Jared

Dudley

Dudley maintained some hope that he would be back with the Lakers for at least one more season, but the front office was focused on filling out their roster with younger players. Instead he’s off to Dallas for his first coaching role, serving as an assistant for new head coach (and former Lakers assistant) Jason Kidd. The 2006 first-round pick out of Boston College played for eight teams during his 14-year NBA career.

There’s no way to tell if Dudley will actually get minutes tonight, but the fact that he’s available at all is a positive for the Lakers, who need all the depth they can get given how often they get hurt.

Surgery would have kept him out 4-6 months and Dudley thinks there’s a chance he could play some spot minutes in the postseason for the Lakers and will also continue to be a presence in the team’s locker room, which is probably where most of his true value lies.

The veteran is “evaluating his options” but presumably he’ll need surgery. He’s not a reliable part of L.A.'s rotation and his absence won’t impact fantasy rosters.

Kuzma was a late scratch for Tuesday’s game, and the Lakers certainly did miss his presence in the second unit. “His heel was jammed up when he tried it pregame, and he wasn’t able to go. We’re hopeful that he plays tomorrow,” Vogel said during his postgame press conference. Not only did Kuzma’s absence mean more minutes for Wesley Matthews, but it also freed up rotation minutes for Jared Dudley. Neither Matthews (two rebounds and one block in 23 minutes) nor Dudley (two rebounds and one block in 11 minutes) brought much to the table Tuesday, so they can both be left on the waiver wire ahead of Wednesday’s game.

Dudley was probable for this game and we’re going to take him off the injury report. He’s not in the rotation so his availability is irrelevant for fantasy purposes.

Dudley has been out since Jan. 8th, but wasn’t a rotation player before the injury -- he’s yet to see more than seven minutes in a single game.

Dudley wasn’t a rotation player when healthy, so this update doesn’t change anything when it comes to his fantasy prospects. The good news is that we now have a clearer timetable with regard to when he could be cleared to play.

We’re marking him as out indefinitely. The Bucks can rest easy on Wednesday night knowing that they will not have to game-plan for Dudley.

Dudley is averaging 3.6 minutes per game this season so he’ll have his usual role of fiercely clapping on the bench.