5 Players the Lakers Must Target to Salvage Offseason

Luke Kennard

If shooting is the most important need for the Lakers, why not go for the best shooter in the free-agent class? Luke Kennard would immediately become the biggest shooting threat LeBron James played with in his Lakers career.

Kennard has made 44% of his threes for his career on 4.6 attempts per game. Last season, he made 45% of his shots from downtown of 6.1 attempts per game. Now imagine him getting open looks from LeBron James.

The 28-year-old shooting guard is a limited player in other areas. He is a defensive liability and has athletic and physical limitations. Therefore, he would likely not be a starter. But as a bench option who could provide an offensive jolt as needed, Kennard is one of the best free agents the Lakers can get.

Precious Achiuwa

Once the Lakers take care of their shooting problem, they need to add more size, strength, and defensive intensity. Last season, despite having Anthony Davis as the anchor, the Lakers were a mediocre defensive team. The team simply didn't have enough defensive talent, putting too big of a workload on AD.

One player who can help fix the defensive issues is Precious Achiuwa. The 24-year-old who finished last year with the New York Knicks is the type of player who can play next to Anthony Davis or back him up as a small-ball center depending on the matchup. Achiuwa can guard all five positions reasonably well, providing intriguing defensive versatility to Lakers lineups.

Achiuwa is still a work in progress on the offensive end but if the Lakers can get enough shooting, the offensive units can still thrive with him out there.