How Damion Lee could a play role similar to Shaun Livingston

Damion Lee shares the ability to initiate offense with former Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston.

As the Golden State Warriors transition into a new era, Damion Lee is going to be arguably the most important part of the team’s young bench.

Lee, 27, is a success story for the effects of the NBA’s relatively new two-way contracts.

The contracts, which were implemented before the 2017-18 season, allow franchises to take on two additional players. These players spend most of their time in the G League and can be with their NBA affiliate for up to 45 days. It’s a good way to develop players and eventually bring them up full time to the NBA roster. The 45-day allotment provides ample NBA experience, and the time in the G League helps as well,

Lee had been on a two-way deal with the Warriors for the 2018-19 season, and he was on one for most of this season. That changed during January, though, when Golden State inked Lee to a standard contract with a partial guarantee for the 2020-21 season.

Lee, who had a career season in the 2019-20 campaign, now has more stability as a full-time player for the Warriors.

This season, Lee maximized the most opportunity he’s had so far in his career. The Warriors struggled with injuries throughout the season, and they needed players to fill out their roster at different points of the year.

Lee was there to produce, starting in a career-high 36 games and scoring a career-best 12.7 points per game. As a reputable shooter, Lee shot 35.6% from the 3-point line on a career-high 4.9 attempts.

With Lee’s game blooming, his impact off the bench next season could be similar to a former Warriors guard.

Before Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors in 2016 and made the franchise one of the most feared teams in NBA history, Shaun Livingston had one of the most important roles on the team’s bench.

The Warriors had arguably the best depth in the league during their 2014-15 season and the historic 2015-16 season. Livingston, with his playmaking and ability to control an offense, was a leader for the second unit. His play in the 2016 postseason was some of the best of his career. He scored 8.2 points per game and dished 3.3 assists — both numbers are the most he had in the playoffs while with Golden State.

Lee isn’t the facilitator Livingston was, but his potential to be an efficient initiator on offense is similar to what Livingston brought. During the 2015-16 season, Livingston only shot 4.9 field goals a game. But he shot 53.6% from the field, the second-highest average of his career.

The Warriors will need someone to help control the game next season when Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green aren’t playing. Lee has shown he can be that player. According to NBA.com stats, he posted the highest usage percentage (18.4%) of his career this season.

He had one of the best games of his young career last Christmas, when the Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets, 116-104. He scored a team-high 22 points and shot 55.6% from the field. He also grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds.

Lee has shown to be a better scorer than Livingston, but he could improve maximizing the shots he earns during his time on the floor. He shot 41.7% from the field on a career-high 10.4 attempts this season, but he also played a career-high 29.0 minutes a game. Next season he may play somewhere around 20-23 minutes because Curry, Thompson and Green all project to be back.

Along with Eric Paschall, Lee has the potential to be an important fixture of the Warriors’ bench. Livingston was meant to be a facilitator, but he still could score when necessary.

Lee doesn’t facilitate like Livingston, but the ability to maintain the offense’s overall production remains the same between both players. For the Warriors to return to relevancy, Lee continuing to thrive could be an important part of the Warriors’ future success.

[lawrence-related id=28035,23463,23452,20957]