Lakers news: Four players on the bubble for final roster spots

Thomas Bryant, Center

The Lakers made a trade with the Utah Jazz on the night of this year’s NBA Draft for the rights to select the 6’11” center out of Indiana. After leaving school as a sophomore, Bryant was viewed as a long-term project for the Lakers, so his chances of contributing to the team this year are slim.

However, Bryant provides the Lakers with an exciting amount of upside with his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting, and his tenacious and contagious energy that he brings every time he steps on the court.

For the Lakers championship-winning Summer League squad, Bryant appeared in eight games. He managed to average a respectable 5.1 points and 3.3 rebounds in 13.4 minutes per game. His desire to run the floor on the fast break with Lonzo Ball and the rest of the Laker guards shows Bryant fits well into the Lakers’ plans.

With the addition of two-way contracts to this NBA season, there is a chance that Bryant is offered the final vacant contract that the Lakers have to exhaust. This would mean that Bryant could spend a maximum of 45 days with the Lakers while spending the rest of his time on the minor league South Bay Lakers.

Overall, it’s in the Lakers best interest to keep Bryant in the organization, as he has proven he has the potential to develop into one of the league’s best stretch centers.