The Los Angeles Lakers have another intriguing rookie in Josh Hart, whose skill-set could allow him to make an impact right away.
The Los Angeles Lakers have seen their rookies take over NBA Twitter.
It started with Lonzo Ball. The second overall pick came onto the scene early with his quick, push-the-ball-up-the-floor play, innate playmaking ability and overall fun style. Then, it was Kyle Kuzma. The late first round pick has shown the ability to run the pick-and-pop, space the floor and even make plays defensively. Both seem like future starters for Los Angeles.
But lost in all that is rookie shooting guard Josh Hart. Hart comes to Los Angeles with little fanfare after a great four-year career. At Villanova, Hart was a three-time All-American and was a catalyst in leading the Wildcats to their second national championship in school history. After a trade with Utah, the Lakers made Hart their third first round pick of the 2017 NBA Draft.
Much like his fellow rookies, Hart is someone that could eventually have an impact as a rookie for the Los Angeles Lakers.
Right now, it’s tough to see Hart jumping right into the rotation. He has been out with an ankle injury, playing in just a few preseason games before the start of the regular season. The Lakers have Kentavious Caldwell-Pope as the starting shooting guard and Brandon Ingram at the starting small forward. Behind them are Jordan Clarkson and Kuzma.
Even if you look at just the shooting guard position, Caldwell-Pope and Clarkson make Hart a third-stringer to start. However, when you look at Los Angeles’ roster, there’s still a chance for Hart to not only make an impact but get some minutes and prove himself as a rotation player for the future.
The biggest factor for Hart is his overall play. Caldwell-Pope is entrenched into a starting role, but Clarkson has the ability to play both guard positions, allowing some playing time for Hart at the off-ball guard position. There, his defense will be valuable for the perimeter. At Villanova, Hart was a great defender with four straight seasons with a defensive rating under 100.0.
If he can adapt as a defender right away, Hart could thrive in smaller lineups for the Los Angeles Lakers. The idea of Lonzo Ball with shooters around him is ideal, so placing Hart, Caldwell-Pope and Ingram at the 2-4 spots would provide some defense and floor-spacing that could intrigue head coach Luke Walton and provide a new wrinkle.
Blue Man Hoop
Hart’s shooting will be a valuable asset for his playing time this season. In four seasons at Villanova, Hart knocked down 207 of his 532 attempts from beyond the arc – good for 38 percent shooting for his career. Largely an offensive initiator and first option on the Wildcats, Hart’s ability to thrive off-ball could result in more catch-and-shoot opportunities in Los Angeles’ offense.
While the shooting and defense are valuable, the most valuable part of Hart’s game is his ability to create offensively.
Again, this is an area where Hart’s role at Villanova allowed him to develop and thrive as he moves to the next level. Even with a point guard on the roster, Hart was able to work as a pick-and-roll guard and offensive creator to good results. For his career, Hart finished with 256 assists to just 194 turnovers, suggesting that he has a great basketball I.Q.
In Los Angeles, it’s Ball’s show. He’s going to get all the chances to create and run the offense. However, there’s value in having two ball-handlers on the floor and Hart can still thrive as a secondary creator and overall ball mover. Those players have value, especially if they can also space the floor.
The Golden State Warriors have several passers on the floor at all times who can keep the ball moving and Walton and Los Angeles are looking to emulate that. Guys like Ball, Hart, Ingram and Randle, while young, offer that ability.
The Los Angeles Lakers are bad, which often results in rookies getting more playing time. The Lakers have seen guys like Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma already receive their fair share of hype, while Josh Hart has gone under the radar. Despite being undervalued, he has all the tools to not only be a good rookie, but someone who can carve out a nice role in the NBA.
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With shooting, defense and the ability to create on offense in his arsenal, Hart could be a rookie to watch. As Los Angeles continues to play younger players and look to the future, Josh Hart could be another fun rookie to deploy and that could help the Lakers in the long run.