Much of the focus surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers has been their potential pursuit of a trade for NBA superstar Kyrie Irving. No deal has transpired. Instead, they are seemingly focused on adding depth to other positions in the meantime.
According to Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes, Thomas Bryant has reached an agreement on a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Free agent center Thomas Bryant has reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Lakers on a one-year deal, league sources told Yahoo Sports. Bryant will be given the opportunity to win the starting center position, sources said.
During the 2021-22 season, Bryant appeared in 27 games for the Wizards with averages of 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds. Washington experimented with different personnel combinations at the five that resulted in inconsistent roles for each of their options before the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
The peak of Bryant’s value is the stretch-five skill-set he can offer from beyond the 3-point line. While his 3-point percentage (28.6 percent) was poor last season, he took just 42 attempts. He’s shooting 92-263 (35.0 percent) from beyond the arc in his NBA career.
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Among the limitations with Bryant is the lack of defensive impact he provides. He’s always lacked the tools to protect the rim and to guard out in space. He is largely limited to playing in deep drop coverage with an inability to handle switches.
Bryant has struggled to stay healthy throughout his NBA career. He’s appeared in 37 combined games since the start of the 2020-21 season. He’s only appeared in at least 50 games within a single season once and it was back in 2018-19.
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In terms of adding frontcourt depth, the Los Angeles Lakers adding another player with injury concerns in addition to Anthony Davis could be concerning. The lack of value that Thomas Bryant provides on defense is also a drawback for a team that struggled on that end last season.
