Los Angeles Lakers: Don’t ever forget the impact of Sasha Vujacic

The Los Angeles Lakers took a chance in the 2004 NBA Draft when they held the 27th pick. With the pick, they went on to select Sasha Vujacic, a 6’7″ combo guard from Slovenia.

Sasha Vujacic ended up being the right choice and he ended up having a career more impactful than many imagined for the Los Angeles Lakers. The fiery guard ended up as a two-time champ and had plenty of significant moments in the purple and gold.

Early on in Vujacic’s career he didn’t have much of an impact as he got minimal playing time, particularly in his first three seasons. As a rookie he averaged 2.9 points in 11.5 minutes. Vujacic struggled as he shot just 28% from the field.

In years two and three, things didn’t get much better. As a sophomore he averaged 3.9 points on 35% from the field. In year three his numbers jumped up to 4.3 points on 39% shooting but he still struggled despite his efficiency improving.

For three full seasons it appeared the Lakers missed out on getting a potential steal late in the first round in 2004. A player like Anderson Varejao, or Beno Udrih were potential options instead of Vujacic.

Things changed for Vujacic going into year four. As soon as the season began, Vujacic looked like a more confident player. It appeared Kobe Bryant played the big brother role for the confident shooter. The combo guard was averaging 6.3 in the first two months of the season on 37% from three-point range.

Once the All-Star break came around he took the next step as a quality backup guard. In February he averaged 11.7 points on an incredible 48% from deep. He had a handful of big games including outings of 20 and 22 points. He began to score in double-figures consistently.

In March he averaged 10.1 points and closed the season in April averaging 9 points. Vujacic went into the postseason playing the best basketball of his career.

Once playoffs came around everyone in the league knew who Vujacic was. A player who can get hot at any moment and a pest on the defensive end who was always hounding other guards. Vujacic closed the season averaging a career-high 8.8 points on 44% from three.

Throughout the playoffs in 2008 he played similarly to how his season went, knocking down some big threes and defending at a respectable level. His play was a big reason the Lakers went on to have a date with the Boston Celtics in the Finals.

In game three with the series being even, Vujacic went on to have the biggest game of his career. The sniper wound up with 20 points on 3-of-5 from deep. As a result the Lakers went on to win six. The Lakers lost the series in six games but Vujacic’s impact was felt.

After losing a tough series to Boston in ’08 the Lakers went on to win back-to-back championships the following seasons. Vujacic had a role in 2009 when he averaged 6 points but his role diminished the following season.

While Vujacic had more struggles than triumphs, it was clear that Vujacic made a name for himself in LA.

As a result of his hard-work and ability to shoot the ball he got a bigger role in New Jersey where he was traded to in 2010-11. That season he averaged 11.4 points on 37% three-point shooting. Vujacic was in his prime and it appeared that he would become among the league’s best shooters.

That was before he decided to go overseas and sign a contract with the Anadolu Efes, a team in the Euroleague. Vujacic had success averaging 13.9 points and 3.3 rebounds.

After a season overseas he came back for a few seasons with the Knicks and Clippers but his role was a lot like his first three years.

At the end of the day Vujacic will go down as one of the more beloved bench players the Lakers have had in the 2000s. One can never forget his battles with guys like Carmelo Anthony and Goran Dragic.