Although Ty Lawson never earned an All-Star nod during his six years in Denver, he was playing at an All-Star level during his final couple seasons with the Nuggets. In 2013/14, the former first-round pick averaged a career-high 17.6 PPG to go along with 8.8 APG and 1.6 SPG. A year later, he increased his APG to 9.6 while chipping in 15.2 PPG and 1.2 SPG.
However, Lawson’s playing career was derailed by a series of off-court incidents, including multiple DUI arrests and a stint in an alcohol treatment facility. The Nuggets sent him to the Rockets, who eventually waived him. Lawson joined the Pacers for the end of the 2015/16 season and for the playoffs, but he looked like a shell of his former shelf in Houston and Indiana, setting new career lows in categories like PPG, FG%, 3PT%, FT%, and several others.
In 2016/17, Lawson will get a fresh start in Sacramento, having signed a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Kings. As Oliver Maroney of Basketball Insiders writes, many people close to Lawson believe he can bounce back and show that he’s capable of being a starting NBA point guard once again, while others around the league believe this might be his last shot to stick on an NBA roster.
The Kings lost starting point guard Rajon Rondo in free agency, and Darren Collison will almost certainly face a suspension from the league after agreeing to a plea deal in a domestic violence case. Sacramento has a couple other candidates for that point guard spot on its roster – including free agent signee Garrett Temple – but the door is open for Lawson to potentially earn the starting job to begin the regular season.
What do you expect from Lawson in Sacramento this season, and in general going forward? Will he bounce back from an awful year and recapture the form that made him a standout player in Denver? Is last year’s production the new normal for Lawson? Does he have a decent NBA future ahead of him, or was 2015/16 the beginning of the end? Weigh in below with your vote and your comments!
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