Let me reiterate that it is Summer League. But the Lakers Summer League team looked really good out there as they beat the Blazers, 81-63.
Just a few notes out there.
*Robert Sacre looked really good as an anchor of the defense. He hedged very well against shooters and did a nice job protecting the rim and getting in front of his man. He even had a nice post move against Meyers Leonard that was a bit reminiscent of Pau Gasol. If he can get that jumper down, he can definitely stay in this league.
*Lester Hudson scored 15 points to lead the squad. Husdon’s always had a knack of putting the ball into the basket but he is not known as a playmaker. There may not be room for Hudson in the Lakers but for those other teams that may be looking for a quick spark off the bench (which he has done in his career), he could be a good fit.
*Marcus Landry continued his impressive play, filling the lanes on the fastbreak and doing a good job defending his man. If this keeps up, he could get an invite.
*Lazar Hayward, who has also toiled around in the league, got out on the break and was aggressive on both ends. He attacked the rim with gusto. While the Lakers are running out of room in terms of wings, he could get a look.
*Chris Douglas-Roberts looked passive for nearly the entire game. His six points all came from the line because of his ability to attack the rim but for the most part, he looked listless.
*The team passed the ball around, got out on the break, and played aggressively on defense. Basically, what we mostly did not see in the regular season. Remember, though, that this is Summer League so let’s not try to look into it too much. However, it is a big deal for these guys trying to get training camp invites for not just only the Lakers but for various squads as well.
smoothaswilkes says
Thanks for the update, Rey. Nice work per usual.
I’m a bit disappointed in CDR. It’s clear that some of these guys are playing for a spot on the big club so “listless” is not what you want heard describing your level of play. Oh well, there seems to be a lot of younger talent that might be better anyway.
pio2u2 says
Your review is on point as Sac, Landry & Hayward played well.I have seen both games & the Lakers looked like a different team today.The intensity level definitely was turned up a notch and they also looked good defensively. I think CDR’s ankle may have hindered his play today because he did seem tentative. Alas it is only the summer league but at least the good guys won.
jameskatt says
The Lakers FINALLY win a game. And they looked good when their players are hungry. Hopefully CDR can break out of his funk.
Warren Wee Lim says
The Summer League is where we get gems out of. Sometimes we’re all mining carbon and no diamond comes out. That’s fine but its nice to have a mine nonetheless.
Sacre and whoever comes out of the LVSL as our potential 12th and 13th men should be able to provide certain skillsets that we can use for our team. I believe its essential to have 5 usable big men and we still have 4. Ryan Kelly can be considered a PF due to his height but his game is more of the perimeter thus he’s really just a very tall forward.
Summer leagues tend to favor guards more than bigs. We should focus on looking at other bigs from other teams that we can use out of rather than focus on our guards when we already have a good rotation of.
Renato Afonso says
Warren, with MDA I believe that Kelly will play PF. Remember that D’Antoni likes his PF to shoot from the top of the key. As of today, our big’s rotation is
Pau Gasol
Chris Kaman
Jordan Hill
Kelly
Robert Sacre
Sure that we could add another PF to the mix, specially if it’s a LO type of player, but we aren’t that bad on that department. On the hand, we don’t have that many wing players. Here’s the outlook:
Kobe
Jodie Meeks
Nick Young
Wesley Johnson
And that’s it! Until Kobe returns from injury, we only have 3 wing players. I would say that a SG/SF and a bulky SF who can handle the PF position from time to time is the best way to go. From what I’ve read and seen on highlights (no access to summer league) it seems that the obvious selections would be Michael Snaer and Marcus Landry. This would leave us with a roster spot. If Blake is traded, wouldn’t it be worth checking what Seth Curry can do? He may be short but he is a great 3 point shooter…
John says
The Lakers best player in that game was Elias Harris. Why no mention?
Ed says
A chance to see who might get invites to camp, and then fight it out for the final spot on the bench.Sacre needs more work on the jumper to be effective.
Bryan says
Great recap, much appreciated…Lazar Haywood’s been someone who’s intrigued me for a while…he has the tools from a physical/athletic standpoint. Perhaps big enough to play at the 4?
Manuel says
@ John
I agree. Harris works hard and is solid. He should get an invite to camp!
Kaifa says
I was going to ask about Harris since I can’t see the games. I actually outscored him once in a lower German league when he was 16 and I was 25 – one of my proudest basketball achievements. He would have dunked on me though if I hadn’t chickened out of the poster in time. 😉
When he was rising in the German leagues, the knock was his outside shot and his lack of aggressiveness – sometimes he just seemed to float through games instead of asserting himself. From what I read he did OK at Gonzaga, improving his shot a little and becoming more confident. But I think he’ll find it hard to catch on because he probably can’t defend NBA 2’s and 4’s and is neither enough of a stopper nor shooter to be an above-average option at the 3. Or does anybody who has seen him play in the summer league games have a different opinion on him?
P. Ami says
I didn’t watch the game, but it sounds good if this type of play is indicative of the Lakers’ culture going forward.
The thing I like about getting LO is he could be a version of Boris Diaw. We saw his skill-set is useful for SAS. MDA always craved Lamar back in his PHX days. He would be a very good fit and a phenomenal value for what the LALs could pay. Nash’s comment about the ball moving better with Pau in the middle would be especially true with LO playing some 4/5. If the ball moves well, it mitigates issues with athleticism. You still need athletes and penetration, but passing is a major component for good, smart and fun to watch basketball. Clearly, whatever good D we get will be system reliant. Anchors in the middle are a good start.
Is anybody else just looking forward to some fun basketball? Last season was not fun to watch and it wasn’t just the losing. Losing sucks but you know when you’ve watched a fun game. Even as I was awed by one player or another making a great play, and certainly with Kobe’s season long show of mastery (I am still of the mind that the game when Kobe got hurt was an amazing display of basketball, all the way through to the team willing itself to win without the Mamba. It is one of my favorite games of the season for all it encompassed) I did not feel the joy from the team or the fans. That is all I’m asking for this year. Lets have some basketball joy.
Hale says
Kaifa,
For what it’s worth, I thought he’s been steady in both games. I was distracted throughout the second game but whenever I glanced, he seemed to be working hard. He looks to me like a good hustle player with the right attitude but I don’t if he has enough firepower. There was one play where he bobbled the ball in the hole a got stuffed but immediately gathered and rose up to slam it on the bigger player. It was good to see that court awareness and double bounce but I’m not certain how much that would translate to success in an actual NBA game.