After a four-year stint away from the franchise — all with the Washington Wizards — Thomas Bryant has returned to the Lakers, the team that drafted him in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. Yet another success story for the Lakers’ vaunted scouting department, Bryant’s returned to contend for the team’s new opening at the starting center position on a minimum contract.
Bryant’s profile as a sharpshooting stretch-5 with above average lateral movement for his size is one the team has sorely lacked for years. His signing along with Damion Jones’ now gives the Lakers a versatile, dynamic, and young pair of 5s to work along the foundation of new coach Darvin Ham’s system.