Jared Dudley’s time with the Los Angeles Lakers is reportedly over after it was reported on Tuesday that the 14-year veteran is going to join Jason Kidd’s staff with the Dallas Mavericks. As soon as this news broke, many folks on the LA' twitter verse reacted angrily and it’s hard to blame them. 

Dudley wasn’t merely a benchwarmer for the Lakers in the past two seasons. He was the team’s glue guy and a vet who increased the IQ (an important factor for every basketball team) of the Lakers. He was considered the bridge between Frank Vogel and the roster. Dudley was often the one planning the team building activities and get-togethers for the team, which will surely be missed moving forward. 

That all said, here are four additional reasons why the Lakers not bringing him back was a mistake. 

4. Lakers lose an important voice

When the Lakers were down (55-42) at halftime against the Warriors in the play-in tournament, it was Dudley and Markief Morris who motivated the team to get it together. According to LeBron James, the exact words of both veterans were “you gotta pick this shit up.” True enough, the Purple and Gold eventually caught up and won the vital game. This may be something so simple but it’s what Dudley has done so often. How many people does LeBron actually listen to? 

3. Lakers lose another player that knows Vogel’s system

From the Lakers’ 2020 championship team, only four (James, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard and Talen Horton Tucker) are left with this current squad. That 2020 team was special for Lakers fans because of their chemistry and ability of role players to be stars in their own roles. The amount of roster turnover the Lakers have done in the past two off seasons has been huge and could make Vogel’s job a little more difficult. 

This season, Vogel has his work cut out for him as he needs to get veterans like Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore and young role players like Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk accustomed to his system. On the bright side, at least Vogel has David Fizdale and Phil Handy on his side to help him. 

 

1. Goodbye elite Lakers bench celebration 

People poke fun at Dudz being the team’s cheerleader a lot, but whether they like to admit it or not, his bench celebrations were the best. It’s easy to overlook this and say that bench celebrations don’t matter. Sure, bench celebrations don’t win games but it’s still a chemistry builder—guys knowing that teammates support one another. 

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Bonus: Goodbye to the media’s favorite Laker

Jared Dudley is one of, if not the best players to interview because he often has no filter around reporters. He kept it real and told reporters stories they don’t hear from James and even Davis.

It was a delight to interview him because of his charismatic personality and humor. He gives the best quotes and was a positive player who always believed in his teammates. 

Thank you, Dudz!