When it comes to adding backcourt depth and possibly replacing at least one of the guards they may lose in free agency, the Los Angeles Lakers have options.
If D’Angelo Russell leaves, they could use him in a sign-and-trade, and the expiring contracts of Malik Beasley and Mo Bamba could be used as well.
But perhaps the team’s most valuable commodities are its No. 17 and No. 47 picks in the upcoming 2023 NBA Draft. It could either send them away in a trade or simply use them on a player who is ready enough to help next season.
One player the Lakers worked out that they could either get in the second round or as an undrafted free agent is Jamarius Burton, a guard out of the University of Pittsburgh.
A look at Burton
Burton, a 6-foot-4, 220-pound guard, is a capable scorer, and he has shown improvement over his five years of college ball. During the 2021-22 season, he averaged 12.4 points a game on 40.5 percent shooting, but those numbers improved to 15.2 points a game on 48.8 percent shooting this past season.
He likes to attack the basket off the dribble, and he also gets to the free throw line at a decent clip and is a reliable scorer there. He converted 83.6 percent of his foul shots this past season and 88.0 percent this past season.
The North Carolina native can also set up his teammates, and he dished out 4.2 assists per contest during the 2022-23 campaign.
His one big weakness is his outside shooting. Although he shot 38.1 percent from 3-point range as a sophomore at Wichita State University, he hasn’t gotten as high as 33.5 percent for an entire year since.
It’s an area in which he will have to greatly improve in order to have a serious future at the next level.
