Lakers: Six 'Defensive-minded' Free Agent Guards That LA Could Sign

One thing that new Lakers head coach Darvin Ham has stressed during his short time with the team so far has been defense. Ham repeatedly talked about how the Lakers biggest leap this coming season will be on the defensive side of the ball.

Anthony Davis has long been one the best defenders in the NBA, but even if he can stay healthy next season, the Lakers don't have enough quality defenders currently on the roster to improve a defense that ranked 21st in defensive efficiency (112.8) this past season.

In a recent article, The Athletic's Jovan Buha listed six 'defensive-minded' guards that are set to become free agents that the Lakers could sign.

Victor Oladipo

Oladipo is probably never going to be a All-NBA guard again, but the former second overall pick had some fine moments with Miami during their playoff run. He's lost a step due to a series of serious injuries over the last few years, but his defense, and Tyler Herro's injury, is largely what led to him averaging 24.5 point per game during the Heat's run to the Eastern Conference Finals.

He's only 30 and could be a quality signing for the Lakers.

Jevon Carter

Carter doesn't quite have the sizzle of Oladipo, but it's easy to connect the dots on this one. There's a Ham connection. Carter spent the second half of the 2021-2022 season on Milwaukee Bucks and definitely doesn't need the ball in his hands to be productive. In the playoffs, Carter had the best individual defensive rating (88.5) among Bucks who averaged at least ten minutes per game.

Austin Rivers

Rivers broke into the league as an offense-first guard, but in recent seasons, has had to play defense to earn his minutes. The 29-year-old isn't a stranger to the playoffs either. Rivers has played 60 postseason games in his career and as a Santa Monica native, could probably be convinced to live in LA year round.

Ricky Rubio

Rubio will be coming off a torn ACL in his left knee, but he's been consistently productive throughout his 11-year NBA career. Not only could he run the offense for the Lakers second unit, he can also play defense. We know, it's hard to believe after years of watching Rubio play turnstile defense in his six years in Minnesota, but among the regular Cavaliers starters, Rubio owned the best individual defensive rating (99.5).

Delon Wright

The LA native has played for six different teams in his career, but he gets minutes wherever he goes because, wait for it, he plays defense. Wright signed a three-year, $28M deal in 2019 and might want to chase more money elsewhere, but if not, he's another nice fit for the Lakers.

Gary Payton II

This one hurts a bit since GP2 had a cup of coffee with the Lakers in the 2017-2018 season, but on the Warriors, he's blossomed into a quality defender and a player who fully understands his role. We'll spare you the stats. His Warriors teammates reactions to him fracturing his elbow in the second round of the playoffs clearly displays his value to a team that's one win away from a title.