Los Angeles Lakers: Predicting their closing lineup for the 2019-20 season

Avery Bradley

The Los Angeles Lakers were able to land combo guard Avery Bradley after missing out on so many players during the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes.

While Bradley is not a pure point guard, he has the perfect traits that will allow him to be successful at this position.

At 6″2, Avery Bradley is undersized to be a shooting guard and just about the right size to be a point guard. However, with a 6″7 wingspan, Bradley has been able to make up for any shortcomings in height.

So why does Bradley deserve inclusion in the crunch time line up for the Lakers? While he hasn’t exactly been great the last few seasons, the ability to be an elite defensive guard is there. If Bradley can tap into that player once more, then the purple and gold will have one of the best defensive guards in the league.

With a defensive-minded head coach in Frank Vogel and an assistant in Lionel Hollins, the former Texas Longhorn might be able to kickstart his defensive mindset.

Another important area in which Bradley offers serious upside is in his 3-point shooting. Bradley is a career 36.4% 3-point shooter. While that is not elite, it is an upgrade over some of the shooters the Lakers had last season.

Bradleys’ playoff experience with the Boston Celtics offers the Lakers some added experience in an already experienced lineup.

If Avery Bradley can bring tough defense and solid 3-point shooting to the Lakers then they will have two guards who are capable of shooting the 3-ball and defending on the perimeter.