The 36-year-old forward is a 14-year NBA veteran, a career 19.5 point-per-game scorer and was the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year in 2004.
One thing Jamison is not, however, is a good defender.
The Los Angeles Lakers knew this when they signed the former Cleveland Cavalier to a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum this summer, given the fact that head coach Mike Brown was with Jamison in Cleveland for the last few months of the 2009-2010 season.
While Jamison is still a threat offensively (17.2 points per game last season), do the baskets he provides make up for all the ones he gives up?
Statistically Speaking
When looking at Jamison's offensive and defensive ratings according to basketball-reference, a few things stand out.
First is his career offensive rating of 109. This means that during his 14 years in the league Jamison is producing 109 points per every 100 possessions he's on the court.
That's the good news.
The bad news for the Lakers is that while he's scoring 109 points in those 100 possessions for his career, he's also allowing 109 points in the same amount of time, so his ability to contribute to a win strictly going by scoring and points given up is a wash.
This past season with the Cavaliers, his numbers were a little worse.
His offensive rating dropped from his career mark of 109 down to 103 while his defensive rating stayed the same at 109.
This was the second-highest differential in his career, with the worst mark being a seven point gap from 104 to 111 in 2010-2011.
While it's natural that Jamison's defense would get worse the older he gets, it is a little alarming to see the drop off he's experienced lately.
Forgetting the Numbers
As a fan of Jamison and someone who's watched him a lot with the Cavs...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
