Meet the Lakers BRAND NEW Addition! | Lakers Sign Jarron Cumberland after WAIVING Arthur Kaluma

Meet the Lakers BRAND NEW Addition! | Lakers Sign Jarron Cumberland after WAIVING Arthur Kaluma

[Music] Well, if you’ve been trying to keep up with the Lakers training camp roster, then buckle up because it’s likely going to change a lot the next week. Not only with training camp starting, which does start on Monday by the way, but with the fact that exhibit 10 contracts, aka training camp contracts, do not count against the salary cap. And to prove that, the Lakers made another one today, waving former exhibit 10 contract, Arthur Kuma, a guy that played with their summer league team and a guy that actually showed some pretty good three in the upside. I’m hoping that he sticks around with their G- League team so they have more time to evaluate him. But they did wave him to sign Jiren Cumberland, signing him to an exhibit 10 contract, therefore they can retain him on their G- League team if they want to. but they can also retain him for their training camp roster, have him play for their preseason team, and possibly have him evaluated to make their actual team be a two-way contract. That’s a new addition to their training camp roster. Now, bringing back their total to 21 out of a possible 21 training camp spots, but getting back to their new addition here again, that being Taran Cumberland waving Arthur Kuma to get him. And I guess it’s kind of a viable replacement. Cumberland not being as big as Kuma, not 6’7 like Arthur Kuma, but is this a fairly decentsized wing himself being roughly 6’5 and a half, having a 6’7 wingspan, weighing 215 lbs, and does have some 3D ability to upside to go with him. So, I think he’s a pretty intriguing addition for their team. And well, you might say to yourself, who cares? It’s simply an exhibit 10 contract, just a guy that’ll be there for their training camp and probably not do anything after that point. But don’t simply think that as going back to last season, they had a guy they signed to a training camp deal. Not to mention a 27-year-old like Jiren Cumberland. The player I’m referring to here being Jordan Goodwin, a guy that eventually made their team via two-way contract, a guy that got elevated to their fifth team roster, and was actually a pretty valuable player for them and was a role player for them late in the year, even being a role player in the postseason for their team, too. So, no, don’t simply overlook this and write him off to that he’s not going to do anything for their team, that he has no chance of making their team or even an impact on their team. He theoretically could, and I actually don’t think it’s that far out of the imagination. And yes, he does happen to be two-way contract eligible, therefore making a viable and realistic pathway for him to make their team in some capacity. So, with that in mind here, we’re going to talk about the player that Jiren Cumberland is, the skill set he has to offer, and the odds of him actually being able to make their team and get something out of this training camp contract. So, without further ado here, beginning with his build and overall frame, Jiren Cumberland is a 6’5 wing player that is either a small forward, shooting guard, a little bit of both, actually plays a lot bigger than he is. You know, I couldn’t find a specific measurement for his wingspan, but if you look around, you might see some that say a 6’7 wingspan, might see others that say 6’5 and a half wingspan. So, he’s maybe not the biggest swing in the world, but he is a pretty good athlete to go with it. So, plays a little bit bigger than you might think. And coming off a pretty good year in the G-League, playing 25 games with the Delaware Blue Coats, averaging a G-League careerhigh 19.6 6 points per game, nearly 20 points per game to go along with five rebounds per game, 5.3 assists per game. So, does have some point guard point forward ability to his game, a very impressive 1.4 steals per game, is a defensive playmaker, shooting 47.3% from the field, and a careerhigh in the G- League, 46.1% from beyond the arc. Very impressive and very efficient, not to mention taking nearly seven three-point shots per game. So, yes, he does have some productivity to point to. Unfortunately, not the NBA level. I mean, yeah, he’s played three games, but they pretty much been garbage time. Was briefly a two-way contract back during the 202122 NBA season. So, he does have three years left of two-way contract eligibility. That’s the only year he played at the NBA level. So, yes, he is 2-way contract eligible. And from what he showed at the G-League level, definitely played above the G- League level last season in my opinion. Again, pointing to the stats he put up, pointing to the productivity on both ends of the court, showing two-way value, and therefore could be a potential two-way player, not simply by contract, but actually by skill set. That’s what he’s got to show and prove to the Lakers during training camp. Got to prove that the three-point shooting was legit. Got to prove that he can be an NBA level defender, keep up with guards, and even defend some smaller wings, be a defensive playmaker, and kind of wreak havoc out there on the court. That’s why I point to with him and they’re really two primary things that he does have to show throughout training camp. I mean, that’s really become the pathway for undrafted guys and undrafted guards and wing players that don’t really have an end to an NBA team. If they weren’t drafted and therefore the team doesn’t really have any stock in their development, doesn’t really care that much about giving them real development time or real on ball opportunity, you know, then they have to break through with their defense and or three-point shooting ability, doing the little things on the court, and simply showing to be a hard worker. That’s how they break through. Pointing to guys