Oct 6, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Jake LaRavia (12) takes a jump shot over Golden State Warriors forward Georges Niang (32) during the second quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
There are a lot of minutes and rotation spots up for grabs for the Los Angeles Lakers in training camp and preseason, particularly on the wings. Players such as Ziaire Williams, Matisse Thybulle, Jake LaRavia, Adou Thiero and Cameron Carr are all battling to secure a rotation spot and consistent playing time for the upcoming season.
One player who has certainly made a great case so far is LaRavia, one of the only returning players from last season’s roster. The wing had his best game of the preseason so far on Thursday night against the Sacramento Kings and head coach JJ Redick noted the confidence he is shooting the ball with right now.
“I think Jake had a really nice base and foundation to shoot with so it wasn’t like he was completely revamping his shot,” Redick said following the Lakers’ 4-point victory. “It was small tweaks and ultimately the tweaks don’t matter if they don’t give you confidence. I feel like he’s shooting the ball with a lot of confidence right now and he feels confident in his shot. A great summer shooting the ball. Has had a great training camp of practices shooting the ball and that’s carried over to games.”
LaRavia’s struggles down the stretch of last season have been well documented as his confidence, particularly in his jump shot, tailed off as the season went on and he eventually fell out of Redick’s rotation in the playoffs. But he took the offseason to really refocus and lock in, and it is showing up so far in the preseason.
On Thursday, LaRavia finished with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and 3-of-6 from 3-point range to go along with four rebounds and three assists. So far in three games, he is averaging 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.3 blocks on 63.6% shooting and 54.5% from deep.
Redick has said that everyone will get an opportunity at some point during the season so there is no doubt that LaRavia will have his chances. But if this level of play, and especially shooting, can carry over into the regular season, he will have a regular spot in the rotation and make up for how last season ended.
JJ Redick hoping for one fully healthy Lakers preseason game
Last season, LaRavia was the only player on the Lakers to play in all 82 games and he has suited up in all three preseason games so far this year. Unfortunately, there are a couple players who have yet to play in the preseason so far and Redick is hoping to get at least one game in the preseason with a completely healthy roster.