The Los Angeles Lakers have needed better 3-point shooting for a while now, and with limited resources in terms of free agency and the trade market, they have had to get creative to find help.
Last summer, they signed 6-foot-9 forward Cole Swider as an undrafted free agent, hoping they could develop him into one of the snipers they have lacked.
Swider has certainly looked like a project player who will take time to become NBA ready if he ever will does. But it looks like he has some potential if he puts in enough work.
Swider barely played for the Lakers this season, but there was a glimmer of promise
Swider appeared in seven regular-season games for Los Angeles this season. He played mostly spot duty, especially in garbage time, but on one night, he did get significant playing time.
That night came on Jan. 9 when the team visited the Denver Nuggets. With LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Troy Brown Jr. sitting out, Swider was thrown into the fire, and he responded by going 2-of-5 from beyond the arc He also added five rebounds and three assists in 26 minutes.
Swider spent most of the season in the G League
For most of this season, Swider could be found in the G League with the South Bay Lakers, and he did relatively well for them. He ended up averaging 17.1 points on 50.6 percent overall shooting and 43.6 percent 3-point shooting in 28.7 minutes a game.
He wasn’t shy about getting up shots, as he averaged 7.6 3-point attempts a contest.
On Feb. 25, he poured in a season-high 37 points on 12-of-15 overall shooting and 8-of-10 from downtown plus 10 rebounds in a win over the Iowa Wolves.
The forward’s defense is a concern, as he lacks high-level lateral quickness as elite upper-body strength. But perhaps he can find a niche in the NBA off the bench as a 3-point specialist against an opponent’s second unit.
Final grade: B-minus/B
