Season Review: Taurean Prince

Taurean Prince’s first season with the Lakers was average at best, even if he often wasn’t put in the best position to succeed.

Welcome to our annual Lakers season in review series, where we’ll look back at each player on the team’s roster this season and evaluate if they should be part of the future of the franchise. Today, we take a look at Taurean Prince.

Last summer, the Lakers made an effort to beef up their wing depth by signing Taurean Prince. He had spent two years with the Minnesota Timberwolves prior to moving to Los Angeles and was viewed as the replacement for Troy Brown Jr. who, ironically, ended up signing with the Wolves last summer.

After losing Jarred Vanderbilt to injury in the preseason, Darvin Ham viewed Prince as the team's starting forward over Rui Hachimura, which raised eyebrows considering that L.A. kept preaching about continuity. Prince ended up starting 49 games, most when the purple and gold were struggling early in the season, which was also why he became the early target of frustration for fans.

But in fairness to TP, it wasn’t all his fault. In fact, the nine-year forward was one of the most reliable and durable role players who provided good value as a minimum deal signee. One can argue that Prince was not put in a position to succeed and it didn’t help that his role changed multiple times due to injuries, lineup changes and questionable rotation decisions.

That’s also not to say that Prince exceeded expectations as the team’s initial starting forward and eventually a primary option off the bench. As has been the case for most of his career, TP’s first season with the Lakers was average at best.

How did he play?

As a starter, Prince averaged 9.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 38.6% 3-point shooting in 30.4 minutes. The only role players given more minutes than the 3-and-D wing were Austin Reaves and D’Angelo Russell.

Obviously, it’s unfair to solely blame TP for the Lakers’ shortcomings early in the season, but since his minutes and usage were so high, his strengths and weaknesses were greatly exposed. The 6’6 forward caught a lot of flack for his inability to rebound, especially since the purple and gold were a below-average rebounding team and had a penchant for giving up second-chance opportunities.

It also didn’t help that Prince wasn’t giving enough offensively to justify the minutes he was receiving. He could score in different ways, but it was barely enough. Perhaps Prince’s best contribution was the fact that he was one of the team’s best 3-point shooters despite his early season slump as he converted 135 of his 346 attempts in the regular season. He didn’t live up to his promise of averaging 40% from the 3-point line but, at the very least, he performed better when his role was adjusted.

Prince was eventually demoted to the bench in favor of Hachimura in game 51. He went from playing 30.4 minutes as a starter to 21.8 as a primary option off the bench.

In the 29 games he played off the bench, TP averaged 8.0 points but converted 42.1% of his threes in 3.5 attempts per game. With fewer touches and minutes, he ended up being one of the few decent options off the bench. He succeeded in this minimalized role better and, if anything, it highlighted his ability to contribute on both ends of the floor.

Then came the playoffs against the Denver Nuggets, where TP surprisingly outplayed Hachimura. As the series went on, Ham relied on him more and it got to a point where Prince was one of the very few role players who consistently contributed.

What is his contract situation moving forward?

Since Prince signed a one-year $4.5 million deal with the Lakers last summer, he will be a free agent.

Should he be back?

Look, 6’6” wings who are capable 3-and-D players are hard to come by in the free agent market these days, so I really wouldn’t mind if Taurean is brought back for the same deal. As I mentioned above, he provided good value for his contract. He mentioned in January that he felt most valued by the Lakers compared to any other team he’s ever played for and maybe that had a lot to do with the treatment he received early in the season.

But with a new coach at the helm and potentially a fresh system and philosophies in place, bringing back someone who has experience playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis isn’t a bad idea. Prince has proven that he can perform well if he’s put in the right position to succeed. Ultimately though, this decision will depend on him and whether or not he will be offered a better deal during free agency season.

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani