DJ Augustin had his best game by far in his brief Lakers career on Monday. The 14-year NBA veteran simply could not miss. He achieved shooting nirvana. Augustin went 7-for-7 from the field including hitting six three-pointers.
LeBron's massive 38-point triple-double, in Cleveland no less, over shadowed Augustin's brilliant's shooting night. But had Augustin not been on fire, the outcome of the Lakers 131-120 win might have been a little different.
Augustin, who the Lakers signed on March 1st after he was waived by the Rockets, explained how teams blitzing Westbrook and LeBron opens up shooting opportunities for he and his teammates. Their job is to knock the shots down. Broderick Turner of the LA Times supplied the veteran guard's opinion on his job responsibilities.
“I wouldn’t say it’s easy, but our job is pretty easy. And you have to be confident and also have to work on your game outside and make shots. You just can’t catch and shoot it and think it’s going to be automatic. We’ve put in the work to be ready for those opportunities. And they’re so unselfish that we just have to be ready to knock it down.”
Augustin gave a ton of credit for his efficient shooting on Tuesday to Russell Westbrook and LeBron James - LA's two primary ball handlers.
“Playing with guys like Bron and Russ, they create and draw so much attention and they’re so willing at passing and finding guys. All we have to do is be ready to catch and shoot and knock it down. Just staying ready. That’s the biggest thing.”
This isn't the perspective of a baby-faced rookie who's only known one roster for six months. Augustin has played for 11 different teams since the then Charlotte Bobcats drafted the Texas Longhorn with the ninth overall pick.
DJ has seen it all and evidently, he really enjoys playing with Russell Westbrook and LeBron James.
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