The Los Angeles Lakers have made some terribly strange roster moves over the past several years. Many left me scratching my head — or even angry.
I never understood why the front office was willing to let so many valuable assets walk while receiving nothing in return. Los Angeles never got pennies back on the dollar for some of the players they have rostered.
Los Angeles has recently allowed notable players like Julius Randle, Brook Lopez, Thomas Bryant (who was waived), and Alex Caruso to leave the organization via free agency. In retrospect, maybe it would have made more sense if they traded them at their respective deadlines if they knew they had no plans to retain them.
You could assemble a mighty fine roster out of players who have left the Lakers who then had tremendous success on their new franchise. But this offseason, Los Angeles made up for one previous woe by extending another opportunity with the team to aforementioned free-agent big man Thomas Bryant.
"I'm happy to be back in the Purple and Gold, and can't wait to play in front of the best fans in the NBA." – @nolimittb31 pic.twitter.com/x9vTEJyb17
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 6, 2022
Due to injuries, Bryant has had on-court limitations over the past few years.
He was never a particularly high-impact defender, either. However, due to his skill set on offense, fans should be incredibly optimistic about the transaction and his potential to make the starting lineup in Los Angeles.
Bryant, who shot 37.3 percent beyond the arc during his two years while in college, is a legitimate floor spacer in the frontcourt who has connected on 35.0 percent of his 3-pointers since turning pro. That makes him better than the league average at his position.
Thomas Bryant highlights 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zvmYqMEBNs
— Lakers Empire (@LakersEmpire) July 6, 2022
What makes him most exciting, though, is his overall scoring profile.
During his four seasons after leaving the Lakers for the Wizards, per Synergy, his scoring efficiency never ranked any lower than the 83rd percentile among all NBA players. Only once did his points per possession put him lower than the 95th percentile.
Similarly: He has never ranked lower than the 87th percentile in transition nor has he ranked lower than the 77th percentile when cutting to the basket.
Thomas Bryant showed clear signs of wear & tear & ground-boundness coming off his ACL injury last season.
So it was extra refreshing to see him regain & flash some of his athleticism by getting up for a jam/lob here and there.
He’s a bouncy ball of energy when right. pic.twitter.com/ExurKHcxxi
— Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) July 6, 2022
Bryant maintains that he is back to full health, which will obviously be put to test on a nightly basis once the season is actually underway.
Even though most advanced analytics typically grade Bryant as a poor defender, with his 7-foot-6 wingspan, he can at least provide helpful length as a rim protector.
He also maintains some organizational familiarity, even though in this case with all of the turnover with the coaching staff recently, that mostly means he has worked with Rob Pelinka and Jeanie Buss in the past.
Considering this is not a particularly long or lucrative deal, this move could prove to be the most impactful bargain of the offseason that any front office made this summer.
