Lakers: James Ennis Continues To (Figuratively) Taunt LA Fans From Afar
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Free agent veteran wing James Ennis is just the kind of 3-and-D role player in his prime who could help cure what ails your Los Angeles Lakers.
So why are they wasting a 10-day contract on Darren Collison? Who can say.
The 6'6" shooting guard/small forward had been linked to the Lakers in the 2021 offseason (he worked out for LA in September), along with several other clubs looking to shore up their perimeter depth.
Ennis instead opted to ink a deal with the Lakers' dreaded Crypto.com Arena neighbors, the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clips are missing three players in the league's coronavirus health and safety protocols, and another five (including All-Star wings Kawhi Leonard and Paul George) due to injury, so they need all the healthy bodies they can get.
The Ventura native (and Cal State Long Beach alum), 31, inked a one-year, $3.3 deal with the Orlando Magic ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season, and suited up for 41 contests (37 starts) with the team. Ennis averaged 8.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.8 steals per game in 24.0 minutes. To accrue those 8.4 points, he connected on 47.3% of his field goals (including 43.3% of his 2.5 triples a night) and 80.5% of his free throws. Ennis had a brief two-game stint with the Brooklyn Nets earlier this year but failed to crack the rotation and was eventually released.
Across 390 games with eight NBA franchises in eight seasons, Ennis The Menace (his apparent nickname, per Basketball Reference) holds averages of 6.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, on 45.6% shooting from the floor, 36% shooting from long range (on 2.2 looks) and 79.7% shooting from the charity stripe.
To the Lakers' credit, they did opt for a solid defense-oriented forward with upside when they signed hyper-athletic 26-year-old Stanley Johnson to a 10-day hardship exception deal on Christmas Eve. The Collison signing looks like a whiff, and the team soured quickly on veteran point guard Isaiah Thomas (a deal that made more sense, as Thomas had actually played organized basketball within the last two-and-a-half years). 6'5" wing Jemerrio Jones, just 26, made sense as a player worth taking a flyer on, though he hasn't logged any real playing time and seems unlikely to merit a second 10-day contract.
James Ennis has been ready and waiting for one of his hometown teams to give him a look this season. Unfortunately, the wrong one came calling first.
