Damian Lillard defends new Lakers signee Jake LaRavia as Gilbert Arenas launches furious tirade at Rob Pelinka

Gilbert Arenas was not happy with the LA Lakers signing Jake LaRavia in free agency on Monday. He criticized Lakers’ president Rob Pelinka’s approach, launching into a furious tirade on Instagram. However, Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard came in defense of LaRavia, showing confidence in the power forward’s talent.

Gilbert Arenas expressed his frustration at the team prioritizing LaRavia, a bench player on a two-year, $12 million deal, who, according to the former Washington Wizards player, the team could have signed “right before training camp.”

Heading into free agency, acquiring good big men had been the team’s primary concern. Instead, the team lost Dorian Finney-Smith to the Houston Rockets and missed on great centers like Clint Capela and Brook Lopez, both of whom LA was reportedly targeting.

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"Never in my life have I seen a bench player be signed so fast during free agency," Arenas started. "So, this is what we doing now Lakers huh? Signing Jake...the nerd on the post, [it] ain't breaking news."

"The breaking news is if we sign [Jonathan Kuminga]. That's breaking news. If we sign [Deandre Ayton] who just hit the market: breaking news! If we stole Myles Turner from Indiana. Breaking news!"

"Ni**** averaged six points last season, that's not breaking news. You a damn fool. We could have gotten him on the last day, right before training camp," Arenas added. "You could have him tryout...put him in Summer League in Bronny, sh** he probably wouldn't make that god damn it."

Damian Lillard reacted to the video and showed support to LaRavia in the comments.

"He nice tho," Lillard wrote in the comments section.

Jake LaRavia sends message to Lakers fans after signing in free agency

Jake LaRavia was elated after signing with the Purple & Gold in free agency. The young power forward had a special message for the fans on Monday. He posted a story on his IG handle, expressing his excitement for the next big step in his career.

"💜💛 LAKESHOWWWWW," he wrote.

"Hope Lakers fans are as excited as I am💪🏻."

"💪🏻let's work."

Although a lot of Lakers fans would share Arenas' concerns about LaRavia, the power forward is not a scrub. He is a career 37.7% shooter from the 3-point line. Last season, before being traded to the Sacramento Kings, LaRavia shot 44.4% from beyond the arc.

Moreover, a player of Jake LaRavia's caliber, especially with his 3-point shooting, almost certainly has a higher chance of success alongside Luka Doncic and LeBron James.

In three seasons, LaRavia has averaged 6.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists while converting 42.9% of his field goal attempts.

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About the author

Nandjee Ranjan

Nandjee Ranjan is a journalist covering the NBA and WNBA at Sportskeeda whose passion for basketball dates back to his childhood when he enjoyed playing the sport in school.

Nandjee finds his heart divided between two NBA powerhouses: the LA Lakers and the Golden State Warriors. He idolizes LeBron James and his leadership, while he appreciates the Warriors' dynamic and team-oriented style of play.
Basketball, for Nandjee, isn't just a sport but a holistic approach to fitness and well-being. He's been drawn to team sports, finding fulfillment in the physical engagement basketball offers.

With years of following basketball, Nandjee contextualizes historical events and player performances. He believes in conducting thorough research before writing, only taking information from reliable sources. He doesn’t mind taking more time to write an articles, as long as it is 100% accurate for his readers’ benefit.

During his leisure hours, Nandjee finds relaxation by reading books.

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