"What I bring to the table was needed" - Wayne Ellington on joining the LA Lakers
The LA Lakers have had one of the best offseasons in the league. They acquired 2017 MVP and nine-time All-Star Russell Westbrook in a blockbuster signing that stacked the odds in their favor.
But with Westbrook's addition, there were concerns regarding the side's shooting. One of the first names they added to their squad to address that concern was former Laker Wayne Ellington. Naturally, the LA Lakers are now favorites to win the Western Conference seeing how star-studded their lineup is.
It is worth noting that free agents who want to chase a ring have two major options in front of them: the LA Lakers and the Brooklyn Nets. However, when Wayne Ellington was asked about his choice, he said the LA Lakers were an "easy decision."
"It was an easy decision for me" - Wayne Ellington speaks about returning to the LA Lakers
Wayne Ellington appeared on the 'Noble and Roosh Show' podcast and discussed his offseason decision to sign with the LA Lakers. He said:
"Just the type of interest that they showed stuck out to me way more than any other team. I had conversations in the past and before free agency had conversations with some of the guys on the team and it just felt like it was a perfect fit at the perfect timing. I felt like what I bring to the table was needed with the roster that was being put together, the roster that they had especially after Russ came on board. My shooting and my movement without the ball is something that will definitely be a complement to this roster."
Calling it "a perfect fit," Wayne Ellington understood what his role was likely to be and what he could bring to the table for the LA Lakers. The franchise needed to bolster their shooting and Ellington solves that problem. If he had chosen the Brooklyn Nets, he would have gotten a minimized role on the bench and hardly any minutes. However, with the LA Lakers, there is speculation that he might be the side's starting shooting guard.
Russell Westbrook and LeBron James are both below average three-point and free-throw shooters, so they naturally need to surround themselves with marksmen. The LA Lakers have also added 10-time All-Star and 2013 scoring champion Carmelo Anthony, along with Kent Bazemore, Trevor Ariza, Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk, among others, to improve their overall shooting.
All-Star selections:
44 — Nets
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59 — Lakers (60 with DeAndre Jordan) https://t.co/gDcg3CZAfp
Like we said, Wayne Ellington can contribute more with the LA Lakers than he could have with any other team. Ellington further talked about his free agency on the podcast and mentioned how the Nets were an intriguing prospect, but the Lakers were the obvious choice. He said:
"There was some teams I looked at. Brooklyn was one. Brooklyn was one. But LA was just, it was too good of a situation for me. Obviously, Brooklyn already has some shooters that do some similar things like I do in Joe Harris and a couple of other guys as well that they have. It was an easy decision for me."
Wayne Ellington has a career average of 38% three-point shooting and has remarkably shot 42% from beyond the arc last season on 6+ attempts with the Detroit Pistons. He has always been valued for his shooting and has shot above the league average in every season of his career.
Wayne Ellington could very well be the Lakers’ most underrated pickup of the offseason
Give this @Ballislife episode with @WayneEllington, @RooshWilliams, and @Zaknoble a listen twitter.com/Zaknoble/statu…
Also Check Out: Latest NBA News, Rumors and Updates