Why Wayne Ellington Has Real Chance to Stick with Los Angeles Lakers

Wayne Ellington might face an uphill battle for minutes with the Los Angeles Lakers, but the 26-year-old shooting guard should like his chances of at least securing a roster spot.

The 28th pick in the 2009 NBA draft, Ellington signed with the Lakers on Monday, the team announced:

According to Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News, Ellington's contract is partially guaranteed for the 2014-15 season:

With 13 guaranteed contracts already on the books, Ellington falls short of being considered a lock. But his resume suggests he could play his way into that role, as his three-point stroke, defensive effort and reliability would all be welcome additions to the Lakers' perimeter.

"While not necessarily a game-changing acquisition, Ellington will provide some depth on the wings for the Lakers," wrote Lakers Nation's Corey Hansford. "With Xavier Henry not quite ready yet, and Jordan Clarkson being a rookie, Nick Young is the only known commodity off the bench on the wings."

Head coach Byron Scott, via Medina, has penciled in four of his five starters for this season: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Carlos Boozer and Jordan Hill. For the record, that's a 76-year-old starting backcourt, which made a combined 21 appearances in 2013-14.

Depth isn't a luxury for the Lakers, it's a necessity.

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Ellington can be more than an insurance policy, though, despite his busy summer schedule perhaps indicating otherwise.

Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times detailed the long, winding road Ellington took to get to the Lakers:

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Drafted in 2009 with the 28th overall pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Ellington has already been traded four times during his five years in the NBA, including twice this summer -- from the Dallas Mavericks to the New York Knicks, then by the Knicks to the Sacramento Kings.

Sacramento chose to stretch out Ellington's remaining $2.8-million salary over the next three seasons, making him a free agent earlier this month.

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If no one apparently wants Ellington around, why should the Lakers?

Well, it starts on the outside, where the sharpshooter has done his best work. He converted threes at a 42.4 percent clip last season, bumping his career three-point percentage to 38.6.

Now, the Lakers might not seem as if they need another perimeter gunner. After all, they finished last season ranked sixth in three-point attempts (24.8 per game) and third in percentage (38.1).

However, nearly all of the parties responsible for those numbers have left the purple and gold.

Ex-coach Mike D'Antoni, who values the long ball and schemes to create those looks, resigned after overseeing a campaign that produced the second-lowest winning percentage in franchise history (.329). Of the seven different Lakers who shot above 37 percent from deep last season, only Nick Young (38.6) remains.

While systematic changes may explain those departures, it doesn't change the fact that L.A.'s three-point voids went unfilled over the offseason. Newcomers Jeremy Lin and rookie Jordan Clarkson are slashers, not floor spacers. Lin has converted just 34.3 percent of his career perimeter attempts, and Clarkson was only a 32.2 percent shooter from distance during his collegiate career.

Someone will need to demand defensive attention from downtown, and Ellington has the tools to assume that role.

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Unlike last season, these Lakers are built to attack from the inside out.

General manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters that an aging Bryant has "become most effective where you see a lot of him posting up."

Post touches should be in equal—OK, relatively equal—abundance for Boozer and rookie Julius Randle. If the Lakers are counting on Nash, then they should be relying on his ability to navigate the pick-and-roll game, especially with athletic screeners like Hill and Ed Davis at Nash's disposal. Lin and Clarkson, assuming the latter gets minutes, might get a constant green light to attack off the dribble.

With so much of this offense likely geared around the interior, the Lakers have to deploy a three-point threat capable of pulling defenders away from the basket. Scoring chances may come few and far between, but that player must be able to convert those that come his way.

That is precisely the part Ellington played for the Dallas Mavericks last season.

With only 393 minutes of action spread across 45 games, his stat sheet was understandably underwhelming: 3.2 points, 1.0 rebounds, 0.4 assists and a 12.2 player efficiency rating.

He was, however, an offensive safety valve when given the chance to be one.

Of the 216 players to attempt at least one catch-and-shoot three a night (minimum 40 games played), Ellington tied for 16th with a 44.7 percent conversion rate, via NBA.com's SportVU player tracking data. As a spot-up shooter, he had the league's 15th-most efficient scoring rate of 1.25 points per possession, via Synergy Sports (subscription required).

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Most importantly, Ellington's demeanor never changed, despite his role frequently doing just that.

He never got off the bench in 37 different games, yet he was always active and productive when his number was called.

"There hasn't been one time all year where he's complained or dropped his head," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said, via ESPN Dallas' Tim MacMahon. "He's been a real pro about it. Guys that approach it the right way are always ready when their time comes. He's a high-character guy."

It's hard to overstate the importance of that trait for the Lakers. They will enter the 2014-15 campaign with contrasting motivations, one to give their veteran players a chance to be competitive and the other to develop their young prospects.

Minutes could come at a premium, particularly considering how little the Lakers have invested in Ellington. They didn't burn a draft pick on him nor commit significant funds to bring him on board. He might be another body to them, and not everyone is built for that type of humbling role.

But there's also a chance for him to have a much larger say in the team's success. Scott, in an interview with KPCC's A Martinez, has already admitted he'll need to closely monitor the Mamba's minutes:

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He’s so competitive, he wants to win, and I do too. But I don’t want to win at the expense of having my one of my guys get hurt. And sometimes, like I said, we’re going to sit down, me and my trainer have already sat down, already started talking about the amount of minutes Kobe should probably play, going into this season.  And I have to stand fast on that. I have to make sure that when he’s up to those minutes, that’s it, no matter what the game situation is, as much as I want to win, as much as he wants to win, I’m not going to sacrifice his health to try to win games.

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The Lakers have other options to man Bryant's spot, but as Medina noted, a lot of those players will be utilized in other roles, too:

Ellington, like any other 14th man, isn't a needle-mover. His impact may not be felt any more than his minimum contract.

But he helps fill a need as a perimeter shooter, he offers some stability as a veteran presence and he competes at the defensive end. There are far worse ways to fill out a roster, and the opportunity exists for him to easily outperform his salary.

With a risk-reward analysis slanted heavily toward the latter, Ellington has quite the compelling case for a permanent spot.

Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.

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