Jamaal Franklin Making Impressive Case to Join Los Angeles Lakers Next Season

Jamaal Franklin was flying way off the NBA radar just a few months ago. But the explosive 6’5”, 191-pound wing is now showing why he deserves a chance to join the Los Angeles Lakers next season.

Franklin joined the Lakers’ D-League affiliate, the Los Angeles D-Fenders, on Jan. 21. Since then, the 23-year-old has averaged 23 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game—off the bench.

He has also notched five double-doubles and a triple-double in just 13 games.

The former member of the Memphis Grizzlies who was waived after his rookie season has not only scored in double figures in all 13 of his games with the D-Fenders, he has had three steals on three occasions and is the team’s third-leading rebounder.

As further evidence of his versatility, Franklin started in place of Roscoe Smith at the power forward position against the Santa Cruz Warriors Feb. 8, scoring 27 points. 

But there is more to the second-year pro than a stat-stuffing obsession.

After putting up 22 points, 11 assists, 10 boards, two steals and a block with no turnovers in a win against the Westchester Knicks Feb. 25, Franklin cast his effort in a refreshing light.

“The best thing about this game was the winning, not the triple-double,” said Franklin to Christina Kaplan of Lakers.com. “The biggest key is we’re moving the ball and playing defense now.”

That’s the kind of attitude that could benefit the Lakers—a team with a 16-46 record and needs across the board. Los Angeles has the worst defense in the league—giving up 105.8 points a game. And, the Lakers are only middling when it comes to putting the ball in the bucket, ranked 16th at 99.4 points per game.

It’s also the kind of mindset that could play well with Lakers coach Byron Scott, a practitioner of old-school fundamentals.

Los Angeles will look to the draft for help with two potential first-round and two second-round picks.

Management is also likely to throw scads of money and promises at elite free agents this summer.

But an effective roster rebuild also means looking at hidden gems in the team’s own backyard—its development league team. After all, that’s what it’s there for—to constitute a new stage in an evolving situation.

And this is where Franklin comes in—a two-way player who has traveled around the world in search of his hoops dream and is now back where it all began, in Southern California.

A native of Hawthorne, Franklin was a basketball standout at Serrano High School in San Bernardino County for four years before spending an additional year honing his skills at Westwind Prep in Arizona.

Franklin went on to San Diego State, where he was an All-American and Mountain West Player of the Year. He declared for the draft as a junior in 2013.

Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report was among the prognosticators touting Franklin for his hustling style and athletic ability: 

"

At 6'5'', Franklin plays a lot bigger than he really is. His athleticism is sickening. Franklin is a highlight waiting to happen, thanks to incredible hops, effortless mobility and long, active arms.

Physically, Franklin could add some bulk to his frame, but it hasn't been a problem for him at the college level. His ability to play above the rim allows him to compete among the trees who protect the paint and man the glass.

Despite having the size of a shooting guard, Franklin is second in the Mountain West in rebounding. With an active motor, strong instincts and electric springs, he's capable of getting to loose balls at their highest points above the cylinder.

"

Franklin, who was thought to be first-round material, wound up slipping to No. 41 overall, where he was snatched up by Memphis. At the time, team CEO Jason Levien nicknamed the prospect “The Grindson” in homage to gritty Grizzlies guard Tony Allen—“The Grindfather.”

“We think he’s going to fit in very nicely here,” said Levien, per Mark Zeigler of the U-T San Diego. “We think he’s going to add to our grit-and-grind mentality. The guy is just a big-time competitor, big-time toughness at the highest levels.”

But the rookie wound up buried in the rotation behind Allen and Courtney Lee, averaging 1.9 points in 7.7 minutes over 21 games. He was also assigned multiple times to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the development league.

By August, Franklin had reached the end of his road with the Grizzlies. His basketball journey next took him all the way to China, where he scored 53 points in a game for the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions.

And when Franklin's season was done overseas, he returned to his SoCal roots. He signed with the D-Fenders, who practice and play their home games in the Lakers’ El Segundo facilities, right next door to Hawthorne.

Franklin is still young, with room to grow and improve his game.

What better way than with a team that is also growing and rebuilding—a team that could use more grit and commitment?

The Lakers should pluck the Grindson out of their own development pool and let him blossom next season.