Lakers: Three Reasons why Danny Green could be the X-Factor

Here are three reasons why Danny Green could be the X-Factor for the Los Angeles Lakers when the playoffs start.

With Avery Bradley opting out of joining the Los Angeles Lakers to resume the season in Orlando, Danny Green may be the X-factor player that makes the difference between the team winning their first NBA title in a decade or not.

Green is one of the many veterans on the roster and has years of playoff experience. On top of this, he won a championship with the Toronto Raptors just last season. Green always finds a way to turn his game up and reach a new level once the playoffs begin and with the lack of reliable players at the guard position, his minutes will likely be bumped up and he will be one of the most important players on the Lakers roster going into the playoffs.

It is almost certain that we will still be seeing the consistent play of LeBron James and Anthony Davis in any playoff series, however, with Green having a down year shooting, he could be the player that makes or breaks the season for the Lakers.

Here are three reasons why Danny Green can be the X-Factor for the team.

His threat as a defender

The first reason as to why Danny Green could be the X-factor for the Lakers in the resumed season is his ability to lock down a guard or wing player. He has been a member of the all-defensive team once in his career and is one of the best defenders that the Lakers have.

In a recent interview he said that with Bradley not joining the team, Green will want to guard the opposing teams best player. With him playing a more limited role on offense mainly working to get open on the three-point line or standing in the corner waiting for a kick out for a shot, he will have more than enough energy to be efficient on the defensive end and achieve his goal of guarding the opposing teams best player.

This will not be an easy thing to accomplish however, some of the players he might have to guard would be James Harden or Russell Westbrook, Paul George or Kawhi Leonard, and even possibly Khris Middleton or Giannis Antetokounmpo.

While Green is a great defender, some of those players are almost impossible to shut down for an entire night and if Green can not find a way to guard any of those players, it could be the difference between the Lakers advancing to the next round or being eliminated.

He has spent a great amount of time against the Clippers during the regular season guarding his former teammate Kawhi Leonard, however, in these matchups Green while having his great defensive moments had mainly struggled to guard one of the best players in the league. In the three games against the Clippers, Kawhi has averaged 30.6 points, 3.3 assists, and 1.3 offensive rebounds a game.

The Lakers will matchup against the Clippers the first game of the resumed season and it will be very interesting to see how Green will fair against Leonard. However, with other elite defenders in the starting lineup like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, JaVale McGee, and possibly Alex Caruso entering the starting lineup, there should be enough help to limit Kawhi and anyone else that have to play the Lakers.

If Danny can find a way to lockup stars like Kawhi, however, it would make the playoffs seemingly a cakewalk for the Lakers.