Ryan Kelly has earned a spot in the Lakers’ rotation, and the rookie is beginning the gain the trust of the coaching staff.
The former Duke Blue Devil did not see a lot of playing time in the early stages of his Lakers career, but with all the injuries to the roster his number has been called multiple times. Kelly played a career-high 17 minutes in the Lakers’ Christmas Day game against the Heat and managed to score two points and grabbed a rebound.
However, what is most impressive about Kelly does not show up on the box score. For a rookie, Kelly has a great understanding of the game and plays efficiently on both ends of the court. Coach Mike D’Antoni spoke to the Los Angeles Times and talked about his impressive first-year player.
“He knows how to play, defensively and offensively,” said Coach Mike D’Antoni after practice on Thursday. “Defensively he’s the first one to get to the right spot. I think that going forward, he can keep earning more time. I’m pretty excited about him.”
Kelly still has a lot to learn and as what every rookie, he needs to be more consistent with his play. Nevertheless, the 48th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft has a bright future with the Lakers if he continues his rate of improvement.
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