The Los Angeles Lakers have had an up-and-down season thus far. There have been moments in which the team does not seem capable of keeping up with the best teams in the league. However, there have also been moments where all the pieces click and it looks like the Lakers could make a run in the right situation.
What makes the best version of the Lakers painful to watch is the idea that they could have been even better. There are several young role players that have stepped up this season for LA but the team could have had even more if Rob Pelinka made all the right signings.
Fans shouldn’t expect a GM to be perfect but it is still hard to not play the “what-if” game with potential Laker signings. Heck, we have not been shy at pointing out missed opportunities for the Lakers that could have been something special for LA.
This is another case of just that as Yuta Watanabe continues to thrive for the Brooklyn Nets. This is not the first time we have touched on Watanabe and probably will not be the last as he continues to thrive with the Brooklyn Nets. On Friday, he hit a massive go-ahead three-pointer that set-up Kyrie Irving’s eventual game-winner.
YUTA WANTANABE PUTS THE NETS UP BY 2
— NBA (@NBA) December 17, 2022
0:14 REMAINS IN Q4
📲 https://t.co/1pomQZMAZK pic.twitter.com/OiQQx5quge
Yuta Watanabe is giving the Brooklyn Nets exactly what the Los Angeles Lakers need.
Yuta Watanabe signed a minimum contract with the Nets and has blossomed in front of our eyes this season. The Lakers definitely could have talked themselves into signing Watanabe over the summer as the team desperately lacked wings with size and Watanabe was one of the few young options on the market.
Los Angeles also had plenty of time to make a deal happen as well, making it even tougher to swallow. It would be easier to accept if the Nets scooped him up right when free agency began but that was not the case. Watanabe did not sign with Brooklyn until late August.
Watanabe finished Friday’s game against the Raptors with 17 points, which is not even a season-high for the 28-year-old role player. Overall, Watanabe is averaging 8.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game. Most impressively, he is shooting 53.8% from three this season. That is not a typo. 53.8%.
That is the best mark in the league for anyone that has taken 50 or more threes this season and it is not even close. He has been lights out from three this season and has actually been serviceable on the defensive end for the Nets.
Ranking the Lakers’ minimum contracts by likelihood of being traded
The Los Angeles Lakers have several minimum contracts to trade this season. Some of these options are more likely to be traded than others.
Los Angeles has plenty of chances to sign Yuta Watanabe and for whatever reason, the team didn’t make it happen. That is something that Rob Pelinka and co. certainly must regret.