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Despite the fact that Jared Dudley doesn’t see a lot of time on the court, he’s the target of a lot of Twitter haters. The Los Angeles Lakers forward is pretty active on social media, so that’s most likely why he’s targeted quite a bit. He’s gotten in spats with a number of fans and even a rapper.
The latest attack came from someone on Twitter who went after Dudley in an NSFW comment. He decided to clap back and explained why his role is important with the team:
My job isn’t to score brotha! But leave me open and I’ll knock down that 3.. my job is the locker room, relaying defensive coverages, being Kuzma eyes and ears.. helping AD development. I’m the pulse brotha l..You too young to understand.. 13 years in this league and counting.
Though Dudley is only averaging 7.8 minutes a game and 1.5 points, he’s definitely taken on a leadership role with the team. Now that’s he’s 34 years old, he doesn’t need to have a big role on the court. If the Lakers didn’t think he was a valuable asset, he wouldn’t still be on the roster.
Dudley Further Explained His Role With the Team Recently
Honestly, Dudley doesn’t need to explain his role with the team. He’s been in the NBA for 13 years, which is far more than the majority of professional players. No, he’s never been an All-Star, but he’s clearly valuable enough to keep landing roster sports. Dudley was recently on Inside Green Room where he further explained his role.
“We all have a role on this team, we all can’t play 30 minutes,” Dudley said. “That’s what fans don’t realize, there’s a reason why I’ve been in the business for 13-years. For me, hey, it’s when to stay ready. We’re getting ready to pick it up another notch. We’ve been playing 1st in the West off natural talent. We haven’t really locked in, locked in.”
He believes the Lakers are progressing very nicely.
“There’s three or four stages to a season. You have to get to know each other stage. Now we’re in that little third stage before the playoffs, like, hey, it’s time to set the tone. Cause when we get to the playoffs, you don’t need to pick it up again, we’re already at that level.”
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Captains Behind the Captains
There’s no doubt that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the leaders of the team and the best players. However, they can’t do everything by themselves. Dudley believes that a few role players have taken up positions of leadership.
“It’s guys like myself,” Dudley said. “Avery Bradley. Rondo. Danny Green. We’re the captains behind the captains. We’re serving the everyday basis. So guys like LeBron/AD, they lock-in. Cause we need them to play 45 minutes.”
The Lakers roster is very different than it was a year ago. The team is littered with veterans and there aren’t as many young faces around. That’s worked in the team’s favor as it lets Davis and LeBron focus more on the basketball side of things than the team politics.
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