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2015 Player Capsule: Ryan Kelly

BY THE NUMBERS:
4.4:
Assists averaged in his last 11 games. Ryan Kelly’s passing became crucial at the end of the season, as he dished out six assists or more five times during this stretch.
12.6: Points averaged over the Lakers’ final five games. Kelly had struggled with his shot for most of the year, but he managed to shoot 41.7 percent from the field and 40.9 percent on 3-pointers in this last round of contests.
30: Games missed due to injury. Kelly played in just three of L.A.’s first 32 games due to hamstring injuries that kept him almost entirely sidelined until January.

SEASON SUMMARY:
Kelly’s campaign began roughly, as hamstring issues caused him to sit out for the majority of the 2014 portion of the season. When he returned, his rustiness was clear, as he shot just 16-for-52 (30.8 percent) in January. Out of necessity due to others’ injuries, Kelly had to play out of position — at small forward rather than power forward — for the majority of the season, including the final week when he was the only healthy player left on the roster at either spot. Despite this discomfort, Kelly averaged 10.7 points for the nine games of April, his most in any month in his two-year career.

IN HIS OWN WORDS:
“They knew all along that (playing small forward) wasn’t exactly what was best for me individually, but it was what we needed. And I had no problem with that. … I think I’m gonna train to be a stretch-four (power forward). We’ll bridge that gap if it comes to it again. I’ll do my best to be ready for anything.”

2014-15 SHOT CHART

“Ryan