Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Players who need more playing time

3. Jared Dudley

At first glance, you may be thinking, what could Jared Dudley possibly do to help the Lakers get better?

In the very limited time he’s been on the court this season, he’s made 52.6 percent of his 3-point attempts. The Lakers have been up and down in the 3-point shooting department, and that inconsistency was evident during their Christmas Day loss to the Clippers.

In that game, Doc Rivers’ boys packed the paint, especially late in the game, and dared the Lakers to let the ball fly from deep. The Purple and Gold shot only 12-of-45 from downtown in that game, which is a terrible 26.7 percent. It was a major factor in their 111-106 loss.

But there’s another reason Dudley needs more playing time as the season moves along, and it’s somewhat related to the need to best the Clippers.

How many times have we heard that the Los Angeles Lakers are soft? That they don’t play with enough edge, swag, feistiness, etc.?

Dudley is the opposite of soft. He may not be dirty, but when it comes down to it, he loves to get under the skin of opposing players and teams.

He totally did just that to Ben Simmons in last season’s playoffs.

Dudley may not get much playing time in the near future, but his value to this team come playoff team should not be underestimated.