Writing about this year’s Lakers’ summer league team brings a bit of a strange feeling. In a normal Lakers’ summer session, there might be one or two key players worth watching; players who we think might end up being a rotation player or someone with a bright future. This season, though, is radically different and offers fans a chance to see players they will be fully invested in come October.
Despite Kobe returning and the additions of Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass, and Lou Williams to the main team, there are at least four players — D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Tariq Black — heading to Vegas who can expect to have a key role when the regular season rolls around. Add to this group Anthony Brown (who, as it stands today, is probably 3rd on the depth chart at SF behind Kobe and Nick Young), Larry Nance Jr. (who, as a first round pick, may also see some minutes this year as deep reserve/energy player), and Robert Upshaw (a project big man who has first round talent with undrafted free agent baggage) there are a lot of reasons to be excited.
This is a talented group of players — almost surely the most talented summer league team the Lakers have ever fielded — and I’m interested in seeing what they can do against other touted rookies and second year players. After all, it’s one thing to play 5-on-5 in practice where the guys on the opposite side are teammates, know all your plays, and have seen all your tendencies for the last week plus. It’s quite another to face off against a fairly stacked T-Wolves team (like they will on Friday) that includes this year’s #1 overall pick and last year’s slam dunk contest winner.
Rather than get into the every single player on the roster — for a detailed look at each guy, check out this piece from Ben Rosales — I instead offer 10 thoughts and things I’ll be looking for during the team’s time in Sin City:
1. As a general rule, I’m looking less at production and more at skill set and how a player applies his game to this new setting. Yes, I’d like to see good numbers from the players, but I care more about whether or not they’re able to get to spots on the floor and create separation, whether they look lost defensively, whether they have a certain comfort about them playing against players more talented than they saw in college. Last year it was clear to me that Randle and Clarkson could play in the league. I’m hoping to get that same sense from watching Russell, Nance, Brown, and Upshaw.
2. Run, run, run. I want to see these guys push the ball. Clarkson and Randle are thoroughbreds made to get out in the open floor. Russell can also play with pace. Nance is an excellent athlete who can get up and down the floor. I want to see the guy who rebounds the ball turn up court and either look to push himself or outlet to a guy who can.
3. Sharing the initiation load. Clarkson and Russell can both play point guard and I hope to see both do so. Russell is being groomed as the the PG of the future, but deferring some to Clarkson and doing work off the ball will also be important to his development. I am also interested in seeing Randle work from the elbows with guys cutting and screening around him. If he can work as an initiator from the high post, the Lakers’ offensive capabilities expand a great deal.
4. Get after it defensively. Summer ball can often be about highlights and who fills it up the most on the offensive end. But if the Lakers are to ever return to being a top team, they’ll need to learn to guard their opponents and defend at a high level. Yes, this is only summer league. But good habits start early and I want to see these guys talking on defense, showing good help instincts, and out there working hard on that end.
5. Is Upshaw ready to play? Fans expectations of Upshaw seem to be teetering on the unreasonable. Yes, he has 1st round talent. And, yes, he’s a giant of a human being. But he’s not played much basketball since being dismissed from the University of Washington in February and is, admittedly, not in very good shape right now. Byron Scott has said he will get his chances to play, but I think we need to be prepared to see a rusty player who gets winded easily. I’m mostly just hopeful we see some flashes of his potential and that he leverages his strengths (size, length) on both ends of the floor as much as possible.
6. If my expectations are tempered on Upshaw, they are the opposite for Clarkson and, though a bit less so, Randle. Clarkson is a 2nd year player who had a fantastic close to his rookie campaign playing huge minutes in games against other high level NBA players. He should, for the most part, stand out when playing against a fair amount of the competition he’ll be seeing in Vegas. As for Randle, I really do think he’ll show off a level of skill and athleticism that make him pop off the screen. He might also show some rust, but I think he’s ready to break out.
7. Make those shots, Anthony Brown. When a guy is touted as a shooter (and Brown is a shooter), he needs to show that he can actually hit the open shots he gets. If Brown starts (and I think he will), he’ll be playing next to Russell, Clarkson, and Randle. Those three are going to draw a ton of attention from the defense. When the ball is kicked out to Brown, I want to see him setting his feet and getting some of these shots to fall.
