Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel acknowledged that newly-signed guard Dion Waiters has a lot of catching up to do. The Western Conference-leading squad officially signed the 6-foot-3 guard on Friday and will look to integrate him do the system right away.
Vogel bared that the team will have to “manufacture” some practice time and scrimmage situations specifically tailored to allow Waiters to catchup.
However, this would be a challenge for the Purple and Gold, considering they now have limited practice time in a bid to conserve energy for the playoffs set to begin next month. The Lakers have already assured themselves a slot, becoming the first team in the Western Conference to do so.
With the Larry O'Brien trophy their sights, the Lakers opted to let go of beloved bench player Troy Daniels to make space for another impact player that can shore up their bench. It came down to a choice between Waiters and LeBron James' former teammate J.R. Smith.
Despite his many red flags and extremely troubled 2019-20 season with the Miami Heat, the Lakers still rolled the dice with Waiters. At his best, the Syrcause-product is instant offense off the bench. Waiters has career-averages of 13.2 points and is a career 41.2 percent shooter from the field and 34.8 percent from three.
It is worth noting that Waiters only appeared in three games this season, so it's hard to gauge where he is at physically this time. Perhaps the biggest challenge for Los Angeles will be finding a role that will fit Waiters.
The Lakers still have 21 games to figure out their Waiters situation before the real season starts.
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