It is difficult to find anything positive about the Lakers‘ nightmare season, especially after the All-Star break. The lone silver lining might be how well D.J. Augustin and Wenyen Gabriel fit into their roles and possibly showed that the roster could be improved if they add more unselfish players like those two.
When the Lakers added D.J. Augustin and Wenyen Gabriel on the buyout market late this season it did not look like they would help much. They ended up playing better than expected and gave them a lift at their positions, but it still was not enough to even make the play-in game.
Both of them played well enough to wonder if they should be brought back next season. Their play was also an indictment on the Lakers’ front office because they should have traded for players that fit those molds sooner.
The Lakers needed a backup point guard all season that could run the second unit and consistently hit open 3-point shots and Augustin fit that build for the most part. They also needed a bigger wing defender that had a high motor and Gabriel was able to be that guy for them in spurts.
It was really telling in the game against the Pelicans last week how much the Lakers trusted both Augustin and Gabriel. In a game that was a must-win that head coach Frank Vogel called a playoff game for them, Gabriel and Augustine were in the rotation and guys who had played for them all year like Austin Reaves and Talen Horton-Tucker were not.
Gabriel only played a little over four minutes and Augustin played just over 16, but neither one of them made very much of an impact. Yet the fact that they even saw the floor should speak to how valuable they have been down the stretch this season.
There are two questions the Lakers should be asking themselves about D.J. Augustin and Wenyen Gabriel.
What grade should both of them receive for their play since they have been signed? Should they be brought back for next season?
Their expectations when signing were taken into consideration when giving a letter grade. Skillset and capability of maintaining their same level of play moving forward helped answer the question if they should be brought back or not.
D.J. Augustin grade: B
Before the Lakers took a flier on him late in the season, Augustin was racking up DNPs for one of the worst teams in the league in Houston. At age 34 it was safe to assume that his best basketball was behind him.
The Lakers were desperate for a secondary playmaker off the bench that could also hit open 3-point shots all season, and Augustin had proven he could get that done throughout his career. They decided to bring him on board to try to salvage the season and squeak into the play-in game.
At the time he was signed there were plenty of Lakers fans who thought bringing him in made no sense and there was a bigger hole to plug at center. There were suggestions to take a chance on a younger player with upside at that spot instead.
Pelinka’s decision to opt for the point guard proved to be the right one because Augustin was able to work his way into the rotation and earn trust from the coaches. His veteran experience as a point guard for 14 years in the league added a calming presence to the second unit and helped limit the turnovers from that group.
Most 3-point shooters come to the Lakers and go on a cold streak from deep, but Augustin has been on fire since dawning the purple and gold. He has hit 50 percent of his 3-point attempts since he signed on a pretty decent sample size of 56 attempts.
Since most people thought it was a mistake to sign him and those expectations had to be taken into consideration when grading him, the B grade seems justified.
Should the Lakers bring him back?
If Augustin was a younger player this decision would be a no-brainer to bring him back as the backup point guard for next season. But at this point in his career, it would not be surprising to see him retire when this season is over.
Throughout his career, he has bounced around the league and has played for a bunch of bad teams. Considering how the Lakers will probably be in the play in range again next season, they might want to let Augustin have one last chance at a title or postseason run with another team.
If the Lakers did bring him back it would not be that bad an idea to have him play backup minutes at point again. The major concern with his game is that he is somewhat of a liability on defense and that is only getting worse with his quickness slowly diminishing as he gets older.
Wenyen Gabriel grade: A-
One thing this Lakers team sorely lacked this season was consistent effort and energy on defense and on the glass. That is why Gabriel glaringly stood out immediately when he was on the court because his high motor is always running like a souped-up muscle car.
When this roster was initially constructed it was definitely thin on wing players and that depth became even weaker when Trevor Ariza showed up as a shell of himself this season. Similar to when Stanley Johnson was signed earlier in the season, Gabriel’s youthful athleticism was a breath of fresh air on one of the oldest rosters in the league.
It is not really in Gabriel’s skillset to stretch the floor, so he will never be a 3 and D wing that has become very valuable in the modern game. He can play defense though, which is half of that equation.
His length combined with above-average athletic ability is what allows him to guard bigger players and be a pest on the boards. At 6’9″ with a 7’1″ wingspan, he showed versatility by even playing some center for the Lakers in some smaller lineups.
His A grade is based on his valuable two-way contract he is currently playing on. Just like Augustin, the expectations for him were low when he was initially signed, and he has exceeded them by leaps and bounds.
Should the Lakers bring him back?
Gabriel should definitely be considered to make the roster next season, especially if he is brought back on a two-way deal again. He is a bargain at that price and could be one of the more productive players on a two-way deal in the league.
He is still only 24 and the Lakers need to hold on to any young assets they can at this point because they hardly have any. Gabriel, Reaves, Horton-Tucker, and Malik Monk are the only players under 24 currently on the roster and it is likely that Monk will in free agency.
Wenyen may have found a home with the Lakers, but there is still room for improvement in his game. If he wants a bigger role and a full-time contract, he should work on his offensive arsenal in the offseason.
He has shot an abysmal five for 21 from beyond the arc and lacks the ball-handling it takes to get the basket consistently, so it is not surprising he only averaged 5.7 points per game. However, his average of 14.4 points per 36 minutes suggests that if his role was increased, he would definitely produce at an acceptable rate on offense as well.
It would not be surprising at all to see Gabriel playing for the Lakers next season.