3. 3-point shooting
Everyone knows that the Lakers have absolutely sucked at hitting 3s in recent seasons, as they’ve finished next-to-last in 3-point shooting each of the last two seasons.
To that end, general manager Rob Pelinka has assembled a roster that’s full of solid and even some great 3-point shooters, and Dudley is one of them.
As previously mentioned, he shot an exceptional percentage from downtown early in his career while playing for an elite Suns team. He holds a career accuracy of 39.2 percent from beyond the arc, which is better than quite a few NBA players and firmly above-average.
It’s true that his marksmanship has slipped a bit in recent seasons. He made 42.0 percent of his treys in 2015-16 while with the Washington Wizards. The next season, he shot 37.9 percent from deep, and that number dipped to 36.3 percent in 2017-18, and 35.1 percent this past season.
However, the ability to hit 3s at a high rate is one of the last talents or skills that an NBA player tends to lose at an advanced age, and playing with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis should get Dudley not just more looks, but more airspace to shoot treys by virtue of the gravity that James and Davis attract.