With key additions to the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason, which include a two-time NBA MVP, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner and even much-hyped signings in Jodie Meeks and Jordan Hill, Antawn Jamison seems to be lost among the group of fresh faces.
The Lakers’ 2012 offseason may go down as one of the greatest ever, but Jamison is quickly becoming the most underrated addition among the many moves L.A. made this summer.
Sure Steve Nash and Dwight Howard are both NBA superstars who will bolster the Lakers’ starting lineup, but Jamison’s job could prove more important, as he’s meant to improve the Lakers’ dreadful second unit.
A season ago, the Lakers’ bench scored 20.5 points per game, which was dead last in the NBA according to Hoops Stats. Matt Barnes and Steve Blake were the Lakers’ two leading scorers off the bench last season, averaging just 13 points per game between them.
Jamison, a former Sixth Man of the Year award winner, is not only comfortable playing a key role off the bench, but he’s also no stranger to scoring points in bunches.
Over the course of Jamison’s 14-year NBA career, he’s averaged 20 points per game or more five times (six times if you include the 41-game span during the 2009-10 season with the Washington Wizards). That’s more scoring output than Pau Gasol, who has averaged 20 points per game or more just twice in his career. It’s also more than Dwight Howard, who has averaged 20 or more four times.
In addition to being a proven NBA scorer who is comfortable coming off the bench, Jamison can also shoot from deep. His career 34.6 three-point percentage is better than the averages Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake, Matt Barnes and Metta World Peace put up last season.
As a team, the Lakers were one of the worst in terms of three-point-...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
