Although Jared Dudley spent the bulk of his career on the outside looking when it came to the Los Angeles Lakers, he now has an opportunity to relish in all the hype that comes with being on the team.
Of course, Dudley has always been rather familiar with the Lakers after spending seven seasons battling in the same division as a member of the Phoenix Suns. He has seen the organization go through quite the transformation from a championship team to one that struggled to make the playoffs the last six seasons.
Expectations are now once again as high as ever in Los Angeles after they managed to pair LeBron James with Anthony Davis this offseason. While Dudley understands that things now appear to be championship-or-bust for the Lakers moving forward, he feels there is a good reason why they find themselves in this position to compete.
“It’s so early right now in that to be able to be fair to me, the team and obviously you guys. I’ve talked to Frank Vogel, I’ve talked to the people here in the organization, I’ve talked to Rob Pelinka, players already have a group chat and are getting to know each other,” Dudley said during his conference call.
“So when it comes to an organizational standpoint, the Lakers brand speaks for itself. I think I’ll learn more people. Every team does it differently. I’ve never heard anything bad about the Lakers since I’ve been a player, when it comes to how the organization treats players. If that were the case, you wouldn’t see guys like LeBron and Anthony Davis wanting to come here. I’m excited to be able to see it firsthand.”
Despite all the talent the front office managed to bring in, the Lakers still have plenty of work to do before they establish themselves among the bonafide contenders the league now has to offer. It seems Dudley is well aware that it is going to take everyone from top-to-bottom in the organization to ensure that Los Angeles can enjoy sustained success for years to come.
Dudley has spent his career playing on young teams that have largely struggled to compete for the playoffs. As a result, he has become accustomed to taking on a bit of a mentorship role thanks to his experience.
Dudley will now be tasked with utilizing his experience to help get this revamped roster on the same page heading into the 2019-20 NBA season.
It is safe to say that he is embracing all the newfound expectations and attention that comes with playing for the Lakers, which should serve as a stabilizing factor for some of the other younger players moving forward.
