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BREAKING: Los Angeles Lakers Bring Back Veteran Guard For 2022 NBA Season

Published 10/19/2021, 12:53 AM EDT

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The Los Angeles Lakers have claimed veteran guard Avery Bradley off waivers for his second stint with the team. For the Los Angeles Lakers, age is just a number as they add on another player who is above the age of 30. It seems that the Lakers have gone all-in for the championship run this season. Keeping all their plans for the future on hold.

The Golden State Warriors waived the 30-year-old guard despite his appreciation for the franchise. Moreover, despite their franchise players: Stephen Curry and Draymond Green requesting them to keep Bradley, the franchise waived him among several other guards.

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It is important to mention that Bradley opted out of the Orlando Bubble in their championship-winning playoff run. So what is it that the front office thinks Avery Bradley brings to the franchise? And can they rely on Bradley to deliver?

How does Avery Bradley fit in the Los Angeles Lakers roster?

Since the championship-winning 2020 season, the Lakers’ key strength more than their offense was their defense. And being a member of NBA’s All-Defensive teams twice in his career, Bradley brings that strength to the Lakes. Especially since the other potential guards, they have in his position, like Monk, Westbrook, Nunn, and Anthony, are offensively stronger than their defense. So they tend to focus on that.

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Simultaneously, according to NBA’s website, Bradley held the players he was guarding to 24.6% shooting on three-pointers. And 30.1% on shots from a distance greater than 15 feet in his first stint with the Lakers. So his defense would bring a style of play in which Frank Vogel is an expert.

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In head coach Frank Vogel’s first two seasons, the Lakers were famous for their outstanding defense. In 2019-20, they were placed third in defensive rating (106.1), and first in 2020-21 (106.8). So defensive skills are like brownie points for gaining a place on Vogel’s roster. Will Bradley be able to deliver? Is the depth he brings to the roster impactful enough to help the Lakers make another championship run? Considering that for this roster, age is just a number, we could see the return of a prime Avery Bradley as well.

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Written by:

Chaitanya Dadhwal

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Chaitanya Dadhwal is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Even though his journalism is driven by his desire to understand both sides of an argument and give a neutral perspective, he is biased towards Houston Rockets and Arsenal, and he has shown exactly how loyal he can be through tough times. Currently a Law student at Jindal Global Law School, he aims to have his own sports management firm one day and enjoys rap music during his time off.
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