Welcome to the Xavier Henry fan club. We might not have a full house, but we believe he should return as a Laker. Don’t you remember all of those highlight dunks? Yes, we have Larry Nance, Jr. now, but what would the harm be in having two high energy guys come off of the bench?
Henry wore a Lakers jersey from 2013–2014. He dropped down to the D-Fenders every now and then, where he was then recalled typically the following day. You can check out a fan-made highlight video from that season to see why he never stayed in the D-League for very long.
As mentioned above, Henry brought a ton of energy off of the bench. His ruptured Achilles stagnated his career, but that’s all the more reason for him to work his way back to the Lakers. Kobe Bryant came back from his same injury, as much as someone his age could, anyway. While Kobe is no longer on the team, I wouldn’t put it past him to provide current players with advice and mentor them through some tough times. Having played with someone who had the same injury, Henry knows what it takes to work back from it.
Enough about injuries, though. Henry not only provides dunks and energy off the bench, but he can score. That’s something the Lakers have struggled with off of the bench for quite a few seasons now. Just take a look at his 29-point game against the Warriors.
Need you see more? He can be a solid bench guy, and with a coach like Luke Walton, he would have a great mentor to get him back to that player we saw in 2013 and 2014.
Plus, he would fit right in with the younger guys on the team, while still providing a bit of a veteran presence since he entered the league in 2010. I’m all in favor of bringing Henry back to the team, especially since they still seem to be lacking on the scoring end based on how the bench is looking.
