3 players on the Lakers roster whose minutes must be slashed
By Jason Reed
1. Avery Bradley
You might have been expecting another player to be first on this list… more on that later.
Avery Bradley was signed on a non-guaranteed contract right before the season began and it appeared that he was just a place-holder for the roster spot until the Lakers could get a better option in the buyout market. Instead, Bradley’s contract was guaranteed for the rest of the season.
The same guy who was not on a roster right before the season is getting significant minutes with the Los Angeles Lakers. Bradley is fine as a veteran who can come off the bench but there is no reason why he should be playing as much as he is.
Bradley is averaging 23.7 minutes per game and has started 41 of 48 games that he played in this season. Bradley is sixth on the team in total minutes this season and there really is no reason why he should be playing this much with how he is playing.
Bradley’s shooting percentages are fine but his overall offensive production is low while he is not as good of a defender as Frank Vogel seems to think he is. His minutes should be going to a better defensive wing (such as DeAndre’ Bembry) or to guys like Wayne Ellington, who has not gotten much of a chance this season.
It is not working. Try something.