NBA Rumors: Ben McLemore Signing Seen As Minor Lifeline For Injury-Riddled Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers filled up an open roster spot and opted to take in Ben McLemore for the rest of the season.

This developed after the 28-year-old was waived by the Houston Rockets, prompting the Lakers to make a move and overtake other interested teams such as the Milwaukee Bucks.

McLemore has not exactly had a good season. His numbers have dropped considerably compared to his career averages. He has played in 32 games this season, norming 7.4 points and 2.1 rebounds.

Meanwhile, he owns a 43.1% shooting clip from the field and 33.1% from beyond the arc.

The signing, revealed by Shams Charania of The Athletic, clearly indicates that the Lakers are trying to hone up their 3-and-D needs with McLemore.

Los Angeles has more than enough stars on the roster such as LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Andre Drummond. Shooting and defense are what McLemore is expected to bring, and his role is likely to be seen once head coach Frank Vogel has a complete lineup.

The Lakers picking McLemore from the free-agent market hardly comes as a surprise. As mentioned in a previous post, Los Angeles along with Milwaukee were seen as NBA teams who would more likely take in the 7th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft.

However, it should be noted that Lakers fans are more concerned about the status of their top stars.

Still missing are James and Davis. Both are out due to different injuries, and it has yet to be revealed when the two All-Stars will return for Vogel.

The reigning NBA champions have relied on their current cast of Dennis Schroder and Montrezl Harrell at the helm. They are on a bumpy ride right now, and most are hoping that McLemore can provide some much-needed help.

Despite missing James and Davis, pundits feel that the forced rest could be best for the Lakers. Either way, they are expected to make the postseason wars this NBA season.