The Lakeshow Review

Lakers had a strong showing during their second summer league outing, defeating the Miami Heat 103-83. Coming on the heels of a loss to the Golden state Warriors in the first game of the California Classic, the Lakers’ Summer Leaguers rebounded nicely with a solid win against Miami’s youngsters. Forward Cole Swider led the way with 20 points in 27 minutes of action, shooting 7-10 from the field. LA also recieved a big boost from Darius Bazley, the 6th year NBA man who’s currently with the Lakers’ Summer League squad with the hope of rehabilitating his value around the league after missing all of last season. Blazley has looked promising so far in SL, scoring 16 points in this game, but it’s unlikely that the Lakers will be able to sign him to a team contract given that they already have guaranteed salary committed to 14 players. Bronny James had a decent showing, scoring 10 points in 11 minutes of play. He’s still being gradually worked into the lineup, after missing the first SL game, and will likely continue to see his minutes go up as his conditioning gets better. It’s encouraging to see Bronny have a good outing, seeing as how he was fairly disappointing all of last season. However, it remains to be seen how he fares against real NBA talent, in year 2. Summer League after all, is glorified exhibition basketball. With that said you do want to see your young prospects show out, as they aren’t exactly going against the stiffest competition.

For me, the big story so far has been that of Dalton Knecht, who has greatly struggled through the first two games of SL action. After scoring 10 points on a paltry 3-13 shooting (0-6 from three) against Golden state during the California Classic opener, Knecht came back to score just 4 points on 2-7 shooting against Miami. His defense however has looked pretty good, albeit against Summer Leaguers. You’d like to see his shot come around, as that is the only true strength of his game at this moment, and the only thing keeping him from being a complete negative on the court. With that said, I think it’s too early to judge. We saw him shoot the three-ball exceptionally well at certain points last season, but also endured stretches of inconsistency. I think he will get it going offensively during Summer League and eventually start hitting his shots. But given that he’s a 24 year old former first rounder, and a second year pro, it would be ideal to see Dalton crush it against less experienced competition in SL. Hopefully he gets it going as the SL action ramps up. The main thing to look for though is the defense. It’s crucial for Dalton to make the necessary strides towards becoming a legitimate NBA defender, particularly when it comes to his defensive stance on the perimeter and his role as a team defender. He often looked lost last season in both departments. It will be imperative for Knecht to bring his defense up to near the level of his offense, in order to gain Head Coach JJ Redick’s trust and establish himself as a regular in the rotation.

One area of disappointment for me regarding the Lakers’ Summer League group has been their lack of a floor general. Undrafted guard Augustas Marčiulionis (son of former star sixth man Šarūnas Marčiulionis) who the Lakers signed to an exhibit-10 contract will likely not be able to participate in Summer League due to injury. I was looking forward to seeing him in action, as his college tape at St. Mary’s flashed some of his upside as a playmaker and lead guard. I also think that players like Knecht fare much better when playing off of a great ballhandler, such as Luka or AR. With that said, you still want to see better output on Knecht’s part, and his shooting has certainly raised some, if not urgent, concerns. Thankfully Bronny looked decent, although on limited minutes, and the Lakers were able to capture their first win of Summer Exhibition ball. Not that these games are incredibly meaningful, but as long as the young guys are looking good, that is certainly cause for optimism. Player development is crucial for the young Lakers, and we can only hope that new ownership will place a strong emphasis on their in-house player growth. It will be essential moving forward.

The Lakers will play San Antonio on Tuesday, to cap off the third contest of the California Classic. After that the team will head to Vegas for the Summer League tournament, starting Thursday. Essentially, these first three games are merely warmups for the Summer League Exhibition Tournament in Vegas on July 10-18. Lets hope the players catch their stride and have a strong showing, particularly those with NBA prospects. The Lakers need as much of a youth infusion as they can get, and any newcomers to their rotation will be greatly welcomed. Hopefully the kids will show some flashes and put on a show. Go Lakers.