One day before the Los Angeles Lakers begin their 2021-22 NBA season vs. the Golden State Warriors at Staples Center, the team announced one more surprise move to the ever-changing roster around LeBron James and Anthony Davis: The Lakers will sign undrafted rookie and former Virginia Cavaliers center Jay Huff to a two-way contract.

Huff is a 23-year old, 7'1 stretch-big who averaged 13.0 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game in his senior season at Virginia. He was named to the All-ACC Defensive First Team and led the conference with a 58.5% field goal percentage.

Notably, his three-point shooting improved each season on campus; In 2020-21, Huff drained nearly 39% of his three attempts per game.

Excluding Anthony Davis, the Lakers don't currently have a two-way, stretch big on the roster following the departure of Marc Gasol in September. It's likely the Lakers identify Huff as a potential candidate to fill that void — possibly a sneaky good find by the scouting department.

Huff will become the fourth different player to occupy one of the Lakers' two available two-way spots this offseason. Austin Reaves was initially signed to a two-way before having his deal converted to a guaranteed contract. Joel Ayayi was invited to training camp on a two-way deal, only to be waived after camp. On Tuesday, the team acquired former first-round pick Sekou Doumbouya on a two-way deal (he did not appear in either of the team's final two exhibition contests).

Huff played Summer League ball for the Washington Wizards.

On Friday, Frank Vogel said the Lakers would “give it some time” before making a decision on their second two-way spot, and would “ideally” use the spots on a big and a small, respectively, though talent would be the priority. Evidently, “some time” meant the weekend, and the team settled on another big.

Of course, the Lakers have two other established 7-footers on the roster behind Davis (DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard), so expect Huff to spend the bulk of his time with the South Bay Lakers of the G League.

That said, considering the Lakers' recent developmental success with two-way guys (Talen Horton-Tucker, Alex Caruso), whoever is playing on the two-way is always worthwhile to keep an eye on.