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It’s been a rough 10 years for the Los Angeles Lakers. After winning five championships between 1999 and 2010, the team has struggled to find consistency. Since the 2012-2013 season, Los Angeles has won two playoff games outside of the championship run in 2019-2020.
This most recent season was easily the most disappointing the team has had in decades. They went into the season as one of the favorites to win the championships but couldn’t even get into the play-in tournament. The Lakers will need to undergo some major roster changes but options are limited. Perhaps looking to a familiar face who played with Kobe Bryant could be an option.
Jodie Meeks played two seasons in Los Angeles between 2012 and 2014. His last season with the team was quite impressive as he averaged 15.7 points a game and hit 40.1% of his threes. The last time he played in the NBA, he was a member of the Toronto Raptors during their 2019 championship run. He’s been out of the league for a few years now but isn’t ready to retire. He made it clear that he wouldn’t even have to think about re-signing with the Lakers if they made him an offer.
“Most definitely. I really enjoyed my two years with the Lakers, so reuniting would be something that I’d be more than happy to do,” Meeks told Wenzell Ortiz of Sideline Sources. “Aside from being a great locker room presence, I can clearly add shooting, and I’m also a hard-nosed defender. I can come in and give that extra effort off the bench that everybody saw they needed last season. Every team can use a shooter that can make shots for their superstars.”
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Meeks Talks Most Recent Lakers Season
The Anthony Davis and LeBron James duo got off to a hot start as the Lakers won a championship in their first season together. The following season was solid but derailed by injuries. This season was an unmitigated disaster as Russell Westbrook was a terrible fit next to Davis and LeBron. The injury issues also persisted. Meeks was asked about what went wrong with the Lakers this season and he believes there were a lot of factors.
“I think injuries were a big part of it. It’s not fair to point to one thing or one person,” Meeks said. “A lot of things happen in an 82-game season. They had some personnel issues that didn’t fit the puzzle, and particular guys didn’t play that well — I’m not going to name anybody because it’s not important. I know that they want to play better, but they also have to get the most out of their personnel. Hopefully, next year will be a different story because Lakers nation is very passionate. That’s another reason that I love playing there; the fans are incredibly loyal. I know they’re ready for another championship.”
Should Lakers Take Look at Meeks?
Meeks will be 35 when the next NBA season starts and was most recently playing in the NBA G League. He’s missed three full seasons and he could have to start thinking about moving on from the NBA. However, the Lakers would have nothing to lose by bringing him in for a workout.
New head coach Darvin Ham was an assistant in Los Angeles when Meeks was with the team. There’s a lot of familiarity between the two. Meeks is past his athletic prime but if he could still hit threes at a good percentage, he might be a useful veteran to have in the locker room.
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