough. And I get it, you know, the trade and the rescission and all that other stuff. But the bottom line is he was not very good at all last year. And particularly in situations where the mistakes are problematic, where your inability to cut at the right place, to make the right screen, to come, I'm just talking about offensive stuff, not even defensive. To run plays effectively, do what you're supposed to do, be in the right spot, he's not good at that stuff.

Starting point is 00:29:06 And that's before you even get to defensive IQ and stuff like that. So I don't think this is JJ. I think Dalton has had his chances and played well enough to keep him. Yeah. Here's what I would say is the difference that matters a lot with Dalton. I think JJ actually entered Dalton's career with not just an open mind towards him, but an excitement towards him. Like remember the first couple months of Dalton's career with the Lakers,

Starting point is 00:29:35 he started some games and there was actual like conversation like, you know, can the Lakers actually afford to take him out of the lineup? as opposed to someone like Jared Vanderbilt, who without looking to relitigate any of this, I think JJ had his mind made up about Vando right or wrong much more quickly and definitively than he's had with Dalton. I would agree with that. So do you think the sort of the broader question out of that is,

Starting point is 00:30:03 because the question that's set up, like the Lakers have too many guards, and I think they have too many guards who can't play. like he's just do you see it would be enormously helpful whether you're talking about vando as a more established NBA player who doesn't have a clear spot in sort of JJ's world although I do think you never know this team is different than the last couple there may be it may be easier for it may be more comfortable may work better this year than others I'm keeping an open mind but there's vando and there's hardy and there's connect and there's Brani. Three of the four guys that immediately come to mind

Starting point is 00:30:44 as I don't think these guys have a spot anywhere like there's no not because they're like just squeezed out but they're just not that good for whatever reason. Is there,

Starting point is 00:30:57 it would be really helpful for the Lakers if one of those guys two of those guys stepped up and we're like, oh, okay. This might work. Like we might have, there might be a rotation caliber guy here.

Starting point is 00:31:10 I think with Vando, it's a combination of, is there a new scheme? Is J.J. willing to approach a new scheme with a legitimately clean slate towards Vando? And also, can Vando develop at least average offensive utilities somewhere? Like, he needs to become a better finisher for all the talk of the corner three and whatever. His real problem is that he's a bad finisher. But Vando could potentially have that. opportunity. Obviously, if Dalton started showing something, A, the Lakers might want to play him just because it could make him more tradable, but also JJ has had an excitement towards Dalton.

Starting point is 00:31:49 I think Brony's got a way to go, but JJ has shown some degree of trust towards him. He gave him some playoff minutes during some important possessions and things like that. And everything I've ever heard is the staff really likes Brani. and they really admire his work ethic. They like him as a person. I think they think he's made progress. And he's made some. I just don't think it's enough.

Starting point is 00:32:15 Hardy, I think, is an interesting question because there's a lot that he has struggled with, particularly defensively. He can shoot, though. Like, Jaden Hardy is a nearly 36, I mean, excuse me, a nearly 39% three-point shooter for his career. And it's good volume for just,

Starting point is 00:32:35 He's averaged three and a half threes per roughly 15 minutes. For 36 minutes, that's almost nine for his career. Like he is not shy about putting up threes, and he can make them at a good clip. And that is something that, you know, forget having utility in the modern NBA. It's clearly something JJ values. So I think if you can shoot, you at least have an opportunity with JJ. And to be clear, I think Hardy has a tough road to get into the rotation. But if you're looking for the way it happens because, again, defensively often struggles,

Starting point is 00:33:16 he is a bad finisher. Like, his offensive utility is not great. But dude can shoot. And that matters. He can. I look at it too. The issue with Brani is that. It's like you need to find a superpower.

Starting point is 00:33:31 You need to find, you know, Matisse Thuy's thought. has made himself a whatever decade long NBA player, whatever it's going to be decade plus, because he has a superpower on the floor. He is enormously disruptive defensively. He gets his hands on multiple passes every game. He is a sneaky good shot blocker. He's just a really, really good team defender who elevates your team defense. The fact that he's a very, very marginal sort of.

Starting point is 00:34:04 offensive player. He's made himself useful enough as a three-point shooter. It's kind of elite somewhere else. So Brani either needs to get much better at a wide variety of things or find the thing that keeps in the league and that I think they believe he's got a lot of defensive potential. And he's certainly athletic enough. He's just really little. But, you know, the point guard skills need to get to a place where they work because his shooting got better last year. But if he becomes a more regular part of the rotation, he's going to be guarded a little tighter, those other things.

Starting point is 00:34:43 And his size, again, he starts to become an issue. His point guard skills need to get better. They got better. We'll see if he can grow enough, like as a player, because he may not grow enough as a human. I think he's got a chance to be back end of the rotation. for 15 games when somebody gets hurt or whatever. He's not going to start there.

Starting point is 00:35:04 But I do think he showed enough last year of like, you know what? Reliable minutes are a possibility of him for 15 a night. But if Hardy shows that he can shoot, if Dalton particularly, because he's a very dynamic offensive player, something clicks with him from an IQ standpoint, basketball, he seems to me to be the guy with the best opportunity because if it does click what he's supposed to at least is a better package than all these other guys that we're talking about. Well, and also too, unlike Vando, Dalton was a guy that started with this organization while JJ was here. So, and I'm not saying that JJ was the driving force behind drafting Dalton.

Starting point is 00:35:48 I think the driving force was they didn't expect to be able to draft him. And all of a sudden there was the opportunity. But, you know, there were multiple reports. And we heard JJ talk about his excitement towards. Dalton like there is there's an investment that was there for Dalton that began in a way that coincides with JJ's time here as opposed to Vando being a holdover from a previous regime I yeah I agree we'll see I mean we we talked about this going into the last season too like when you find the little a little bit of found money when you're a team that doesn't have a whole lot of stuff I mean it's why it matters if you know these minutes for Thero these minutes for

Starting point is 00:36:31 making sure these guys really do have an opportunity to develop are so critical because they just aren't going to have access to a lot of players in this age group that they get to pick themselves in an actual draft for a while. Locked on Lakers on YouTube is where I can hang out with over 39,000 subscribers to the channel. Make sure you're subscribing to the audio product as well, Spotify, Apple, however you like to get your podcasts. Everyone have a great weekend and we'll see you on Monday.

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