Marcelo Huertas brings vital experience, playmaking to Lakers
By Tom West
Marcelo Huertas will bring significant value to the Los Angeles Lakers.
As the Los Angeles Lakers continue their painful attempt to climb back to the top of the Western Conference, they have now added some Brazilian flare and playmaking with the signing of guard Marcelo Huertas.
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First off, it needs to be stated that Huertas will only have a small role with the Lakers (probably a maximum of 10 minutes per game, for now). In a backcourt that contains Lou Williams, D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson and Black Mamba himself, Kobe Bryant, Huertas will have plenty of competition. However, that by no means diminishes the value of the experience and talent he brings to Los Angeles.
After playing in the Spanish ACB with Barcelona for six years, Huertas was a fundamental part in leading his team to three consecutive Euroleague Final Four appearances. He won’t be leading the struggling Lakers into relevance any time soon, but a proven record of winning in a 32-year-old veteran like Huertas is something they could benefit from.
Last season, he averaged 7.6 points and 4.35 assists per game, and recorded a three-point percentage of 36.5. That leads onto another area of Huertas’ game where he excels in terms of efficiency, as he’s been a 86.9 percent free throw shooter throughout his career. Aside from his catch and shoot ability, though, the real way in which Huertas can help the Lakers is through his passing and high basketball IQ.
No offense to Nick “Swaggy P” Young or Lou Williams, but other than putting up a lot of shots, they don’t do much to spark an offense. Which is where Huertas’ knack for executing pick-and-rolls and constantly creating chances for teammates comes into play.
As you can see for yourself in the following video, Huertas can facilitate the ball thanks to his excellent vision and accuracy. The creativity is pretty nice, too. His selfless play style could really help the Lakers if he’s able to create a role of around 7-to-10 minutes per game at some point this season, especially when considering those who currently fill the Lakers’ backcourt.
Except for Jordan Clarkson’s emergence last season as an electrifying player who gets up and down the court with ease, both scoring and setting up teammates, the Lakers have no real playmakers at their disposal. Per 36 minutes last season, Young averaged a selfish 1.5 assists, their new signing Williams averaged 2.9, whilst Kobe recorded 5.9 in his 35 games.
With a roster lacking in both talent and fluid team play, it’s hardly surprising the Lakers ranked just 23rd in offensive efficiency and only 21st in assists per game. D’Angelo Russell is an excellent passer for his age, possessing a clear understanding of the game and vision to create for teammates. But even if he adjusts to the NBA at a lightning fast rate, he can’t save the Lakers by himself.
This is where Huertas and his flare for facilitating can make a difference, despite the fact it will be in a small role off the bench.
Adrian Wojnarowski has reported some comments that Huertas made to Yahoo! Sports in April in regards to playing in the NBA. His ideas on what he has to offer say a lot about his intention to play for his teammates rather than himself, as well as his approach to the game in general:
"“There’s so much more space in the NBA. It’s not like Europe now, where you have one guy full-time in the paint. Space is harder to come by. One of my strengths is playing in the pick-and-roll, finding open guys and making shots in the mid-range game off the dribble…If you look at NBA rosters, there are unbelievable starting point guards, but maybe not as many guys who can come off the bench able to run the team, score the ball, as well as being able to be a leader for young players. Those are things I know I’ll be able to bring with me.”"
Bearing in mind his ability to run the pick-and-roll (Julius Randle could be his perfect partner), pass in transition, set up fast breaks, complete wrap around passes behind big men when attacking the paint, and set up as a three point shooter, Marcelo Huertas could become an underrated signing for the Lakers. As is the case for any European player, learning how the NBA works will take a little time. But for someone like Huertas, who relies on basketball IQ rather than athleticism and high volume scoring, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
He can come to L.A. with the attitude to prove himself. Not just to show that he can play at NBA level, but that he can contribute in a small role to help restore a little flare to one of the league’s most historic franchises.
What makes his arrival even better is that he plays selflessly. He won’t try and do too much, which is often the case for guys like Young, Williams and even Kobe. Huertas can just focus on giving his young teammates better opportunities to score in whatever playing time he can earn from head coach Byron Scott.
Now with Huertas, the Lakers have a new role model to offer their young core some direction as team players and passers, instead of working as a bunch of individuals. And seeing as they’re going nowhere right now, it’s the best thing they can do to put their youth in a position to learn in order to reach their potential.