Getty Troy Daniels, formerly of the Phoenix Suns, plays the Denver Nuggets.
Journeyman NBA shooting guard Troy Daniels has seen his fair share of locker rooms, having played for five teams in his six seasons. However, after inking a team-friendly one-year deal to help offer reliable shooting off the bench, Daniels should get plenty of opportunities to prove that he is a strong fit to play alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis over the coming seasons.
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NBA Journeyman Troy Daniels Could Be Strong Longterm Fit for Lakers
Daniels’ ability to knock down the deep ball consistently should prove to be one of the most useful things he brings to the table. Both James and Davis require shooters on the floor around them in order to free up area around the basket and while Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Avery Bradley can without of a doubt knock down open looks from deep, they don’t do so with the same efficiency Daniels. Daniels gives the Lakers a player defenses have to account for on the perimeter as he has shown the ability to shoot WELL beyond 40% from behind the arc under the right conditions.
Furthermore, Daniels is extremely comfortable in catch and shoot situations, something he should find himself on the receiving end of frequently should he start earning time alongside Davis and James. With an increased amount of wide-open looks for Daniels (due to defenses rotating to help on Davis and James), there is a chance he could emerge into an extremely dangerous weapon on the Lakers.
While Daniels has performed well enough to keep playing in the league, he hasn’t been able to find himself a longterm home in the NBA yet. Coming off a two-year stint in Phoenix, the Lakers mark Daniels’ sixth NBA team and both parties are looking for a bit of stability. The Lakers have the ability to put Daniels in an optimal position to succeed while Daniels can help address one of the Lakers’ biggest areas of need. Assuming all goes well this season, don’t be surprised to try and see the Lakers bring him back on an affordable multi-year deal.
Lakers DeMarcus Cousins Continues Offseason Warpath
DeMarcus Cousins is putting in some serious work to get in shape for the coming season. While already looking to be a much more trim version of the Boogie we’ve seen in recent years, Cousins recently started playing in a rec league in order to help get comfortable on the court after suffering a quad tear while rehabbing his Achilles’ rupture.
In the Ultimate Hoops League (Cousins’ rec league) he has utterly dominated the competition – as was to be expected – and is putting up vintage Cousins stat lines like last game’s 37/15/6/5. While those numbers in no way correlate to his NBA production, it is good to see Cousins able to get a full offseason of preparing his body and getting comfortable back on the court as his injury didn’t allow him that same luxury last season.
It remains to be seen which DeMarcus Cousins shows up this season – or if the old one still exists at all after his myriad of injuries. However, if Cousins even reverts to a fraction of the All-NBA player he was prior to his injury, the Lakers undoubtedly have the steal of 2019 free agency.