3. Wayne Ellington
Wayne Ellington’s start to his second tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers was delayed because of an injury of his own. Ellington had a hamstring ailment that kept him out of the team’s first eight games of the season, but he returned for Thursday’s matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He played nine minutes off the bench in his debut, but he could be tasked with a bigger role going forward. Without James, the team has 37 minutes per game that need to go to other players for the time being.
Without a true backup small forward on the roster available to play, as Talen Horton-Tucker is rehabbing from surgery on his finger, the Lakers will likely turn to some of their veteran backcourt players such as Ellington.
It would not be a surprise to see Ellington’s minutes pushed into the upper teens for the duration of time that James is sidelined. His skill set as a 3-point shooter will be relied upon, as James is attempting the most 3-point shots per game on the team.
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Ellington isn’t going to replace James’s skill set, but he can provide the team with some much-needed floor spacing to allow Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook to do their work offensively.