8. How clean do these guys run their sets? Last season the Lakers came to Vegas before Byron Scott was even hired. The team did not have a true offensive system installed and mostly just ran P&R’s mixed with some general flex actions. In the lead up to this year they have been working on some of the Princeton actions the team will use in the regular season. With these sets installed, I will be looking closely at how crisp the guards move off the ball and whether the big men are making the right reads after making their elbow catches. Having Clarkson, Randle, and Black as 2nd year guys will help grease the wheels for the other players, but seeing how Russell, Nance, Brown, etc work within the structure of the halfcourt offense is worth paying attention to.
9. As detailed above, this team has a ton of talent for this environment. But I’d be lying if I didn’t say watching Russell is one of the one or two things I’m most looking forward to. While his scoring ability and shooting touch will likely be dissected closely (seriously — listen to the sirens blare when he has a 4-12 game for 11 points), I’ll be most interested in his complete floor game. How does he run the offense? Is his passing as advertised? What type of tempo does he play with? Does he change speeds well? Can he score in the lane? I could go on and on, but you get the point. I have high hopes for this kid, but he is only a kid at 19 years old. I’m as anxious as I am excited.
10. Can anyone else stand out? My guess for the guy who surprises most is Nance. Based on reports that the Lakers were really impressed with him from the 5-on-5 workouts heading into the draft and the footage Lakers Nation posted from Wednesday’s practice scrimmage, Nance is active, athletic, and looks to have above average feel for how to play the game. In an environment like Vegas, these things should translate well. Another player to watch is Dwight Buycks, the point guard who spent some time with Lakers after being called up from the D-League last season. Buycks didn’t make a strong impression on me last year, but the Lakers will likely look hard at carrying a 3rd point guard on the regular season roster come October. Buycks knows the coaches, has familiarity with the team’s sets, and has pro experience. Playing well in Vegas should earn him a camp invite and, maybe, more.
mud says
nice write-up!
i’m definitely looking forward to a good game!
Michael says
I haven’t found any info on whether or not we have signed our two first round picks. Can anyone fill me in?
ThomasF says
They still haven’t signed. Supposed to before the game starts, but the reason for the delay is unclear.
chris henderson says
is the game on TWC, is it 5:30PST?
thanks!
first time in a long time that I’m excited about watching a Lakers game.
Alex says
If Buyucks would be the ‘3rd’ PG, who is considered the 2nd, Lou Will? I’m still confused about that. A few sports writers saying emphatically, ‘He is a SG and was not brought on to play PG’, and then others alluding to him playing PG…?
Darius Soriano says
Alex,
Clarkson will be the 2nd PG. Even if he starts at SG, he’s likely to work as a PG when Russell is off the floor.
Oldtimer says
Today’s game will be an interesting one matching Towns vs Black/Upshaw; Wiggins vs. Randle; Jones/LaVine vs. Clarkson/Russell. I didn’t know that Andrein Payne was traded to Wolves.
I am interested on defense. This is the other 50% that rookies find challenging when they get to the NBA level. It separates the men from the boys.
david h says
darius: add to it to see who coach scott starts; his substitution pattern; his go to players at end of each quarter. overall, his involvement in today’s game.
planning on leavg
Brian P. says
david h,
I thought Mad Dog was coaching the summer league? no?
david h says
Brian P; there goes summer league…..
should be interesting either way.
Chris: game is slated for 5:30pm; pregame starts at 5:00 w/pregame festivities on twc.
Casual Fan says
Why have we signed the 2nd round pick already, but not the 1st round picks yet? Are there issues?
fern says
If I remember correctly, last year they signed Randle literally on his way to the 1st summer league game so I would not worry, they will be signed, don’t remember being so hyped for Summer League play ever, can’t watch the games though, i be back home by opening night in October. I sure going to be looking fwd. for highlights and analysis. Let’s see what thee kids can do!!
rr says
David Aldridge ?@daldridgetnt 3m3 minutes ago
The Nets and Deron Williams have reached a buyout agreement, per source.
Marc Stein ?@ESPNSteinLine 3m3 minutes ago
ESPN sources say Deron Williams is expected to sign a two-year deal with Dallas in the $10 million range once he hits the open market
Anonymous says
Pincus explains the order process in the signings…
“The Lakers gained $1.1 million in spending power by delaying the contracts of their two first-round picks.”
I don’t quite understand it, but know that business is getting done.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/lakers/lakersnow/la-sp-ln-roy-hibbert-waived-2-2-million-trade-bonus-20150710-story.html
Anonymous says
^^ never mind, I think I get it … I think that quote pertains to the salary cap increase, which enabled the FO to negotiate the deal for Hibbert before the cap increase, and when the cap increased, they then took care of their 1st rounders.
