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While Jared Dudley is a newcomer on the Lakers, the veteran wing player has made his presence known over the past few weeks. Never one to bite his tongue, Dudley has spoken candidly on a number of topics ranging from his role off the bench (the enforcer) to the state of the Lakers and his new teammates.
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Lakers’ Kyle Kuzma Gets High Praise From New Teammate Jared Dudley
In his latest public comments, Dudley took some time to praise the Lakers’ constantly improving young star Kyle Kuzma. The only member of the Lakers’ young core to survive the offseason, Kuzma has shown himself to be an incredibly valuable on-court asset who has been a perfect organizational fit off the court. On an incredibly cheap rookie scale deal and already showing strong chemistry alongside LeBron James after just one season together, Kuzma looks to play a major role for the Lakers moving forward – even if he ends up making a move to the bench.
Kuzma has been putting in work with a number of big name former players and trainers to specifically improve his defense and outside shooting. While Kuzma’s averages went up last season, he saw his shooting percentage from deep take a bit of a hit. If Kuzma can become even a league-average defender and shooter from deep, his presence on the court and ability to lighten the load for LeBron James and Anthony Davis should be vital to helping power the Lakers back to the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference.
Jared Dudley Among Fresh Faces Joining Lakers This Season
With only six Lakers returning from last season’s squad, Jared Dudley joins a large crop of newcomers to the Lakers. Alongside Dudley, the Lakers also brought on Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Danny Green, Quinn Cook, Troy Daniels, Avery Bradley, and rookie Talen Horton-Tucker. With so many fresh faces, the Lakers’ biggest challenge to start the season should most likely be finding some chemistry among the new-look squad.
To the front office and Rob Pelinka’s credit, this iteration of the Lakers seems to be a much better fit to play alongside LeBron James compared to last season’s unit. While last year’s Lakers were a bit younger and more athletic, this version offers more consistent defense and outside shooting – oh, and some guy named Anthony Davis.
The ability of James and Davis to find a strong rapport on the court together quickly is arguably the biggest factor in the potential success of the Lakers this season. On paper, James and Davis are a dream fit alongside one another and should have a symbiotic relationship on the court. However, James has never played with a versatile big man like Davis whereas Davis hasn’t played with a facilitator the caliber of James (sorry 2018 Rondo). The Lakers have done a great job of working out together and building chemistry off the court so far, however, still need to prove themselves on the actual basketball court.
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