Los Angeles Lakers 2016-17 Regular Season Team Awards

Least Valuable Player: Luol Deng

The first players that come to mind for this one are the veterans. Timofey Mozgov and Luol Deng were signed to lucrative contract offers and started the season in the starting five. They were both eventually moved to the bench, and then taken off the active roster altogether. But Deng was worse than Mozgov this season.

While both players landed on here partly because of the handling by management, Deng didn’t contribute as much on the court as Mozgov. Deng had the worst season of his career in the first season of his four-year, $72 million contract.

Deng shot a career-worst 38.7 percent from the field, averaging a career-low 7.6 points per game; it was the first time in his career he failed to score in double figures per game. His 10.13 PER was also the worst of his carer. The contract was questioned when it was announced, and his performance this season won’t change that.

There are uses for veterans on a young team such as the Lakers. But the Lakers could soon regret handing him the contract that they did. Mozgov looks like he can still be a productive player on the court. Based on this past season’s play, the same may not be able to be said for Deng.