Ryan Kelly is back with the Lakers, and making more than the veteran minimum.
Official numbers on Ryan Kelly's new deal with Lakers: $1,650,000 in 2014-15, $1,724,250 in 2015-16
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) July 21, 2014
The second year forward came off of foot surgery during his rookie year. Ryan Kelly came back onto the Laker team and had great games, displaying his basketball IQ, shooting ability, and ball-handling ability. Many teams overlooked him in the draft, but the Lakers admitted he was higher up on their board. At a near 6’10” (w/o shoes) and a near 7′ wingspan, he has guard skills that are tough to find with players of that height and length. He has a 9’2″ standing reach, which is actually higher than Julius Randle, Jordan Hill, Carlos Boozer, Ed Davis, and Robert Sacre. Boozer, Davis, and Hill have a standing reach at 9′.
Look for Kelly to get key minutes for the Lakers next year. Who knows? He may be providing the spacing that Randle needs to operate in the low post. He averaged 8 points per game and 3.7 rebounds per game in his rookie year campaign.