Lakers: Luol Deng Getting Comfortable in LA’s Offense
In what has been a forgetful season for Lakers’ Luol Deng, he might have finally turned the corner with the Purple and Gold.
At 31 years old, Deng is averaging 8.3 points per game–on track for a career-low–and his defense and quickness, though still good, are not what they used to be. More often than not his value related to the hefty contract he signed this past summer has been questioned.
However, he has finally started to show signs of progress.
In the months of December and January he is averaging 9.5 points and grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game. He has scored 11 times in double figure and has taken advantage of smaller forwards to collect a handful of double-doubles.
Especially in January, Deng is having a Plus/Minus of +11.5 (the first time positive this year), an offensive rating of 110, and shooting 40 percent from three.
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The improvement can definitely be attributed to his increasing level of comfort in Walton’s offense, but not only to that. It takes time to learn to play with new teammates. Do not underestimate the power to know which a player’s favorite spots are.
Most importantly, the injury occurred to Larry Nance Jr. has allowed the 12-year veteran to spend more time at the four position.
On his side, Walton has never questioned Deng’s overall value on the floor and never considered his slump cause of concern. He kept trusting him through good times and bad times.
Aside from the mentoring role, this is the production he is expected to provide. He was not signed to be a big time scorer in a team featuring some of the best young talent in the league (plus the reborn Swaggy P). He just needs to be accountable on the offensive end when shooting the ball and play some D.
This makes him at least a bit worthy the massive contract he signed in the summer and quiets some of the trade rumors haunting him from the start of the season.
What do you think? Should the Lakers keep going with Luol Deng or try to trade him before the deadline? Let us know in the comments below.