The first several days of the 2022 NBA free agency period left a lot to be desired for the Los Angeles Lakers.
They got Lonnie Walker IV, an athletic wing who is an iffy 3-point shooter and lacking defensively, to agree to their taxpayer mid-level exception, while signing Troy Brown Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones to minimum salary contracts.
Jones and Toscano-Anderson can help the Lakers, albeit in limited minutes, while Brown is still somewhat unproven after four unimpressive pro seasons.
But on Tuesday, L.A. went ahead and made a bigger splash by signing a man who can actually help them in an area they need help with – Thomas Bryant.
Bryant, who is 6-foot-10 and nearly 250 pounds, is an athletic and energetic center who can rebound, block shots, hit 3-pointers, run the floor and finish strong.
He has had some injury problems, but he is just 24 years of age (he’ll turn 25 on July 31), and he will be a strong low-risk, high-reward signing for a team that seriously needs functional frontcourt depth.
How specifically will Bryant help L.A.?
