Danny Green
Easily one of the most underrated moves made in the NBA this offseason. During the wait for Kawhi Leonard, the Los Angeles Lakers missed out on a significant amount of talent. When Kawhi decided to sign with the crosstown rival LA Clippers, it left the talent pool quite dry for the purple and gold.
Luckily, the Lakers snapped up sharpshooter Danny Green mere hours after the Leonard announcement. While the Lakers missed out on players such as Seth Curry, Wayne Ellington, and J.J. Redick, I truly believe the Los Angeles Lakers got the best pure shooter on the market.
In the Long Island product, the Lakers have the ideal 3-and-D wing. Green proved his worth during the Toronto Raptors championship run, which resulted in the team bringing home the1st NBA Championship in the franchise and Canadian history.
During the playoffs, Danny Green showed his abilities as both a sharpshooter as well as a lockdown defender.
Whether Green is coming off a screen, picking and popping or taking wide-open 3-point shots, the result is usually the same; Green gets buckets from the 3-point line. This will come as a huge upgrade to a Lakers team that struggled mightily with 3-point shooting last season.
Another strength of Greens’ is his lockdown defense. During his time with both the Raptors and the San Antonio Spurs, Green has shown an ability to disrupt and alter his opponents’ shots whilst also lowering their shooting percentage with his on-ball pressure.
This ability to defend wings will be huge for the Lakers roster come this season. While LeBron James is known for taking plays off on the defensive end during the regular season, choosing to save his defensive prowess for the playoffs, having someone like Green on the roster will allow for the Lakers to cover-up LeBron’s shortcomings on the defensive end.
Green, if he can continue to be a sharpshooter and elite defender this season, will be a huge piece in helping the Los Angeles Lakers compete for a championship.