Now in his 11th NBA season, Ty Lue has been with three teams over the last three seasons, starting three games during that span.
Now with the Milwaukee Bucks, Lue comes off the bench for coach Scott Skiles, who relies on the 6-foot guard to produce despite sporadic minutes.
As an example, take this five-game road swing that MIL just wrapped up:
Against the Lakers, Lue played 21 minutes. Two nights later against the Suns, Lue played two minutes. The next game, against the Warriors, he logged 14 minutes.
Then against Miami, he played just one minute. Against the Knicks in the final game of the Bucks' five-game road trip game, he saw 20 minutes of action.
Lue is able to do something that many players can't: Get into the flow quickly and always be ready to produce.
"It's very difficult because you can't get in a rhythm but I have no control over that. The only thing I can control is being ready to go when I get subbed in. If you know you come in at the 2-minute mark of the first quarter, you can get your body and mind right and be mentally prepared. You can get in a rhythm throughout the course of the season, when you know when you're going to go in and know when you're going to play. What I've been doing is difficult, but I've been able to produce so far in playing that role."
"I just stay focused on the bench, watching the flow of the game and seeing what the team needs so if I get a chance to play I know exactly what I need to bring for the team to be successful. I try to stay in tune and stay focused during the game so I'm ready to go when the coach needs me."
"I never get discouraged. I know how to play the game and I never lose confidence. I try to play the same way all the time, whether I'm starting or coming off the bench."
