LAKERS OFFSEASON NO LEBRON JAMES BIG BOARD: #19 DE’ANTHONY MELTON

WRITTEN + EDITED BY JORDYN BONTRAGER

ICYMI: Mitchell Robinson kicked things off when he clocked in at our #20 spot in the ongoing hierarchy of potential offseason ups to pick for the Purple and Gold. Reminiscing back to the prior piece on Robinson, word on the street has it that Rob Pelinka wants a roster resembling the one Luka carried to the Finals in 2024.

From a backcourt perspective, running the Reaves-Doncic backcourt back and riding that tandem into the future seems like a foregone conclusion to most. That duo is possesses a ton of the same tangible qualities to the Kyrie-Doncic combo, so that checks off the secondary catalyst box. But the thing a lot of people slept on with those ‘24 Mavs was how lowkey deep they ran in the backcourt. When it came to 3&D guys, they had cast off dudes like Dante Exum and Josh Green wreaking havoc at the point of attack defensively while spotting up and splashing at effective clips on the other end (Exum shot 49.1% from 3 that season with Green connecting on a healthy 38.5%).

Imagine how strongly a guy like De’Anthony Melton could thrive as the Lakers’ newfound Avery Bradley.

If you know anything about De’Anthony Melton’s game, than assuredly you are very, very familiar with Avery Bradley’s game. Like Bradley, Melton is an absolute bulldog at the point of attack defensively with a knack for disruption (career 1.4 SPG in 8 years). His shot was rusty throughout this past season as he continued to re-discover his rhythm after recovering from a torn ACL at the start of last season. However, he is a career 78.9% FT shooter who temporarily took back off to where he was at pre-injury during the month of January (13 GP x 14.7 PPG x 3.3 RPG x 2.2 APG vs 1.8 TOPG x 0.4 BPG x 1.4 SPG x 48.3% FG x 37.3% 3FG x 81.3% FT).

Would there be literally anyone out there opposing this acquisition? It would be about as safe a play as a sac bunt. Shoot, throw Melton in the mix and we may not even need Marcus Smart back…

…just kidding Marcus. Please come on home now, ya hear?