The Los Angeles Lakers added Dion Waiters to their backcourt from the buyout market. These three players will have to step up their game to avoid losing minutes to Waiters once the games resume.
The Los Angeles Lakers have shaken up the back end of their roster recently. The first move they made was signing Markieff Morris after he was bought out by the Detroit Pistons. They dipped back into the buyout market just about two weeks later, signing Dion Waiters.
Waiters path to the Lakers wasn’t without some bumps in the road. He was suspended as many times, three, as games he played in this season. The suspensions have totaled 17 games. He had run-ins with the coaching staff and an incident in which he reportedly overdosed on THC-infused gummies.
UPDATE: Dion Waiters is the Heat player who had medical emergency on team plane, I’ve confirmed.
— Andy Slater (@AndySlater) November 9, 2019
Waiters overdosed on “gummies,” sources say, and was passed out when plane landed.
He had a seizure when he was finally woken up, I’m told.
Waiters was listed out tonight (illness)
He was traded by the Heat to the Memphis Grizzlies before the NBA Trade Deadline in the Andre Iguodala deal. The ink was barely dry on the deal before the Grizzlies decided to move on from Waiters, buying him out of his contract.
The Lakers decided to bring Waiters in over fellow veteran, J.R. Smith. Waiters will bring some much-needed scoring punch to the Lakers’ bench, as he is someone that can create his own offense and score the ball. He averages 13.2 points per game in his career and has shown the ability to be a playmaker as well when given the chance, averaging 2.8 assists per game. That number was up to 3.6 during his time with Miami.
However, we will have to wait a little while to see Waiters in the purple and gold. He has played in only three games between January 24th and 28th. As a result, the team wants him to get some practice time under his belt to get back into playing shape.
Eventually, Waiters will be given a chance to get into the Lakers’ rotation. That means that someone, or multiple players, will have their minutes reduced. Which players need to step their game up to avoid losing minutes to Waiters?
These three players could see their playing time decrease once Waiters is up to speed and inserted into the rotation.