Getty Danny Green of the Toronto Raptors (now Lakers) waves from his bus during the Toronto Raptors Victory Parade.
One of the Lakers’ bigger offseason acquisitions, Danny Green brings a consistently solid “3 and D” threat to the floor. Capable of locking up opposing teams’ wings and guards while operating as one of the league’s best floor-spacing weapons, Green is expected to step into a major role for the Lakers immediately and should carve out a role as one of LeBron James‘ favorite kick-out options.
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WATCH: Danny Green Checks in With Lakers Fans After Schedule Release
After the Lakers’ schedule was released yesterday, Danny Green took to Twitter to address Laker Nation and give his thoughts on the coming year. Despite there being a number of huge games on the schedule, Green seems to be most excited about the Christmas Day showdown against his former longtime teammate Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. In what is expected to be the first fully healthy showdown between both teams, the Christmas Day showdown has a shot to be one of the best regular season games of the year.
Last season for the Raptors – alongside Leonard – Green shot a blistering 45% from deep en route to helping lead the Raptors to an NBA title. His 45% mark was second-best in the NBA among eligible shooters, trailing only Brooklyn’s Joe Harris. While the career year from deep should be expected to come with some regression this season, Green should still be an incredibly effective weapon from deep as a career 40% shooter from behind the arc.
Lakers DeMarcus Cousins Another Key Free Agency Signing
While Danny Green commanded the most money of any Laker free agent, DeMarcus Cousins may have a chance to be the most valuable. The former All-NBA superstar is coming off a slew of unfortunate injuries and attempting to prove he can still compete at a high level. Cousins looked extremely rusty – and out of place – on the superstar-laden Warriors last season and while he joins a Lakers team with both LeBron James and Anthony Davis, he should find the ball coming his way considerably more often.
At his best, Cousins is an effective scorer at all three levels, a strong defender and rim protector, and an elite rebounding presence. Playing alongside former teammates Anthony Davis and Rajon Rondo should help Cousins get back into his rhythm a bit easier. If he winds up looking closer to the 2017 version of Cousins pre-injury, he gives the Lakers another multi-dimensional scorer capable of helping to drag opposing big men away from the paint. His natural rapport with Davis should come in handy as well as the two seemed to have a strong understanding of one another’s games while playing together in New Orleans.
Even if the Lakers can only get a fraction of the former DeMarcus Cousins, he should be able to offer considerably more value than his meager contract pays him – making him arguably the highest upside signing across the free agency landscape.
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