Los Angeles Lakers: Grading the team’s offseason moves so far
By Jason Elbaum
1. Re-signing Tyler Ennis to a two-year, $3 million contract
When the Lakers decided to select point guard Lonzo Ball with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Lakers fans and NBA fans alike wondered who the team would get to serve as his backup and mentor in his first NBA season.
After some discussions with a few veteran point guards, the Lakers ultimately decided to bring Tyler Ennis back for his second season with the Lakers. He was brought over from Houston on Feb. 23, 2017 in exchange for Marcelo Huertas and played his way back onto the roster for 2017-18.
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Ennis has appeared in 12 games for the Lakers this season and is averaging 1.7 points and 0.8 assists in 5.5 minutes per game. It’s clear that Ennis is not a part of Luke Walton‘s normal rotation, as Jordan Clarkson and Brandon Ingram tend to shoulder most of the ball-handling duty when Lonzo Ball is on the bench.
Re-signing Ennis was a head-scratching decision from the Lakers’ front office, especially when you consider they reportedly had meetings with former All-Stars Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo. Even somebody like Ian Clark, who has experience under Luke Walton from his time in Golden State, would have been a more exciting signing than Ennis.
The message that the Lakers sent with this decision was that Lonzo Ball would play big minutes in his first season and that the team was comfortable with the guards they already had on the roster.
Next: 2017-18 Week 10 NBA Power Rankings
Grade: D