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The decision to sign free agent guard Lonnie Walker<\/a> was a risky one<\/a> for the Los Angeles Lakers. While signing a player to a one-year, $5 million deal doesn\u2019t seem like a bold move, Walker, despite his obvious talent, washed out of his previous stop in San Antonio. He was drafted 18th overall in the 2018 NBA draft and spent four seasons with the Spurs, but never quite lived up to his full potential, even though the Spurs are known for their developmental staff.<\/p>\n In fact, after trading away All-Star Dejounte Murray, the Spurs were in desperate need of scoring and playmaking, something that Walker can provide, but instead, they opted to make him an unrestricted free agent. That paved the way for the Lakers to sign him, and thus far, that\u2019s worked out surprisingly well for the Lakers.<\/p>\n Through 10 games, Walker is averaging a career-high 15.3 points per game and is the team\u2019s third-leading scorer, giving them an unexpected offensive boost. This comes as Russell Westbrook has seemingly accepted a bench role and is excelling in it, helping to boost the Lakers\u2019 bench. Meanwhile, Walker is helping LeBron James and Anthony Davis in the starting lineup.<\/p>\n It\u2019s an unorthodox strategy, but it\u2019s actually working and has helped to offset Westbrook\u2019s drop in scoring. It\u2019s also made Walker somewhat indispensable\u00a0to the Lakers, even though they are still reportedly considering making a trade to add more shooting and have limited options for players to use as salary-cap fillers. He can\u2019t be traded without his permission either\u2014not that the Lakers would want to at this point.<\/p>\n Walker ranks among the best athletes in the NBA, and he can use that explosiveness to aggressively attack closeouts and streak out in the fast break.<\/p>\nLonnie Walker is giving the Los Angeles Lakers an offensive boost.<\/h2>\n