Ryan Kelly's Hidden Value Something Los Angeles Lakers Desperately Need

Ryan Kelly’s statistical record has been slight so far this season, but he’s still a valuable piece of the rebuilding puzzle for the Los Angeles Lakers.

The second-year forward was recently reintroduced into the lineup after sitting out six weeks with hamstring injuries. At 6’11” with a willowy frame, Kelly fits a particular niche in a league that has become increasingly transfixed by spacing and outside shooting.

In other words, the NCAA champion can stretch the floor.

In 10 appearances this season, Kelly’s numbers appear unimpressive—4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in 16 minutes per game. But he’s knocking down 46 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, and although the roster is crowded with frontcourt bodies, Lakers coach Byron Scott seems determined to carve out some court time for the former Duke standout.

“I know I can find minutes for Ryan because I like the way Ryan plays,” said Scott, per Joey Ramirez for Lakers.com. “He gives us something that we don’t have. He’s a stretch-four, very intelligent basketball player. So I know I'll find minutes for him."

Kelly had to deal with multiple surgeries on his right foot during his time in college. But even though he was recuperating from one of those operations at the time of the 2013 NBA Draft, the Lakers selected him as their No. 48 pick.

As a rookie, Kelly mostly watched from the sidelines for the first two months. But Mike D’Antoni began inserting him into the lineup during the last few games in December, and from there, things began to change.

Kelly played double-digit minutes in every game in January. He started 25 of 59 games for the season and had some big nights, including 20 points in a win against the Boston Celtics, and 26 points while beating the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The appeal was obvious for a coach known for spreading the floor with shooters. The question after D’Antoni left, was whether Kelly’s skill sets would translate to whomever came next. Lakers’ management made a $1 million qualifying offer to Kelly in June, making him a restricted free agent. The team sealed their interest with a fully guaranteed two-year contract in July, at $1.65 million for this season and $1.72 million for 2015-16.

Kelly now finds himself playing catch-up, and transitioning into a new coaching style and a team with a significantly different look.

“It’s a completely different new roster and new year,” said Kelly recently per Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “It’s hard to compare the two. There’s going to be transition. There’s going to be a different style of play and a whole new system, and different players to figure each other out.”

Scott took over as coach promising a new defensive mindset and an emphasis on attacking the basket. But as the season progressed, it became obvious that the grind-it-out style wasn’t succeeding on its own. Lately, the team has been more competitive on both ends of the floor, not only with a renewed defensive energy, but better spacing as well, with 19.8 three-point shot attempts per game compared to Scott’s initial desire of only 10-15 attempts from distance.

Still, all too often, those attempts from outside aren’t hitting the mark as shooters struggle to find their range. This is a place where the second-year forward could help the team.

Kelly has demonstrated the ability to adjust from an offensive tactician like D’Antoni to Scott’s more rudimentary back screens without much trouble. Credit is probably due to four years spent under the tutelage of one of basketball’s true coaching greats—Mike Krzyzewski.

Coach K runs a 3-out, 2-in motion offense that utilizes both post-entry and perimeter opportunities. In that sense, it’s not a far cry from either D’Antoni’s spread philosophy or Scott’s paint preferences. But the winningest coach in college basketball also succeeds by embracing a culture in which connection, communication and adaptability are key.

Kelly’s grasp of the game, court vision and leadership skills are among the intangibles that helped him thrive at Duke—he’s not particularly athletic and will never be a dominant presence in the paint. But he’s also not a one-trick stretch-4. The reedy frontcourt player has solid footwork, above-average passing skills, and he has shown the ability to function inside and outside of the paint. 

Last season, the rookie had two 11-rebound games, as well as eight assists on two occasions, illustrating a versatility to his game. He can also score the ball in a hurry.

During his senior year with the Blue Devils, Kelly had a 36-point night against Miami, after missing 13 games due to injury. Afterward, Krzyzewski said, per Viv Bernstein of the New York Times: “We were all privileged to see one of the performances of the ages, I think, by Ryan Kelly.”

Kelly showed yet another facet of his game recently, starting twice at the small forward position for an injured Wesley Johnson. The idea of the gangly Kelly guarding smaller, quicker players may seem somewhat ludicrous, but the experience wasn’t a total embarrassment—he averaged 7.5 points, 7.5 boards and two assists during the two games. He also helped limit the Portland Trail Blazers’ Wesley Mathews to 1-of-9 shooting in a close loss on the road.

One of the dilemmas is finding a way to integrate Kelly’s offensive production into a roster crowded with bigs—fully half of the active players on the team are 6’9” or taller.

On Monday night against the Miami Heat, Scott’s second-unit included Tarik Black at center, Carlos Boozer at power forward and Kelly once again slotting in at small forward. Late in the fourth quarter, he shifted over to the 4. 

In a low-scoring game lost by only three points, Kelly had the second-highest plus/minus metric on the team, at +5, while shooting 3-of-3 from the field including a three-pointer. He also had a couple of rebounds, two assists and a steal. Too often, however, he found himself wide open and without the ball.

Given that the Lakers shot only 32 percent from the field and 17 percent from downtown, this could have been an opportunity for Scott to call a couple plays for the only guy who hit all his shots.

With the loss, the Lakers fall to 12-27, with seven defeats in their last 10 games.

Ryan Kelly will probably never be a star in the NBA, but he possesses qualities the Lakers desperately need. He understands the game of basketball and embraces whatever role is given to him. He’s coachable, low maintenance and has shown his resiliency in challenging situations.

In an evolving league in which a premium is placed on frontcourt players who can heave up shots from long distance, Kelly is both affordable and valuable.