The Los Angeles Lakers potentially found a diamond in the rough when they called up David Nwaba from the D-Fenders. Nwaba performed admirably on two 10-day contracts with the Lakers, eventually earning himself a contract for next season.
Nwaba’s success mostly came on the defensive end where he managed to slowly change the culture of a Lakers team that struggled on that end for much of the season. He played with the same energy and tenacity for the LA D-Fenders whom he led to the NBA D-League playoffs.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Nwaba would be rewarded for his established play on the defensive end as he was named to the D-League’s All-Defense team:
In addition to the defensive honor, Nwaba was also rewarded for his overall play as a first-year player, earning All-Rookie team honors as well:
Both are well-deserved honors for Nwaba who managed to break through the scene after going undrafted in both the NBA and D-League drafts before finding a spot in the development league after a tryout.
Nwaba’s efforts were equally felt on the Lakers where he managed to improve the defense to giving up a very respectable 100.6 points per 100 possessions (the Spurs led the league with a defensive rating of 100.9) when he was on the court. In comparison, the Lakers gave up 115.6 points per 100 possessions when Nwaba was on the bench.
Nwaba finished the year averaging six points and 3.1 rebounds per game while shooting 58 percent from the field in his 20 games with the Lakers.
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