1. Boost in Pick & Roll Ball Scoring

There is a legitimate need for the Los Angeles Lakers to find a reliable pick-and-roll ball-handler that can score when LeBron James is on the sidelines. With Derrick Rose in a sixth-man role, he could provide exactly that.

The Lakers’ second-most used pick-and-roll ball-handling scorer is Rajon Rondo and he produces just 0.766 PPP (37th percentile). It will put unnecessary strain on James to create if Rondo is second in the pick-and-roll scoring hierarchy.

Rose is having a strong season in the pick-and-roll scoring department. He is producing 0.913 PPP (67th percentile) on his overall scoring possessions, but particularly, 1.029 PPP (71st percentile) against single coverage. That would make him by far the Lakers’ second-best player in this area.

It would be very difficult for teams to stop Rose in pick-and-rolls when he’s on the floor with a roll man like Anthony Davis. There would be considerably more single coverage situations or the risk for an elite roll man getting highly favorable shots.