4. Familiarity with the organization
When a player is acquired in the middle of the season, getting them up to speed is not an easy task. With diminished practice time, there isn’t much time to get acclimated to a new city and teammates. Luckily for the Lakers, that process would be circumvented with Ariza.
Ariza is a seasoned veteran. He has played for seven different organizations and traded five separate times. One of those places he has previously played is with the Lakers. Ariza was a part of the Lakers’ 2009 NBA Finals team that defeated the Orlando Magic. So, you know you are getting a player that understands not only what it takes to win, but to win in Los Angeles.
In addition, Ariza also has experience playing with alpha personalities and ball dominant players. He has played alongside the likes of Kobe Bryant, James Harden, Chris Paul and John Wall. So, he should have no problem adjusting to LeBron James.
Another thing working in the Lakers’ favor is that Ariza already has a relationship with general manager, Rob Pelinka. Pelinka represented Ariza as his agent for multiple years while the two were with Landmark Sports.
Given his skill set and experience, Ariza should adjust to the Lakers better than some other players would. Tyson Chandler has slid in seamlessly, and the team would hope that Ariza could do the same thing.