LeBron James’ spectacular outing in the Drew League (his first appearance since the 2011 NBA lockout) and Irving highlights Yes he willNo fireworks, acted as the perfect microcosm of each current status in the league: the king won another purchase in his father’s time, but the individual Charles Barkley dubbed “Half Man, Half Season” Yet another long bullying didn’t work.
But the biggest news of the league is Lakers“The Lakers, the biggest star and the star that has been linked all summer, actually played a basketball game.
In Las Vegas, in contrast to the star-studded exhibition in Los Angeles this afternoon, the courts have poor visibility and all NBA aspirants want to make a name for themselves in the Premier League of sports. I was there.
Playing like a unit connected on both sides of the court, the Lakers Dallas Mavericks Frequently early on, he hung on a 20-point half-time lead and won 11 points. This is the third straight victory in the 2022 Summer League.
A good number of Lakers were sometimes upside down in this contest, but the legitimate development from a pair of unreleased repeaters from the South Bay team last season caught my eye.
After leading the Lakers to two consecutive victories and opening the Summer League slate at the California Classic, Jay Huff fell into the league’s health and safety protocol and missed the team’s final match in San Francisco and the first three matches in Las Vegas. did. In the game Huff missed, the Lakers finished 1-3, but won all four he was suitable for.
Like below Summer League Rudy GobertThe mere existence of Jay Huff seems to raise the Lakers’ defense quality from poor to well above with one hand.
The level of basketball turmoil in this particular environment is too great to assign all of the Lakers’ success to the Huff, but his ability to provide the foundation for elite trim protection connects the remaining Lakers defenders. , Consistently seems to make the whole bigger than the sum of that part. In Saturday’s contest, the Lakers stuffed the stats sheet with 13 points, 4 assists, 3 blocks, 2 rebounds and steals at +11 in a few minutes of Huff. In addition to his defensive impact, the smooth finish of the 7’1”Big Man around the rim was particularly impressive.
His G-League teammate Mason Jones also appeared in the Lakers victory, scoring 8 points and 4 assists. This is highlighted by this (probably inappropriate) circus shot.
But what I found most exciting about his potential prospects was his sometimes out-of-control ball handling and pass improvements. Being able to combine his constant downhill attacks and truly solid self-creation skills into a more efficient and team-friendly skill set ultimately drives him to back up the big league. May be useful for.
Cole Swider continued to shoot unreasonably sharply, trying the team’s best 16 points 4-6 times from downtown. If he can shoot anywhere near him, just like in the Summer League, and has enough defense to maintain the NBA’s rotation, he has a chance to be one of the best movement shooters in Lakers history.
Shareef O’Neal even had a moment of highlight Or twoDrill a midrange leaner into his 6-point pair to complement his three boards with just nine minutes of action.
The Lakers’ only draft topic, Max Christie, struggled to score consistently again, finishing with just two points on a 1-6 shot and contributing at the NBA level, at least between his two newly signed. Continued to look far away from-yearly contract.
The agility and bounce at his size is impressive, but he needs more polish to be feasible.
In the case of the Mavericks, Jaden Hardy, who passed the 37th overall selection in this year’s draft, showed a hyper-athletic flash of contributing to a basketball victory with 15 points, 3 assists and 3 boards. Seven turnovers hampered his overall contribution.
But in reality, the Clippers’ undrafted signature Moses Wright signed a two-way deal with Mavericks using his rugged 6’8”, £ 225 frame. I just got it. Bully the Lakers in and finish with 17 points, 6 rebounds and a pair of dimes.
After all, the Lakers half-time lead was too much for the Mavericks to overcome, despite the brave second half efforts under the very exaggerated leadership of the Lakers legend Jared Dudley. With this victory, the Lakers set a 3-2 record in Las Vegas and closed the Summer League with a total of 5-3.
It remains to be seen how many of the Lakers’ Summer League roster players will be able to return to the Attachment 10 contract and effectively give them the opportunity to prove their energy during the team’s next training camp. Second round draft selection Max Christie who has signed a two-way transaction and has already locked down a two-year deposit.
Players like Huff and Jones are virtual locks to return to South Bay Lakers if they can’t earn bidirectionally elsewhere, and rookies like O’Neill and McCoy can hang out for at least a while. ..
Nonetheless, for now, the Lakers’ future is almost entirely in the ability of Lebron, who remains one of the game’s most dominant forces, and secondly, the ability of the team that surrounds him. Therefore, it makes sense to focus on Los Angeles gossip. This is because it can affect the dynamics mentioned above.
But still, the NBA Championship won in the margin, and if the Summer League was any sign, the Lakers launched the 2022-23 campaign as a winner, at least in that regard.
Cooper has been a lifelong Lakers fan and Yankees At SB Nation’s Pinstripe Alley — No, he’s not a Cowboys fan either.You can hear his voice Lakers Multiverse Podcast Find him on twitter @cooperhalpern..
