Trevor Ariza is still sidelined but he knows exactly how to help the Los Angeles Lakers win.
A right ankle injury saw Lakers veteran Trevor Ariza being out for an indefinite time this season. As he continues with his rehabilitation, the 36-year-old shared his thoughts on the current situation of his team.
According to Ariza, his injury is not much of an issue as adapting has always been his thing throughout his entire career.
“I bring a completely different element to this team, so hopefully when I am able to participate, and Kendrick [Nunn] is able to come back and play — who gives us another different element to this team — the things that we do, the little things that we do can kind of put our team together,” Ariza said via Silver Screen and Roll.
“Throughout my career I’ve been like a piece that you can just plug in and do a bunch of different things and make a difference, so whenever I get on the court that’s what I’m looking to do,” he emphasized.
Lakers head coach Frank Vogel, on the other hand, is also confident that Ariza is what they need to finally unlock the “team's identity.”
“We feel like he’s going to be a real key to unlocking this team’s identity, with the ability to play Anthony (Davis) at the 5 more and have him (Ariza) sort of guard the other team’s best 3/4, and [LeBron] Bron plays off of that, and that’s just something we’ve not had in terms of how this year’s roster was put together,” Vogel assessed.
Indeed, the veteran-stacked Lakers have not had much success thus far but has managed to maintain a .500 winning percentage.