After the Los Angeles Lakers' hired JJ Redick as their new head coach, attention has turned to the team's next potential move—acquiring a third star to complement Anthony Davis and LeBron James.
On the latest episode of 'All The Smoke' podcast, Stephen Jackson shared his insights on this matter, emphasizing the importance of bringing in a two-way player capable of alleviating the pressure of an aging LeBron. He named Paul George and Jimmy Butler as ideal candidates.
"I would go for someone that can score and guard, someone like a Jimmy Butler-Paul George type of a guy. That a little pressure off Bron… he really wants to be a point guard. So LeBron facilitate and take a little pressure off scoring from him," Jackson said . "Also, on defense, he's not gonna guard the best guy, so a guy like Paul (or) Jim can do it every night."
Do the Lakers need George or Butler?
The Purple and Gold won the inaugural In-Season Tournament by boasting the best defensive rating. However, they finished the regular season as the 16th-best defensively rated team in the league before losing to the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs.
Both George and Butler are capable perimeter defenders, with nine combined All-Defensive Team honors in their careers. However, only Paul would address another deficiency in the Lakers' game—their inability to rely on 3-point shooting.
The Purple and Gold are coming off a season in which they attempted the third-fewest three-pointers per contest. That said, Paul's 6.8 three-point attempts per game could be a significant addition to their offense. On the other hand, Jimmy prefers to attack the paint, so he could potentially create spacing problems alongside LeBron and AD.
However, the primary concern with both George and Butler is their health or lack thereof. Jimmy has appeared in more than 60 games just once since he arrived in Miami. Meanwhile, PG13 has reached that threshold the same number of times in the last five seasons.
What should the Lakers' ideal approach be
While adding experienced players could improve any team's title chances, the Lakers, led by the oldest guy in the league, should perhaps reconsider their strategy of incorporating players past their prime. Instead, they should aim to acquire someone younger.
Zach LaVine, who consistently averages over 20 points per game, effectively creates space off the ball, and is a great three-point shooter, would be a good solution. Similarly, 27-year-old Dejounte Murray presents another viable option for the Purple and Gold.
Related: Kendrick Perkins explains his ongoing beef with LeBron: “I’m a follower of Jesus but everybody didn’t follow Jesus, right?
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