Jodie Meeks was brought in by the Lakers last summer to spread the floor and knockdown three-pointers. Additionally, he was acquired to provide some relief for Kobe Bryant. He got off to a rocky start under Mike Brown, who for some reason did not play him, and slowly began to find his role under Mike D’Antoni. While the biggest drawback of Meeks’ performance this season has been his inconsistency, there were positives to his contribution that benefited the Lakers.
Regular Season Grade: C
While Jodie Meeks showed his capability to catch-and-shoot from downtown, his shot from distance was not as efficient as expected (35.7 percent). In fact, Antawn Jamison, Steve Nash and Steve Blake had a better three-point percentage than Meeks, who was supposed to be the Lakers’ three-point specialist.
Meeks can get in a habit during a game of trying to do to much, which causes him to be almost one-step ahead of the play. Particularly in the first half of the season, he would over-dribble the ball, resulting in unnecessary and usually costly turnovers.
Meeks does have speed and although he isn’t a great defender, that quickness did allow him to stay with his man and disrupt plays on defense. He showed that he can be more than a catch-and-shoot player, as he uses his quickness to either slash or drive to the rim.
However, he length gives him the most problems on defense. Meeks, at 6-foot-4 is a small 2-guard. When matched up with a taller assignment, the opposing player can simply back his way to the spot he wants and uses his height to get a clear shot.
Playoff Grade: Incomplete
Meeks played a total of 20 minutes of the Lakers’ first round series against the San Antonio Spurs before spraining his left ankle in Game 1 in Texas.
In his sole playoff appearance, Meeks only posted fours points on 1-for-4 shooting to go along with one steal and two rebounds.
However, his left ankle sprain was severe enough to keep him out of Game 2, 3 and 4, eventually causing the Lakers to start recent D-League call-up, Andrew Goudelock due to the injuries of Steve Blake and Kobe Bryant.
—- Get to know Jodie Meeks more in this player bio! —-
Overall Grade: C
Overall, Meeks averaged 7.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in the regular season. His stats did tend to improve when he saw more time, but being a substitute for Kobe Bryant can limit your minutes.
What was a noticeable stat was his overall field goal percentage (38.7). That was the lowest among his teammates who played in consistent rotations during the season. This combined with his three-point percentage of 35.7 is concerning. Therefore, he must work on his consistency and efficiency of his jumper and shot from beyond the arc this summer.
Jodie Meeks is facing a team option in his contract this offseason. Back in August of 2012, Meeks signed a two-year deal, with the first year at $1.4 million and the second being a Lakers’ team option that could be worth up to $2 million with incentives.
Considering the Lakers are trying to save money in order to not be hit so severely be the new luxury tax system, Meeks’ contract is very reasonable for a solid backup shooting guard.
