Lakers: 3 role players who can be unsung heroes for turnaround

2. Wayne Ellington

Despite missing the first eight games of the 2021-22 NBA season, Lakers shooting guard Wayne Ellington finally made his Los Angeles debut against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Nov. 4. Since then, Ellington has played up his minutes upon his return.

While Ellington doesn’t make a lot of shots per game (he’s averaging 6.6 points per game on the season), his field goal percentages and 3-point percentages are promising. So is the fact that Ellington is averaging 8.0 points per game in his last five outings.

Most importantly, Ellington offers a reliable outside-shooting threat for a Lakers team that truthfully doesn’t possess that elsewhere. There’s a reason the Lakers picked up Ellington after his short second stint with the Pistons: the veteran offers an outer advantage that could become even greater with expanded minutes.

1.  Dwight Howard

Anthony Davis is one of the best big men in the NBA, but the Lakers need another one to compliment his play. The usual choice has been DeAndre Jordan, the NBA veteran boasting the best career field goal percentage of all time.

But statistically speaking, Dwight Howard has proven to be the better option to play alongside Davis. The Lakers are 106.9 defensively overall and 107.9 with Howard and 104.3 with Jordan, but Jordan’s offensive rating can’t justify giving him the edge in minutes.

Despite Jordan’s defensive play, the Lakers are sacrificing their offense when he’s on the floor, making Howard the more balanced option in a team that needs to bolster its scoring. Jordan is just 96.9 on offense, which is far behind Howard’s 108.2.

The Lakers signed Howard to a second stint with the team for a reason — and it’s time they start putting him in to supplement their offense.