J C says
On my way to Thomas and Mack.
Craig – check your email.
Looking forward to Upshaw for some reason.
And definitely Russell.
Maybe the next Ginobili!
Go team.
KenOak says
Thanks for the write-up Darius and thanks for the heads-up for the free day of Summer league! I’ve had it off to the side all day as I’ve been working.
Nick says
Mudiay looking reaaaal good early
KenOak says
This is as excited as I’ve been about a pre-pre-season game in a looooong time.
Gene says
Black looks awesome…Nance has hops!!!….Russell can pass!!!
KenOak says
I’m betting that the ratings for this game will be better than half of all regular season games.
karen says
so far i like nance, black and clarkson. I predict russell will be a bust. Holding, holding, holding the ball. Minn’s la vine a perrenial allstar.
AusPhil says
Russell is nice. Passing is there. That draw and dish to Brown on the wing is something I hope to see at Staples for many seasons to come.
Black and Randle need more lift. Too ground-bound.
KenOak says
@karen “I predict russell will be a bust.”
lolwut? Russell is looking extremely good. So smooth and polished for a rookie. I’m getting super hyped for Russell/Clarkson backcourt. Will be a very fun year and Russell is going to get Hibbert and Kobe easy looks.
Oldtimer says
Looks good but lots of rookie jitters, F/T missed and TO’s sign of college stuff. Randle seemed to be not ready yet. It’s good Lakers have Clarkson and Black to repulse the Minny attack. Let’s see what happens in the 2nd half, defense, defense if your shots are not going in.
chibi says
Towns is like an athletic Boris Diaw.
Kbj says
I don’t like dwight buycks. He belongs in the d league.
chibi says
Upshaw revealing his power level!
AusPhil says
Buycks mediocre. Upshaw has enough potential assuming his head’s on right. Horrible D in the 4th, and not great initiating of the offense by anyone. But I saw enough from 5 or 6 guys to be pretty happy overall.
Makes you wish we’d somehow gotten Levine though!
Nick says
My thoughts on the game, for what it’s worth.
First I feel that the refs were blowing the whistle a little too frequently, which made the game choppy, and it looked like a lot of players on both sides had trouble getting some sort of a rhythm going. With that being said, here are some, unbiased, opinions of what I saw.
-Jordan Clarkson is electrifying. The athleticism, the change of pace, the confidence, absolutely outstanding. Is great out of the pick and roll as well. Just keep practicing the 3 ball, and you have the whole package.
-D’Angelo Russell. Let me start out by saying I believe in this guy, and think he can become a big time player for us. However, tonight was a bit of a mixed bag. At times the confidence, the creative passing, and the shot making was there. At others… Really looked like he took some bad shots, and got stuck in the air trying to make passes – all because a lack of athleticism. He really has to work on his explosiveness, change of pace, and strength. All that being said, fine first outing – and showed some craftiness on both ends.
– Randle looked rusty, but overall he looked athletic and aggressive. Needs to find his spots on offense, needs to work on the right hand, has to be more active on the glass. Will all come in due time.
– Black will play meaningful minutes for us at the 5. Love the effort, love the enthusiasm, got to hit your free throws haha.
– Nance is a very present surprise. I will admit that I was wrong on this one, this guy’s energy is contagious. Looking forward to seeing more of him. Loved seeing him challenge LaVine on that dunk.
– Anthony Brown, Mitchell, Buycks have simply got to make shots. Brown was better than the others, but still not overly impressive. At the end of the day if you are a shooter, you have to bury it when you are open.
– Upshaw was a little rusty and out of shape, but I loved what I saw. Going right at Towns, not hesitant at all. The defensive potential is there, but he will be a project. With that being said, he has a bright future ahead of him.
dxmanners says
Clarkson and Lavine, best players on the floor. KAT justified as #1 pick, better than I expected. A big man who can pass, and he’ll only get better.
Randle is very quick, a bit undersized, but pencil him in for 15 pts and 8+ boards a night. Nance is athletic, we need that. Didn’t see enough of Brown to form an opinion, Upshaw is worth signing as a backup, what a great situation for him to be in, backing up Hibbert.
Russell will be fine, he reminds me of a taller Kendall Marshall. I mean that in a good way..