NBA Veteran Could Be The New Robert Horry For Los Angeles Lakers

Jared Dudley finds himself in the company of a star-studded Los Angeles Lakers team, probably something any low profile NBA player would yearn for right now. The 34-year-old admits that his level of play is not All-Star potential and knows what he can do behind the likes of LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Known to be one of the effective role players in the NBA, it means a lot to Dudley to have James sign off on his addition. It is all about the three-time NBA champion wanting to play with you - knowing that James plays a huge role on who deserves to be on the team roster. And while his numbers may be far from impressive, Dudley admits that his true value is keeping the locker room under control, according to the "Woj Pod" by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

In a way, Dudley calls to mind Robert Horry who played for the Lakers from 1997-2003. They play similar positions (small forward and power forward) and their career average numbers are nearly the same. And if there is one thing that is left unanswered is if Dudley has the courage to take the shot in the crunch. Horry carved his niche doing that for the Lakers, specifically during that game-winning shot he sank in 2002 against the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Western Conference Finals, NBA.com reported. Los Angeles would eventually win the series in 7 games and go on to complete their three-peat.

That will all depend of course on how Dudley will be utilized by head coach Frank Vogel. The 22nd overall pick of the 2007 NBA draft is expected to come off the bench and spell the starters although he could get extended playing minutes if he comes out with an impressive performance. Until that happens, he will be one of the less-heralded players on the Lakers bench, ready to mix it up once his number is called upon.

Dudley's best NBA year was with the Phoenix Suns back during the 2011-12 season. He averaged 12.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game that year. Looking at his career stats, he owns a 38.2-percent shooting clip from the three-point region and 46.5-percent from the field. Though his points or rebounds may not be that eye-popping, there is no question that Dudley can score when called upon and play good defense on players from the opposing side.