5 centers the Lakers can sign for support after Mo Bamba injury
By Jason Reed
1. Vernon Carey Jr.
Vernon Carey Jr. is someone who just recently became available as the Washington Wizards recently waived the former Duke Blue Devil. If you look at what Carey has accomplished at the NBA level it is not hard to see why he was waived by the Wiz.
In three NBA seasons, Carey has only been able to appear in 37 games, averaging a grand total of 5.1 minutes per game. No NBA player can put up numbers in that short of a span, so Carey’s averages of 1.9 points and 1.4 rebounds shouldn’t be over-analyzed.
So what even makes Carey a target if he has accomplished nothing real at the NBA level? His G League performances. Carey has played really well at the G League level. This season he is averaging 20.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and is shooting 36.4% from three.
Carey isn’t going to come in and play the minutes that Bamba would have otherwise. But he fits the youth movement in Los Angeles and the Lakers could benefit simply by bringing him in for the rest of the year to see if he is a potential long-term developmental fit for the team.
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Los Angeles is one of the best teams in the entire league in developing young players. It is not hard to see what Carey has done in the G League and not get excited about what the Lakers can do if they got their hands on him. That is what makes him more intriguing than any of the veteran options.