Los Angeles Lakers Should Continue To Use D-League

The Los Angeles Lakers received their 57^th loss in this nightmare of a season. They have surpassed last year’s franchise-worst losing season in their existence. With only a handful of games left in this dismal campaign, the Lakers have nothing else to look forward to but the 2015 NBA Draft. Or is there?

The Lakers lost many prominent players this year and had to look elsewhere just to put out a starting unit on the court. The only positive Laker fans can take away from this tough year is the young players they have discovered. Whether it be through the draft of their D-League affiliate, Los Angeles may have just stumbled on an untapped resource.

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The NBA’s official minor league system was founded in 2001 and the late Dr. Jerry Buss purchased the Los Angeles D-Fenders in 2006. The Lakers have rarely used their affiliate other than to let their rookies get some playing time. Some players that have earned call-ups to the purple and gold are Manny Harris and Shawne Williams. Gerald Green, who the Lakers let get away, blossomed in his time with the D-Fenders.

Their latest D-Fenders’ prospect Jabari Brown has impressed in his 14 games with the Lakers. Before his promotion, Brown was the D-League’s leading scorer at 24 points per contest. Currently the 22-year-old is averaging 9.1 points off the bench. He’s shooting 44-percent from the field and 41-percent from behind the arc. The Lakers rewarded the 6-foot-5 shooting guard with a multi-year deal.

The D-Fenders finished their season at 17-33 and a number of their players received high recognition.

Roscoe Smith was voted ridiculousupside.com’s NBA D-League Rookie of the year. He averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 52-percent. He was among the leaders in double-doubles with 31. Smith was arguably the most consistent player on the team. His versatility at 6-foot-9 could prove useful as he can play both forward positions. He reminds me of Antawn Jamison, as he weaves his way to the basket to score. The way he contorts his body to get inside the paint similarly to former Laker Jamison. He carries a nice mid-range game but not quite the range Jamison did. A 24-year-old prospect to keep an eye on. Smith alongside Brown were on the Lakers’ pre-season roster as invites. Brown got his shot and made the most of it. Could Roscoe be next?

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Ridiculous upside also gave the Most Improved Player award to Vander Blue. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard had an outstanding rookie season with the D-Fenders. He filled up the box score for Los Angeles on a nightly basis. He averaged 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists for the year. He gradually got better as the season went on. He ended the year shooting 47-percent overall and 41-percent from three. The 22-year-old had eight double-doubles and two triple-doubles in the season. Technically he was the D-League’s top scorer since Seth Curry and Brown were on NBA rosters at the end of the season. Keep in mind, Blue averaged these type of numbers with leading scorer Brown on the team.

Flying under the radar in just 21 games for the D-Fenders was San Diego State standout Jamaal Franklin. He was a stat sheet stuffer for the Lakers’ affiliate. He finished the season with a 19-point average, 8 rebounds and 6 assists. In a short amount of games, he earned 12 double-doubles and 3 triple-doubles. He quickly asserted himself into L.A.’s starting five. His production in the minors had him rated as the number two prospect in the D-League.

The Lakers have three NBA-ready prospects at their disposal for next season. The D-Fenders are producing young talent that could prove useful to the purple and gold next season. Brown, Blue and Smith were nominated to the D-League All-Star game.

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The D-Fenders even helped budding star Jordan Clarkson showcase what he can do on the court. In five games he averaged 22 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. The 6-foot-5 rookie out of Missouri has definitely impressed since being inserted in the Lakers starting five. Ryan Kelly and Tarik Black both shined in their one game in the minors but they certainly have held their own with the Lakers.

The D-League has had 60 total call-ups this season and a D-League record 46 players promoted to the NBA. The Lakers took notice and scoured the league and decided to sign Dwight Buycks to a 10-day contract when Wayne Ellington was lost for the season. Buycks was averaging 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in 10 games for the Oklahoma City Blue. He has 14 games (Now 17 w/Lakers) of NBA experience under his belt from his time with the Toronto Raptors. He’s played well in the trio of games he’s participated with the Lakers scoring nine points and going 5-for-5 from deep.

The Lakers have rarely been in a position to utilize the D-League. Things have changed quickly since the botched Chris Paul trade. Los Angeles has had back-to-back 50-plus losing seasons. Fortunately they will have about $30 million in cap space. Four draft picks (including a top-5) and their affiliate to add talent to the squad.