With Mike D'Antoni now the head coach of the Lakers, don't be surprised at all if the corpse of Chris Duhon is resurrected. He had a career season as the lead guard under D'Antoni in 08-09 averaging 11 points and 7 assists for the New York Knicks. Was he suited for the Steve Nash role? No. But he did excel in the system.
Furthermore, in 18 minutes a game, he shot 42 percent from beyond the arc last season. He's only 30 years old and is by far the best veteran point guard defender on the team. Darius Morris has shown some flashes, but if he plays (no sure thing with D'Antoni favoring veterans), Morris will probably spend a lot of his time as an off guard in D'Antoni's system (much like Steve Blake will). Neither Morris nor Blake are terrific at creating for others, and lead guards in D'Antoni's system absolutely need to be. Morris is more of a scorer and Blake is more of a spot-up shooter, so their ideal role would be to play off a ball handler.
Since Duhon has already proven that he can excel in D'Antoni's system, I think he instantly moves up the depth chart and could even (possibly) start if Nash's return suffers any sort of setback.
The Lakers bench, if utilized correctly, can be halfway decent once things come together. Duhon, an afterthought thrown-in in the Howard deal, could very well be a big part of the bench's success moving forward.
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