With point guard Darren Collison considering coming out of retirement, here is how he can fix the Los Angeles Lakers biggest weakness.
Former Indiana Pacers point guard Darren Collison shocked the NBA world when he announced his retirement at only 32 years old, foregoing a what was expected to be a payday in the tens of millions.
However, Collison seems to have gotten the itch to play again, as ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowkski announced that the guard has been considering coming out of retirement, with the Los Angeles Lakers as one of the favorites to sign him.
Story filed to ESPN: After a stunning retirement prior to free agency, veteran guard Darren Collison is considering a February return to the NBA – with the Lakers and Clippers emerging as his two preferred destinations.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 1, 2020
Should the Lakers be successful in landing Southern California native, he can immediately come in, make an impact, and patch up what is arguably the team’s biggest weakness; playmaking. You might be asking why playmaking is the Lakers’ biggest weakness when they have the league leader in assists in LeBron James. But the problem lies in what happens to the team when LeBron goes to the bench.
With LeBron off the floor, the team’s offensive rating drops to a putrid 100.1, which would put them dead last in the league. Overall, the team’s net rating sees a -5.2 drop when LeBron sits, and there are a couple reasons as to why this happens.
The biggest culprit in this decline is undoubtedly Rajon Rondo, as he is currently the team’s backup point guard, and is generally the person who replaces James when it comes to handling the ball and running the offense. With Rondo on the floor, the offense has stagnated, and he has been unable to form any kind of chemistry with Anthony Davis, despite the two being teammates in New Orleans.
Pretty much everything Rondo does poorly, Darren Collison does great. For his career, Collison is a 39.4% 3-point shooter and 85.3% free throw shooter. He can excel as both a primary ball handler, as well as a secondary one, and is a capable enough defender to not be a liability on that end of the floor. Rondo is not a volume shooter, so his 38.1% 3-point average is a bit deceiving.
If Collison’s minutes are properly staggered with LeBron James, the Lakers will finally be able to have a legitimate playmaker for basically the entire game. In addition, his presence will bolster the Anthony Davis only minutes, as he will finally have a competent point guard to run pick and roll with, and can reliably stretch the floor for Davis to operate.
With the Lakers able to offer a larger role, more money thanks to DeMarcus Cousins’ disable player exception, and a legitimate chance to compete for a title, it would be a no-brainer for him to sign with the purple and gold.