The Lakers have bolstered their in-house talent with the addition of a promising prospect.
The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off of a noteworthy NFL Draft that saw them select Tennessee basketball star Dalton Knecht in the first round and USC basketball role player Bronny James in the second round. Meanwhile, the Lakers have continued to bolster their franchise talent pool with players that include plenty of promise and skills.
The latest is 6-foot-9, 200 pound guard/forward Vincent Valerio-Bodon, who signed with Coach JJ Redick's team according to a Wednesday update from NBA.com. Last season, Valerio-Bodon played for the South Bay Lakers in the NBA's G League. Valerio-Bodon averaged 6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 blocks in 18.3 minutes of action on the basketball court. A 23-year-old prospect, Valerio-Bodon has also spent time in the Hungarian A League, averaging 5.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 19.8.
The Lakers forward also played for the team's 2024 Summer League outfit, appearing in four games averaging 4.5 points, 4 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 13.5 minutes.
Lakers' roster begins to take shape
The Lakers' 2024-2025 roster is beginning to take shape and that means that not everyone is going to make the final cut.
The Lakers are known for adding stars via trade or the waiver wire at the last minute which means that newcomers like Vincent Valerio-Bodon could find themselves on the outside looking in.
One example is Patrick Beverly, a former Lakers player who compared his overseas fanfare to LeBron James' recently. Meanwhile, a former Laker is moving on to the Golden State Warriors.
The Lakers' current roster candidates include several young players who are just now coming into their own. Among them are Max Christie, the ex-MSU Spartan who has great shooting range and has been working to improve his body over the years for the purposes of making it NBA ready. Jarred Vanderbilt is a wild card because of his ability to hold position down low and play on the perimeter. He is a rebounding savant at times who can make life difficult on opposing guards and forwards.
Knecht's outside shooting could be a perfect fit for the drive, slash and kick style of LeBron James, even as James advances toward his inevitable date with the 40-year-old mark this December.
Put it all together and it's easy to see why Vincent Valerio-Bodon is in for the fight of his life this season to even make the Lakers' roster. The Lakers also figure to carve out playing time for Bronny James Jr. in hopes of lighting a fire under the Lakers faithful and witnessing history made by the dynamic father-son duo.
This kind of depth is a good problem to have for Coach JJ Redick, as the old saying goes, giving Los Angeles a chance to make a big splash and perhaps repeat as NBA Cup (formerly known as the In-Season Tournament) Champions.