like Alex Caruso for one, a former Laker and a guy that broke through directly by doing that. Working hard on defense, making the hardworking plays and doing the little things on the court that contribute to winning and really make a head coach proud out there. That’s how you got to break through. So for Jiren Cumberland, that’s kind of what he has to show throughout training camp. doing hardworking plays, you know, making the effort plays out there, diving after loose balls, working hard on defense, and even trying to be a good rebounder. I mean, it worked for Jordan Goodwin as a 6’3 guard, so who’s to say that he can’t do it? Goodwin being one of the best offensive rebounders in their team late last season. And no, I’m not joking about that. The guy’s an extremely hard worker and it showed up on defense and his rebounding, too. So, for Jiren Cumberland, many different pathways for him to stand out and potentially impress JJ Reic. And yes, Reic definitely will watch him as he directly watched Jordan Goodwin, remembered him for their training camp and how hard he worked. Even with Goodwin getting hurt throughout the G- League regular season, Reic eventually came back to him and personally wanted him to be elevated to a two-way contract so he could play for their actual NBA team. So, no, this is not a wasted opportunity, not a wasted contract given that nobody should not pay attention to. I think Cumberland might have an in or any other training camp player on their team for that fact, too. If they work hard enough, if they offer the skill set or potential skill set that Reic is looking for, then they might have a viable pathway to playing time through a two-way contract, which the Lakers do currently have one open with. And that’s one pathway for him, showing it through his hard work and good defensive talent, good defensive commitment. If he can do that, then I guarantee he will stand out. Obviously making their G-League team and them retaining him through that at the bare minimum, but potentially getting that two-way contract as well. Though apart from that as you cannot make the NBA from purely defense alone at this point or not usually unless you’re an elite defender that can defend multiple positions like a Jared Vanderbo for example not too common in today’s NBA. On top of that you have to have another skill set with you at least some three-point shooting ability aka getting the 3 and D moniker potentially a two-way player and that’s another thing that Tieran Cumberland does have to prove wasn’t fake last season. Like I said, he shot a very impressive 46.1% last season from beyond the ark, not to mention on nearly seven attempts per game, though that’s the only time he’s ever shot above 30% at the GLeague level. Now, keep in mind, he has only played 68 GLeague games, 25 of which came last season. So, I’m not going to say that it wasn’t real. If we go back to his college career, was a pretty decent three-point shooter. Not anything too crazy, but was about an average three-point shooter at the college level, having been a 35.2% 2% career college three-point shooter. Again, not great, not anything tremendous, but also not too bad. So, he can point to last season in the G League and say that it wasn’t fake, but he’s got to prove that again during training camp. If he can be that offball kind of three-point shooter, catch and shoot guy from the corner and wing, then that would be another way for him to stand out and again prove that last season wasn’t a fake three-point shooting mark for him. But then finally, I’d point to his kind of finesse game, his on ball ability, and what he can do with the ball. Again, not really about scoring, but talking more about his playmaking ability, averaging 5.3 assists per game last season at the GLeague level to only two turnovers per game. Therefore, having a 2.5 assist to turnover ratio. Pretty impressive for a kind of combo guard like himself. Not really a true point guard, quote unquote, but does have some playmaking ability. does have some on ball ability, offball ability, some pretty good defensive playmaking ability. So, he does have kind of the skill set that Reic probably liked with Jordan Goodwin, offering a little bit of that and even a little bit more than Jordan Goodwin. I wouldn’t be shocked if that’s kind of the Jordan Goodwin replacement in JJ Reic’s mind. Maybe somebody that Reic actually liked and maybe told them to get via an exhibit 10 contract. I wouldn’t be entirely shocked by that. So, here’s hoping they found another Jordan Goodwin, a guy they pick up via exhibit 10 contract that eventually makes their team via two-way contract and then elevated from the two-way contract up to a 15-man roster spot. I’d love to see them do it again if the combination of JJ Reic and their scing department can find another player like that. That would be a tremendous success story for their development and ability to find diamonds in the rough, which they have actually proven to be able to do quite effectively. But what do you guys think? How do you feel about Jiren Cumberland? How do you feel about the Lakers signing him and waving Arthur Kuma in a corresponding move with their training camp roster? And do you think he could maybe be another Jordan Goodwin for them? Or do you think this simply is a move for their G League team that won’t translate to their NBA team at all? Neither via two-way contract or eventually via 15man roster spot. Let me know your thoughts and how you feel about Jiren Cumberland in the comments down below. But I think that’ll pretty much do it for this one. And if you enjoyed the video, then I’ll greatly appreciate it if you dropped a like, subscribe to the channel if you have not already, and hit that notification bell to never miss out when I upload a video. But as always, thank you for watching and have a great day or night. [Music]

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