With training camp approaching rapidly, the Lakers added one of the NBA G League’s top defenders to their roster by signing point guard Briante Weber on Monday.
The 6-foot-2, 170-pounder did much of everything for the Sioux Falls Skyforce last year, earning All-Star, All-Defensive, and Second Team All-G League honors, while leading the entire league in steals (3.3).
However, he was far from limited as a defensive specialist.
Weber also averaged 16.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.3 assists (which were seventh-most in the G League), while shooting 45.5 percent from the field.
This all-around play helped the 24-year-old post some gaudy stat lines, as he recorded five triple-doubles and nine games with five steals or more.
His magnum opus was a ridiculous 18-point, 12-assist, 11-rebound, nine-steal effort against Oklahoma City that fell just one swipe shy of the first quadruple-double in NBA G League history.
Weber’s knack for steals is familiar for fans of college hoops.
His combination of fast hands and quick feet has been his calling card since his days at VCU. There he thrived as the head of the Rams’ “Havoc” defense, leading the nation in steals in 2013-14 with 3.46 per game and earning the distinction of Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year three times.
Thanks to his athleticism — including a program-record 45 1/2-inch vertical leap — and instincts, Weber left VCU with the third-most career steals in NCAA history (368).
Since graduation, the computer science major has been a frequent face in the NBA, earning four call-ups in two years from Memphis, Miami, Golden State and Charlotte.
The next stage of his development will be to add a 3-point shot. He hit 35.6 percent from deep in the G League last year, but has gone just 1-of-15 in the NBA and 1-of-8 at this year’s Summer League.
However, his athleticism is more than enough to make him dangerous on both sides of the ball, and he should amp up the competitiveness at camp with his high-flying slams and momentum-turning steals.