Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons Avery Bradley needs to be in starting lineup
By Robert Marvi
5. He’s a good 3-point shooter
Outside shooting has been one of the Lakers’ biggest weaknesses the past few years, as they’ve consistently ranked at or near the bottom of the league in 3-point shooting percentage.
Last summer, general manager Rob Pelinka and then-president of basketball operations Magic Johnson came under fire for adding playmakers such as Rondo and Lance Stephenson to the team but not adding any 3-point snipers.
This summer, Pelinka did address that weakness, and one of the players he signed to rectify that weakness was Bradley.
He has a career 3-point accuracy of 36.4 percent and has shot at least 39.0 percent from downtown for an entire season three times: in 2011-12 (only his second season), 2013-14 and 2016-17.
With JaVale McGee expected to start at the 5 alongside James and Davis, the other two starters, i.e. the starting guards, need to be very dependable outside shooters so that opponents can’t get away with clogging the paint in order to stop James, Davis and McGee from getting easy baskets at or near the rim.
Starting Bradley alongside Danny Green will go a long way in creating space for the Lakers’ two superstars.