Getty LeBron James #23 and Darvin Ham of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a 3-10 slide since winning the inaugural In-Season Tournament.
Their only outside roster move in that span came on the heels of their latest loss.
“G League G/F Dylan Windler has agreed on a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers,” ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in a post on X, former Twitter, on January 6, citing agents Mark Bartelstein and Andy Shiffman of Priority Sports. “Windler had a 23-point, 33-rebound performance on Friday for the Knicks’ Westchester affiliate.”
Windler’s 33 rebounds set a new single-game G League record.
A historic night for Dylan Windler ⭐️
With a career-high 33 REB, he now sets the new record for most boards recorded in a single-game in G League history! @wcknicks
Windler also set four franchise records and became the first player in franchise history to record a 20-plus-point and 30-plus-rebound game.
Originally the No. 26 overall pick of the draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Windler is a 6-foot-6 wing player whose rookie season in 2020-21 has been his best so far from a production standpoint in the NBA.
He averaged 5.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists, shooting 33.8% from deep in 31 games.
Windler made 50 appearances the following season. But his playing time dropped from 16 minutes per game to nine minutes per game, though, and his production fell.
He has logged just six appearances over the last two seasons, splitting them between the Cavaliers and Knicks. Windler is a double-digit scorer on average for the third consecutive season and a career 37.8% shooter from deep in the G League.
The Lakers made a corresponding roster move to make room for Windler.
Lakers Waive Alex Fudge to Make Room for Dylan Windler
“The Los Angeles Lakers will waive Alex Fudge in order to sign Dylan Windler to a two-way contract,” wrote ESPN’s Dave McMenamin in a post on X on January 6.
Fudge is an undrafted rookie free agent out of Florida. He has just four appearances with the Lakers this season, averaging 1.0 points and shooting 25% on two-pointers in three minutes per game this season.
A 6-foot-8 forward, Fudge is averaging 6.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks in 14 minutes per game across four appearances with the South Bay Lakers.
Pippen 🤝 Fudge
It’s hard to believe the Lakers think Windler is the answer to their problems, though.
LeBron James Rips Lakers, Downplays IST Championship
If LeBron James’ assessment of where the Lakers stand is any indication of the majority thinking in the Lakers’ locker room, they are going to need more than a G Leaguer, even a record-setting one.
“We just suck right now,” James said via Spectrum SportsNet on January 5. “[The In-Season Tournament is] just such a small sample. Everybody is getting so cracked up about Vegas, keep bringing up Vegas. It was two games. We took care of that business … but that was really just two games.”
James previously pointed to the Indiana Pacers’ record coming out of the tournament as supporting evidence that fatigue was a factor.
Indiana went 2-6 coming out of the tournament. They are riding a five-game winning streak now.
The Lakers are on a four-game skid, and they are 0-2 on what Anthony Davis suggested was a critical five-game homestand. Next up is the rival Los Angeles Clippers on January 7, followed by the Toronto Raptors (January 9) and Phoenix Suns (January 11) before their next road game.