It is very early in the season but you can already get a sense for what the newest Lakers bring to the team. One of the early bright spots has been the energy and effort of Josh McRoberts. The athletic forward has played well in his brief stint as a starter. However with Andrew Bynum coming back today it will be back to the pine for McRoberts.
This should be the best situation for both McRoberts and the Lakers.
It is pretty evident that McRoberts will never be among the elite power forwards in the NBA. As valuable as he’s been early on there is no chance of the Lakers contending for the title with McRoberts starting next to Pau Gasol.
The true value in having McRoberts (aka The White Show) on the roster will be seen when he brings his tenacity and energy off the bench. McRoberts is a nice change of pace kind of player that will hustle on every play and gives you all he’s got. Don’t look to the stat sheet to find his value. This is the kind of guy who you can only gauge by actually watching the game.
In short bursts that dynamic energy will be invaluable. Already Laker fans have been treated to some of those hops McRoberts has to offer on dunks and blocks. Just think of what he’ll be like giving Bynum and Gasol a rest.
In short Coach Brown’s bench will become stronger. Already Metta World Peace is rounding into 6th man form. The prospects of having a feisty group consisting of World Peace, McRoberts and the always aggressive Matt Barnes is a nice luxury for Brown to have.