It didn’t take long for Jake LaRavia to realize his final season in Memphis felt different. While working out with Desmond Bane last summer, LaRavia first met then-Memphis assistant Noah LaRoche, who brought radical ideas for the Grizzlies’ offense.
That early inkling held, as Memphis’s new offensive system, which prioritized holistic movement and passing without screens or handoffs, helped fuel a career season for LaRavia. He and LaRoche “clicked pretty early on…on how he viewed [his] game,” aligning on a clear vision for his place in the new offensive ecosystem.
In his 47 games with the Grizzlies before the trade deadline, LaRavia posted career highs in overall efficiency, assists, rebounds and 3-point shooting. LaRavia didn’t end his year in Memphis, as the Grizzlies shipped him off to Sacramento at the trade deadline.
Early in the season, Memphis declined his fourth-year rookie-scale team option, allowing him to enter unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2025. This decision came as a surprise to LaRavia, who already envisioned a long-term future in Memphis.
“I didn’t expect to get traded, to be honest,” LaRavia said. “Once we got closer to the date [February 6th’s Trade Deadline], even though they didn’t pick up my option, I still kind of thought I was gonna be around.”
Grizzlies General Manager Zach Klieman, who admitted his mistake in not retaining LaRavia after the season, wanted to find LaRavia a suitable home. He chose the tumultuous Sacramento Kings, but kept his promise to send his 23-year-old wing to a positive situation, one LaRavia believed “ended up being the right thing.”
Calling LaRavia’s adjustment to Sacramento a struggle would be “an understatement,” by his own admission. Adapting to a new setting and learning a vastly different offense in the middle of a season challenged him. But the Kings saw something in LaRavia, in the way he embraced Memphis’s singular offensive system, to bet on his viability in Sacramento.
Operating without heavy screen or handoff usage requires versatile, skilled players who can score, shoot and create for others for the Grizzlies’ offense.. LaRoche immediately tabbed LaRavia as one of those players who could thrive without the guardrails present in most modern schemes.
“I’m 6’8, I have a good IQ of the game, I can pass the ball, I can attack, I can shoot, I can cut,” LaRavia said. “That versatile taller wing position fits perfectly into that offense…I was making the right plays, and that’s what he liked.”
jake laravia is up to 60.4% TS and 39.6% from 3 (low volume), the scoring has caught up to the rest of his game. has been one of the better role guys in the league so far, IMO.
memphis deploys him in so many ways. screener, driver, pnr handler, you name it pic.twitter.com/CZIJPtIR9w
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) December 4, 2024
Injuries limited LaRavia to appearing in just 70 games across his first two seasons, but he capitalized on his first healthy season as a pro. In the regular season, Memphis led the NBA in spot-up possessions per game (33.0), creating an environment for high-feel wings like LaRavia to thrive.
“[LaRoche’s offense] definitely benefited role players because of constant movement…constant passing, keeping the ball moving, and that benefited players like me,” LaRavia said. “I can read cutting off of the ball, or Ja [Morant] attacks and two people close in on him, and I’m on the 3-point line standing there spaced.”
Across the entire season, LaRavia converted a scorching 42.3% of his 3-point shots, burning defenses for sagging off. His shooting gravity cracked open driving lanes to attack off the catch, where he created shots for himself and others at the basket.
While LaRavia shot the ball effectively throughout his career, his finishing at the hoop progressed significantly last season. In Memphis, he posted career highs in rim frequency (30.7%), efficiency (59.5%) and free-throw rate (39.8%). Even without elite vertical athleticism, his size, patience and craft helped him excel as a slasher and finisher.
“Early last season, I was getting to the rim pretty much with ease,” LaRavia said. “Finishing was one of the bigger things I worked on this past offseason…“I was able to work on the slow step, which is a move that I always go to, where you take that 1-2 and plant, wait for the defender to jump and go up with it.”
jake laravia finishing
— Ben Pfeifer (@bjpf.bsky.social) May 28, 2025 at 9:56 PM
LaRavia’s excellent rim finishing sustained throughout his time in Sacramento, where he finished an elite 70% of his shots at the basket (on significantly lower volume). Despite massive improvements, he isn’t content with his interior scoring.
“Honestly, to me it’s still not a complete strength of mine,” LaRavia said. “I felt myself a lot of times finishing and falling on the ground because I was trying to finish through contact, so now I’m trying to create the contact first, kind of how guys like Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] score using the bumps, then out of the bumps, they’re playing off two… I think I have that in my bag.”
