James Worthy on what he loves about Jake LaRavia’s game after Lakers win

James Worthy praises Jake LaRavia’s ‘maturity’ and ‘control factor’

When the Lakers replaced Dorian Finney-Smith with LaRavia, the decision was met with mixed reviews. However, just five games into the season, LaRavia’s signing is proving to be a masterstroke.

Even Lakers legend James Worthy couldn’t help but praise the former Sacramento Kings player after his 27-point showing against the Timberwolves.

“At media day he seemed very mature, and serious, and matter of fact at what he should be doing. I just love his control factor. He doesn’t seem to speed things up,” Worthy said of LaRavia.

He added: “He knows his game and is not afraid to take the shot. Understands the moment. He’s new here with the Lakers, but I think he’s adjusting very well.”

Aside from scoring 27 points, LaRavia also had 8 rebounds and 2 assists to his name in 37 minutes of playing time.

James Worthy loved Jake LaRavia’s performance under pressure

LaRavia didn’t have an elite preseason, but he didn’t allow that to carry over to the regular season.

In fact, Worthy explained how the 23-year-old made the most out of playing heavy minutes for the Lakers against the T-Wolves.

“A role player coming off the bench most of the time, he got a chance to really show what he can do under pressure,” Worthy continued.

He concluded, stating: “I like his game, he’s versatile, he can shoot, and he can defend, he’s a pretty good defender as well.”

Right now, LaRavia is averaging 10.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game while also shooting an impressive 52.9% from the field.

The only question is whether LaRavia can stay consistent with his performance or not. After all, there are still 77 more games left to be played in the regular season.