After a standout season in the G League, the Lakers have tendered a non-qualifying offer to two-way guard Chris Mañon, making him a restricted free agent.
Mañon earned G League First Team All-Defense honors with the South Bay Lakers last season.
In his rookie season, Mañon was effectively a non-factor with the parent Lakers after signing
his two-way deal, scoring just seven points in nine games and never playing outside of garbage time. In total, he played just 46 minutes in the NBA last year.
However, in the G League, he saw far more time, playing in 46 games with South Bay. While he still had a limited offensive role, scoring 11.6 points per game but shooting 31.5% from the 3-point line, he made his name on the other end of the floor.
Mañon finished the year averaging 2.1 steals and 0.9 blocks per game and earned the reputation as one of the best defenders in the G League. On top of his First Team All-Defense honors, he finished second in voting for G League Defensive Player of the Year.
The need for a reliable offensive game still trumps his defensive ability, no matter how great it is. However, his elite defense also makes him an intriguing two-way candidate. That being said, Mañon is 24 years old and while that’s certainly not a finished product, it’s also pretty late in a basketball career to suddenly find or develop offensive skills that haven’t existed before.
For the Lakers, it’s an easy move to tender the non-qualifying offer and make him a restricted free agent. They can always pull the offer at any time if a more intriguing two-way option becomes available.
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