Surprising Name Who Will Make a Big Impact for LA Lakers in 2013-14

Like the return of the prodigal son, the re-signing of Jordan Farmar could result in an impact of biblical proportions for both the Los Angeles Lakers and Farmar himself. 

Nothing more than a key contributor from the Lakers' heralded bench mob during his initial tenure, Farmar's development during his subsequent seasons with the New Jersey Nets and various teams in Europe could make him a surprisingly important piece to the Lakers' playoff hopes this season. 

While Farmar does have a measure of athleticism, he possesses a great all-around game that should help him fit into Mike D'Antoni's offense right away.



An underrated passer and defender, Farmar should see a lot of minutes as Steve Nash's primary substitute. In fact, Farmar could even see minutes during clutch situations because he is a better defender than Nash.

His versatility should allow him to create both for himself and for his teammates. 

It is hard to see him being anything more than a typical role player when glancing at his career statistics. Averaging less than eight points, three rebounds and two assists per game, Farmar's stats are average at best. 

What's going to keep him on the floor for extended minutes are his intangibles.

The fact that Farmar is a quick defender means he could see a lot of time when Nash is outmatched by superior athletes. 



While Farmar isn't a defensive ace by any stretch of the imagination, he is much more intuitive than Nash. He averages 0.8 steals per game to Nash's 0.7 steals per game despite averaging more than 10 minutes less than Nash. 

The extended minutes Farmar should get for being a better defender mean that he should be able to contribute offensively as well.

With the backup guard spots being wide open for the best players to grab, Farmar has the potential to overtake Jodie Meeks and Nick Yo...

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