Los Angeles Lakers: Should the Lakers sign Dion Waiters?

Is Dion Waiters the answer for the Los Angeles Lakers now that Darren Collison is not going to be coming out of retirement?

Dion Waiters is a walking bucket, a prolific scorer, a guy who can create his own shot and has the confidence and self-belief to take the game into his own hands at any time. So we must ask ourselves why he continues to be moved around the league and struggles to hold down a starting position on a contending team and if he can contribute to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dion Waiters or ‘Philly Cheese’ as he has been aptly nicknamed is so confident in his ability to take over a game that sometimes this can be detrimental to team basketball.

As written by Kenneth Wilson at allucantheat.com, “He is so confident in his abilities, that when the situation is 50/50 or close as far as if he should look for a teammate or take things on himself, he always chooses his own abilities.”

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In a Lakers team that is built around LeBron James, Anthony Davis and a second unit that has formed a tight bond, the addition of Waiters may disrupt the harmony somewhat.

However, the Lakers need scoring off the bench and they also need to get the ball out of Rajon Rondo‘s hands and into the hands of somebody who can create their own shot and be a more efficient scorer. Dion Waiters can be that man if he accepts his role on this Lakers team.

It would seem that Waiters thought he should have been starting for the Miami Heat at the beginning of the campaign, and this was perhaps the spark for his conduct that eventually led to his suspension, pre THC gummy bear-gate.

We can draw parallels from the Dwight Howard signing that the Lakers made earlier in the season, the risk was that Dwight wouldn’t accept his team role and cause disharmony in the squad, however, it appears that Dwight has bought into the team and is thriving within it. If Dion can do the same, there is no better option out there for the Lakers and Rob Pelinka at this moment in time.

It must also be said that, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst, ‘Rob Pelinka previously represented Waiters as a player agent’. Therefore, hopefully, Pelinka can use this past relationship to get the best out of Waiters. Surely, as with Dwight Howard, the penny must soon drop for Waiters and he must see a team role with the Lakers as his best chance of a ring.

The Lakers do have other options in the market if Waiters isn’t prepared to accept a lesser role on this team. J.R. Smith and the recently bought out Tyler Johnson spring to mind, but a locked-in Dion Waiters has the biggest upside for the Lakers. It remains to be seen if Waiters’ potential can be unlocked by Pelinka in LA.

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