NBA Rumors: Is Antawn Jamison a Good Fit for the Lakers?

As ingenious and polarizing as Steve Nash’s acquisition was, it didn’t strengthen the Lakers bench, which was the deepest root of purple and gold’s string of problems last season. But that’s okay, because Los Angeles has begun to address that deficiency with the reported signing of Antawn Jamison.

From Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer:

The Charlotte Bobcats have lost out on free agent Antawn Jamison, who will sign with the Los Angeles Lakers, the Observer has learned.

The Bobcats were recruiting free agent Jamison as both a power forward and a veteran mentor to a young team. Jamison was torn between the chance to play for his hometown team or to pursue a championship with what figures to be his last NBA contract.

Jamison is a crafty scorer and rebounder, who put up 17.2 points and 6.3 rebounds per game with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. He’s hardly known for his defense, but as a stretch 4, who wears opposing defenses wafer thin, that’s an unflattering notion easy to overlook.

The real question that remains here, though, is how well Jamison will fit in with Lakers. Los Angeles already boasts the likes of Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol and Steve Nash, and one has to wonder if there are enough touches to go around on the offensive end.

The answer is of course. Barring a surprise turn of events that dictate the Lakers start Jamison at small forward—or power forward—his voluminous scoring tendencies will be a welcomed asset off an extremely shallow bench. Not to mention he brings yet another valuable veteran presence to the fold.

While Jamison spurned his hometown team in the Charlotte Bobcats, he has an opportunity to not only compete for an NBA title, but become a driving force behind a team contending for one. He’ll thrive alongside the distributing exploits of Nash and will likely be the Lakers’ most deadly shooter behind Nash himself.

So, are the Lakers and Jamison a good fit together?

No, they’re a perfect one.