Wes at this price is a no brainer. I won't say he's better than DG because I don't think he is but for $3.6 million, he's 100% worth it. Rondo+Green for Schroder+Wesley? I'll take it.
Great article that lists all the pros and cons with him. One thing I'd like to note is that even though they pointed out that he shot poorly in the paint last season (outside restricted zone), that may be a fluke as that number varies from season to season--one year he's at 36%, next year it's 57%. Don't have the previous season's numbers, but in '17-'18 he was 48% (as a team we were 40%). Career-wise he's 42%. So I'm not too concerned about that number in particular.
He’s very buff and prefers to play and guard small forwards. He’s a lot more physical than Green. Him and Caruso are going to be a terror on the perimeter.
We’re gonna love this guy! He’s strong and quick enough to make kawhi work. He doesn’t have the length, but if the douche is making Kobe-esque high release fadeaways, (like he only seems to against us) what ya gonna do anyway?
What I've seen of Wes through the Years is that he's very consistent too. Alway know what you're gonna get.. Opposite of Danny Green.
I love him for a lot reasons. 1. His Dad was a Lakers champion. I watched Wes Sr. play in Showtime late era and he was on my back to back championship t-shirt. 2. His favorite Laker was Eddie Jones, one of my all time faves. 3. He's a heck of a player and always has been.
Listening to the Exceptional Lakers podcast and there is an interesting difference btw defense of Matthews and Green. Matthews clearly better on ball but Green shines off-ball. Have to structure the defense a bit differently where you put Matthews more on ball with guys like KCP and Caruso who are willing to work thru screens. That being said I thought Green was awful in the bubble but he somehow still had good advanced analytics (so did Matthews for what's worth). It will be interesting to see how this shakes out.
Those are some great answers from Wes. I think we're really going to like this guy. Saying all the right things. Love his approach Replacing my least favorite Laker. That price tag, you can't beat it! And the Kobe connection... it's really remarkable just how wide his reach was to so many (damn, I miss #24!).
