NBA (Youtube) / Rawel Visual
The Lakers traditionally rely on their superstars, but that doesn’t stop some role players from getting out of the woods from time to time. Nate Pierre-Louis wants to be the next, the interested party wishing to dazzle the big league with his talent. He notably released a sensational statement on the subject.
More than ever, the Lakers will need all of their players to be up to speed in 2022-23. On the one hand, it is imperative to wash away the terrible affront suffered last year, by missing the playoffs. On the other hand, since two members of the Big Three (LeBron James et Anthony Davis) are injury-prone, substitutes must be able to contribute on the spot. Finally, developing a group chemistry is of a certain urgency, because it has been far from being the case in recent months.
The good news is that Californians can count on motivated athletes within the roster, especially at the end of the bench. This is particularly the case of Nate Pierre-Louis, signed this summer following spending last season in their affiliated franchise in the G League. The originally undrafted Haitian gets his first ticket to the top echelon there, and he intends to put it to good use. He thus announced that he was going to cause a hell of a mess in his half of the field, in the times to come:
Nate Pierre-Louis: “I am the best defender in the world”
I am the best defender in the world… I want to prove it in the NBA.
At least the young man does not lack self-confidence. It must be said that his last season with the South Bay Lakers was quite encouraging, he who shot just over 9 points, 4 rebounds and above all, almost two steals on average. The player is very sticky in man-to-man, has good hands and has solid athletic qualities that allow him to put on a show on the counter-attack. The highlights are in any case attractive:
Lakers should just give their South Bay guys PT
Nate Pierre-Louis has been killin it ???? pic.twitter.com/pDeh0B9JPk
— Omar Siddiqi (@osid24) March 15, 2022
Obviously, the one who was trained at Temple University in the NCAA should not play a very big role in the Purples and Golds, at least not at first. However, the franchise has brought out a few good players out of nowhere in recent years, like Alex Caruso or Austin Reaves to name a few. By following their example, he might quickly make a place for himself in the Darvin Ham roster, which has yet to determine who his loyal soldiers will be.
His background is anything but classic, but Nate Pierre-Louis is clearly not afraid to show his self-confidence. If he can actually shine in defense on the NBA courts, then his contribution will clearly not be too much for the Lakers.
