New Beginning in Los Angeles
On September 5, 2013, the Los Angeles Lakers signed Xavier Henry to a free agent contract with no promise of making the 15 man roster for the coming 2013-2014 season. It seemed that Xavier might be dealt the same fate as in Memphis and New Orleans; the Lakers were stacked with perimeter players, many of which with guaranteed contracts: Nick Young, Wesley Johnson, Jodie Meeks, Steve Blake, Shawne Williams and Marcus Landry were all vying for the same spots as Xavier.
Xavier wasn’t having it this time around; he was determined to make the most of his opportunity and wasn’t getting beat out, at least not without showing what he could do and making the Lakers decision a tough one.
Oct 29, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) looks on as Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Xavier Henry (7) dunks the ball in the first half of the game at the at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Xavier didn’t waste any time, coming out on fire. In the Lakers’ first preseason game Xavier goes off against the Golden State Warrior for 29 points and shows his knack for getting to the line, going 9 for 11 from the stripe. Xavier went on to average 12 points per game and shot an impressive 54.5 percent from 3 in his preseason campaign which was good enough to earn him a spot on the 15 man roster.
On November 3, 2013, Xavier starts his first game as a Lakers, replacing Nick Young in the starting line up. Xavier scores 18 points and shoots 6 for 8 from the free throw line in a 105-103 Lakers win against the Atlanta Hawks.
Xavier’s path to Los Angeles started almost 6,000 miles away in Belgium and took him on a rocky up and down ride. He experienced highs through high school as being one of the countries most coveted recruits and winning a State Championship. Those highs continued through college with the Kansas Jayhawks where his team dominated early on. Then it came crashing downward with a devastating upset in the NCAA tournament in the 2nd round and stayed down after 3 disappointing and uneventful seasons in the NBA with 2 teams after not living up to the expectations of a lottery pick.
This is where we find Xavier today, wearing purple and gold and in an upward trajectory. He’s an NBA starter for one of the NBA’s most storied franchises and continues to impress with his play with every game. How high Xavier will continue to climb as an NBA player is not known, but the early signs are promising. The beneficiaries are the Lakers and it’s fans that will get front row seats to the ascension of Xavier.
You can reach me at the my Twitter handle, @fullcourtfern, to discuss this article, anything Lakers or NBA related, or if you want to invite me to go grab a beer somewhere in L.A. You’re paying of course.
Like Lakeshowlife’s Facebook page to stay up to date on all things Lakers.