![]() The Lakers have been struggling badly to make perimeter shots, and it has been a team-wide problem. Lakers’ Perimeter Shooting Remains Woeful They need someone they can actually put on the floor in the playoffs.” But they know they need a shooter and that is where their real focus is going to be over the next month. “He is a temporary solution, he can get them by until (Anthony Davis) is healthy. “You don’t sign Damian Jones thinking he is going to produce for you in the playoffs,” one general manager told. That spot is likely to get a bigger investment from the Lakers, and it is expected to go to a player who can address the team’s shooting woes. By signing Jones to a 10-day contract, the Lakers have made no firm commitment to him, and the team maintains its other open spot. The Lakers have two open roster spots, with only a limited amount of available money under the luxury-tax apron to sign players. ![]() Jones was a nice, steady player, but he was no Bryant or Dwyane Wade, who served as O'Neal's superstar sidekick during the Miami Heat's championship run in 2006.The Lakers, after much discussion and speculation, finally added a player to the roster this week, and while that was no surprise, the identity of that player was-center Damian Jones, a former NBA first-round pick of the Warriors who has played only 118 games in five seasons and is still just 25 years old.įor executives around the league, the signing of Jones to a 10-day contract is a signal to the rest of the NBA about the Lakers’ intentions as the trade deadline approaches on March 25-the Lakers are seeking a patchwork fix for the lack of athleticism in the frontcourt, which means they’ll save more resources to address the roster’s other big need, more 3-point shooting.ĪLL the latest Los Angeles Lakers news straight to your inbox! Join the Heavy on Lakers newsletter here! I have never bought the theory that the talent surrounding O'Neal was inconsequential, because that line of thought betrays the superstar talent he won NBA championships with. The next two seasons Bryant averaged 29.4 points and 26.5 points in the postseason respectively, and firmly cemented himself as the league's top talent at the shooting guard position. The higher average doesn't mean that the Lakers would not have won in 2000 with Jones as opposed to Bryant, but it does mean that Bryant contributed more during the run. That may be true, but Jones' highest playoff average as a Laker was 17 points per game, while Bryant averaged 21 points per game during the 2000 postseason. Popular theory suggests that O'Neal was the primary catalyst for the Lakers 2000-2002 championship run, and that the players who surrounded him were less important. ![]() Jones' career with the Lakers lasted five seasons, and although he created many memories, his chance to become a Lakers legend may have been erased when Bryant joined the roster.īryant's rise to superstardom made it easy to forget Jones' contributions, but could the Lakers franchise still have reached the same level of success with Jones instead of Bryant? The Lakers won the first of three consecutive championships the following season with Bryant as the starting shooting guard, and Jones continued a career filled with near misses in his quest for an NBA title. Jones continued to excel despite the shadow of Bryant looming over his shoulder, but the 1998-99 season would be his last as a Laker, as Jones departed ironically for Charlotte, the city of Bryant's NBA origins. Some people questioned West for choosing a player with nearly the same exact skill set as Jones, but West must have seen something special in Bryant that separated him as a player.ĭuring his time in Los Angeles, Jones garnered a huge fan following from his hustle, work ethic and talent on the court, and there were some fans who refused to see the handwriting on the wall.Īfter all, Jones was an above-average shooting guard, and Bryant was an untested high school phenom whose brash nature was in stark contrast to Jones' humble persona.īut, even though Bryant and Jones' styles were similar, it didn't take long to realize that Bryant was the more talented player, and it was only a matter of time before Bryant wrested away the starting shooting guard spot. Jones was already a key member of the Lakers roster when former general manager Jerry West initiated the series of moves that would culminate with the free agency signing of Shaquille O'Neal and the acquisition of Bryantīryant was selected by the Charlotte Hornets with the 13th pick of the 1996 draft, and then later shipped to Los Angeles for center Vlade Divac.Īlthough Jones would hang around a few more seasons and provide much-needed mentoring to the young Bryant, his tenure as a Laker effectively ended when Bryant arrived in Hollywood.
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