NBA: 5 under-the-radar rookies that can earn a regular rotation spot
By Max Holm
4. Josh Hart – Los Angeles Lakers
Outside of Lonzo Ball and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, there aren’t any great bets in the Lakers’ backcourt heading into training camp. There are some interesting cases, though, between the draft and signings, like Alex Caruso, Briante Weber, Corey Brewer and Vander Blue. And then there’s Jordan Clarkson, who might have to be the backup point guard and has a lot to prove.
Bump up to small forward and no one but Brandon Ingram seems a good fit there. He might even be better suited as a power forward down the road too. What this means, is if you can play multiple positions and contribute in many ways, there are minutes to steal in Laker Land.
Enter Josh Hart. With legitimate shooting, multi-positional defending, hustle and the knack for making winning plays, Hart can take advantage of the lack of quality depth on the wing and in the backcourt. If he can supply secondary ball-handling, those chances go up dramatically.