Taurean Prince 2024 NBA Playoffs Scouting Report: Dissecting LA Lakers small forward's impact and minutes

Taurean Prince was one of the offseason additions for the LA Lakers last summer. The objective was to add a veteran to boost their frontcourt depth and at 6-foot-7, the forward was roped in for guarding multiple positions while stretching the floor with his offensive capabilities.

Prince was the designated 3-and-D wing, who alongside LeBron James would boost the offense with his three-point shooting. Prince was a first-round pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and had his best run with the Atlanta Hawks. He bounced around the league and inked a deal with LA after two seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

While he's blown hot and cold for the Lakers this season, he did have a solid outing against his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers to help the Purple and Gold win 116-97. The 30-year-old finished with 18 points on 4-5 shooting from downtown as LA looked to make a surge with a handful of games remaining in the regular season.

---

Taurean Prince regular season stats

Taurean Prince has started in 49 games for the Lakers this season, averaging 9.6 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. Here's a quick look at his overall run so far:

GP	PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	FG%	3P%	FT%	TO
75	9.0	3.0	1.6	0.5	0.7	44.6	39.6	72.7	0.9

---

Taurean Prince playoff stats

Prince has played in 16 postseason games in his career in the league and has started in seven of them.

GP	PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	FG%	3P%	FT%	TO
16	8.5	2.9	1.1	0.4	0.2	45.5	32.7	85.7	1.0

---

Strengths and weaknesses

Prince's biggest strength is his three-point sniping and the numbers show his dominance when he finds his zone. He shot 37.8% from the three on 423 attempts with the T-Wolves, and it also included 43.7% from beyond the arc on corner 3s.

He's also one of the players, who can put some distance between him and the defender and pull up 3s at will. As a guard, he is capable of locking down 3s and 4s, but that shows his versatility.

However, Prince's biggest bane this season is his shooting slump and his turnovers that have hurt LA. Throw in consistency, where he has struggled as a player who can have a two-way impact, the Lakers finally relegated him to a bench role.

---

Impact, role, and projected playoff minutes

Should the Lakers make the playoffs, expect Taurean Prince to continue to come off the bench. He will be expected to come in for Rui Hachimura or LeBron James and provide the impetus in the frontcourt. His experience will help the secondary unit and he will be expected to continue being a force alongside Cam Reddish.

Prince averages 27.4 minutes per game this season for the Lakers. With Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt out for the foreseeable future, expect him to get just as many minutes in the playoffs. The question for Taurean Prince will be if he can regain his shooting touch and bolster LA's offense in the postseason.