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Los Angeles Lakers: 5 veteran minimum candidates to help the bench

By Justin Hickey

LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 29: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers moves the ball against Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the second quarter in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 29, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA - AUGUST 29: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers moves the ball against Carmelo Anthony #00 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the second quarter in Game Five of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on August 29, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Lakers /

2. Andre Roberson

This signing is hit or miss. But if Andre Roberson were to even get back to 75% of his normal self, this would be an amazing signing for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Roberson, when healthy, was one of the best defenders in the NBA. Quite possibly the best wing defender, he is long and athletic and gives guards and forwards nightmares. Nobody in the league defended James Harden better.

He also did a good job when guarding Kawhi Leonard. Which could prove useful as LeBron gets another year older and could use more time to rest late in games. Roberson has always been up for the task of guarding the best player and doing it quite well in Oklahoma City.

Unfortunately in January 2018, Roberson ruptured his patellar tendon and missed two and a half years following that. He came back for Oklahoma City in the bubble and was not himself but that was expected missing so much time.

One area he always struggled on was shooting but he looked to have better mechanics. He will need to continue to focus on shooting corner 3-pointers and improving that area. His specialty has always been backdoor cuts and finding open lanes in transition for easy buckets.

He spent most of the past few seasons in Los Angeles rehabbing. So he knows the area and has a lot of medical resources around to help. There is no better place for him to re-establish himself on the market for.

A veteran minimum deal for a guy that was a DPOY candidate a few years back is worth the risk. If he gets back to anything resembling his former self, that will be a tremendous add for this team defensively. If not, he is someone who could provide knowledge for the young guys on how to properly position on defense.

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