The Lakers made a badly-needed addition to their protection by reaching settlement with 2022 Defensive Participant of the 12 months Marcus Good, after he agreed to a buyout of the remaining $21.5M of his contract with the Washington Wizards. Good will slide in because the third guard behind Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, offering protection, ball dealing with and toughness to a Lakers crew that was missing in all three final season.
The Lakers had the league’s third-best defensive ranking in 2019-20, once they gained the title, and have been the top-rated protection in 2020-21. Since then, the crew’s protection has been mediocre — not horrible, but in addition not a energy — particularly after buying and selling their defensive anchor, Anthony Davis, for Doncic.
Good made the playoffs in all 9 of his seasons with the Boston Celtics, making the All-Defensive first crew thrice. The Celtics traded him in 2023 after a roster shakeup that introduced in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Vacation. The Celtics went on to win the championship, whereas Good endured two injury-plagued seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies and Washington Wizards.
Now he is bought an opportunity to compete once more alongside Doncic and LeBron James. The Lakers beginning guards are each nice offensive gamers, however neither Doncic nor Reaves is a stopper, and even a median defender. Whereas he is solely 6-foot-3, Good is robust sufficient to carry up in opposition to forwards defensively, permitting the Lakers to make use of three-guard lineups. With Deandre Ayton put in at heart, the Lakers have an actual probability of being a top-10 protection.
Good’s harm issues are a priority, however much less so on a Lakers crew that has Gabe Vincent, Shake Milton and even Bronny James to assist restrict Good’s minutes and let him relaxation. The addition additionally makes Vincent and his expiring $11.5M deal a possible commerce chip, together with Maxi Kleber’s $11M expiring deal and Rui Hachimura’s $18.3M — sufficient to combination for a high-paid star.
If they’ve playoff ambitions, the Lakers wanted somebody who may guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, James Harden, Anthony Edwards and Steph Curry. It is properly value his $11M two-year deal for the Lakers to wager that Good could be that lacking stopper on the perimeter.
