Ranking the Los Angeles Lakers Top 5 assets in an Anthony Davis trade

#5) Josh Hart

It’s become increasingly unlikely that Josh Hart blossoms into anything beyond a good, but not great, high energy, “3 and D” type of player. The former 30th overall pick back in 2017 has yet to make any significant progress statistically in his first two seasons with the Lakers.

Though that may seem like a pessimistic outlook on the 24-year-old, he does hold value within a rotation. Hart could serve as the backbone of a second unit, and provide whatever roster he’s on a solid 20-25 minutes off the bench on a nightly basis.

He shot 33.6 percent from distance this season, a jump down from the 39.6 percent he shot as a rookie. Warranted, a reason for his descend in efficiency can be attributed to his increase in three-point shot attempts, but that difference is rather inconsequential (3.1 as a rookie to 4.1 as a sophomore). For a guy that relies on 60 percent of his offense coming via looks from the perimeter, those numbers are alarming.

You could mention his dominance in the Summer League last year, his level of play took home MVP honors. But players such as Tyus Jones and Glen Rice Jr. have also been recipients of this award—which in all reality takes a bit of prestige associated with the trophy away. Perhaps it’s out of the realm of possibility that Pelinka and the Lakers use the “Summer League MVP” card in negotiations, but hey, it’s something.

Hart does bring grind and grit to any roster he’s a part of, you can’t take that away from him. He’s physical and plays with an infectious passion on both ends of the court. He has his shortcomings: inefficient scorer, won’t create plays for others, and he’s not a great ball handler or decision maker. However, he would bring a certain toughness from the guard position to the Pelicans bench. He’s not the most valuable Lakers asset, but he would be a nice add-on piece.