The Los Angeles Lakers and nagging injuries have become synonymous over the past two season. Their report going into the last few preseason games have zapped some of their depth. Trevor Ariza, Talen Horton-Tucker, Malik Monk, and Kendrick Nunn are all dealing with ailments. It’s rekindled the flame of scouring the league for help.
Sekou Doumbuya fits the bill of rounding out their perimeter rotation and young talent. The Lakers are said to be a match for the recently waived forward, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania:
The Lakers are progressing toward a two-way deal with free agent forward Sekou Doumbouya, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Doumbouya was the No. 15 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 12, 2021
Doumbouya is a 20-year old forward that stands at 6’8. He can play both the three and four, while providing steady play on the defensive end. Being such a young prospect, he hasn’t had many chances to prove he’s an NBA player. He’s played in 94 career games, starting in 30 of those with the Detroit Pistons. He averaged 5.6 points per game over his two seasons. The Lakers will provide him with a great chance of development, as they are lacking small forwards.
Doumbouya was included in the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets trade, which featured new teammate DeAndre Jordan. The Nets eventually moved him to the Houston Rockets and he was waived.
Per gleague.NBA.com, each team may have up to two players under two-way deals while they’ll be playing in the G-League for most of the deal. That player cannot spend more than 45 days with the parent club. Joel Ayayi and Austin Reaves were the team’s two guys to start the year before Reaves was converted to an official roster spot and deal.