That skill development and offseason work helped LaRavia learn a completely new offense under Doug Christie in Sacramento. LaRavia switched from Memphis, which logged the fewest handoffs and pick-and-rolls of any offense, to Sacramento, which placed second in handoff frequency for an offense that orbits around Domantas Sabonis at the top of the key.
“It was a completely different offense run, though Domas or DeMar [DeRozan] and Zach LaVine, who just got there, too, LaRavia said. “It’s a bit slower-paced, depending on who has the ball.”
LaRavia’s touches dipped from 37.6 per game in Memphis to 27.3 per game in Sacramento. Without the ball in his hands as frequently, he had to adjust his play style. His 3-point rate skyrocketed from 37.3% in Memphis to 54.2% in Sacramento while his rim frequency plummeted from 30.7% with the Grizzlies to 10.4% with the Kings.
After a rocky start in Sacramento, he finally settled in, averaging 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game on excellent 61.6% true shooting across his 12 games in March before missing all of April due to injury.
“I found my groove and I was doing everything on the court, which is what I strive to do every game,” LaRavia said. “It’s not just scoring and playmaking, but it’s defense, hustle plays and all of the little things…I was able to carve out that role off the bench as that energy guy.”
Beyond the vast offensive system change, he had to learn a new defensive system under Christie with different responsibilities. Without a defensive ace like Jaren Jackson Jr., the Kings relied on swarming perimeter defenders and a broader menu of defensive coverages.
“I’m at that point where I can adjust to pretty much any coverage and guard 1-5,” LaRavia said. “As tough as some players are to guard, you play to the tendencies…dudes are gonna get past you, it is what it is, go to the next play and get another stop.”
LaRavia’s energy, defensive chops and adaptability endeared him to Christie, helping them form a strong relationship. After he took over for Mike Brown midseason, the Kings eventually made Christie their official head coach, which enticed LaRavia to target Sacramento as a long-term home.
“Me and Doug [Christie] kind of clicked pretty early, just because he liked the way I play,” LaRavia said. “He likes those energy guys…I thought I had a really good relationship with him.”
From the moment LaRavia stepped on the floor at the Golden 1 Center, he knew the team and the city weren’t like anything he’d experienced before. Even throughout his early struggles, LaRavia felt the support and energy from the team, the city and his coaching staff.
“I had even told [the Kings] in the exit interviews that they gave him the head coaching job, I’d look forward to going back there even more,” LaRavia said.
LaRavia fondly remembers his first game in Sacramento against New Orleans, when the crowd erupted after he stole a pass, drilled a three, blocked CJ McCollum and dunked the ball, all within his first few minutes as a King.
“I really did enjoy being there in Sacramento, even outside of the coaches and the players, the fanbase there was amazing, “LaRavia said. “I could see going back there as an option.”
If LaRavia doesn’t end up back in Sacramento, he hopes to land on a young, up-and-coming team looking to contend for championships soon. Aside from Sacramento, LaRavia mentioned Orlando, Detroit, San Antonio and Denver as possible teams he would want to play for.
LaRavia’s ultimate goals, like most NBA players, revolve around contributing to a title-winning team. Playoff basketball favors versatile, skilled, high-feel players who impact winning in a variety of ways.
“When it comes down to it, you need 3-point shooting, you need defense,“ he said. “Every team needs a player like that, a taller wing that can play both sides of the ball, that can defend, be gritty, that can make shots.”
Today’s playoff environment requires complementary players to offer more than ever. Modern defenses take away limited offensive players, even effective outside shooters in the regular season. Playoff role players, beyond their shot-making, must put the ball on the floor and make decisions in real time.
“Stars on the team are gonna get double-teamed, they’re gonna get blitzed,” LaRavia said.
“[Teams are] going to make role players beat us instead of the star player.”
If LaRavia does sign with a fledgling contender as he hopes, he’ll have the chance to prove himself an effective playoff player. He’ll lean on his experience as a higher-usage creator in Memphis, as well as his time as a primary floor spacer in Sacramento.
He trains twice a day, six days a week, during the offseason. His work helped fuel significant growth this season, crystallizing his status as a promising NBA player.
“It’s confidence at the end of the day, especially when it comes to playoff basketball,” LaRavia said. “That’s all it is, really.”
Premier NBA teams rely on speed, physicality and malleability. Competitive postseason teams lean on their depth to squeeze through a myriad of situations and protect against inevitable wear and tear on the body.
LaRavia’s acumen in two contrasting situations in Memphis and Sacramento will aid him throughout a crucial summer. Whichever team invests in him in free agency will benefit from his spacing, feel and variety of two-way skills for the near and far future.
“I’m excited for whatever team I sign with to get to work with them,” LaRavia said. “I think I can really have a breakout season.”
