Los Angeles Lakers: 3 role players who must step up

Lakers role players who must step up: Danny Green

During the Lakers 2009 title run, Trevor Ariza shot a blistering 48 percent from deep off four attempts per game while playing stifling perimeter defense. The Lakers let Ariza walk during the summer of 2009 and landed Metta World Peace to fill his role. Metta World Peace struggled from beyond the arc (30 percent from three) during the Lakers 2010 title repeat, but he hit timely shots and played lockdown D.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen that every championship squad, no matter how much top-end talent they had, needed to have at least one deadly 3-and-D player. The Miami Heat wouldn’t have won their second championship without Ray Allen’s 3-point shooting and defense. The Warriors continuously leaned on Andre Igoudala to take on the opposing squads’ best perimeter offensive threat and to hit clutch baskets during their dynasty days.

Last season Danny Green was supposed to be the guy who hit threes at a high clip and played great defensively for the Toronto Raptors in the playoffs.

Green got half the equation right. He took on the opposing team’s best perimeter option, allowing Kawhi Leonard to save energy for offense. Unfortunately, he only connected on 33 percent of his 3-point attempts throughout the postseason. Fred VanVleet ended up morphing into the Raptors much-needed 3-and-D specialist, hitting 39 percent of his shots from deep in the playoffs while playing solid defense.

Danny Green will have to shoot better during this year’s playoffs if the Lakers are going to take down the Clippers and the Bucks. Both organizations possess an overabundance of long and agile wings. During the playoffs, when these wings are going 110 percent, they’re going to make it very tough for LeBron James to manufacture points. If they start to feel that Danny Green’s jumper is even a little bit shaky and his man starts to roam towards James, it’s going to make a difficult situation, almost impossible. LeBron must have room to work to run the Lakers offense, and Danny Green is the key to creating space for him.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Dion Waiters are important for the Lakers’ title hopes, but Danny Green is easily the essential player outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Rob Pelinka handed Green a two-year, $30 million contract because he’s capable of slowing down guys like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Khris Middleton, and James Harden while also keeping opposing squads honest on defense with his pure jumper. KCP and Waiters aren’t capable of doing what Danny Green can.