In this Summer League tournament, the Lakers were seeded 11th and drew the Dallas Mavericks. They, however, lost a close one, 88-86 after the unstoppable Jeremy Tyler (25 points off 11/15 shooting and 11 rebounds) tipped in the game-winner with 1.4 seconds left.
The Lakers looked much better offensively out of the gate but they still had a bad defensive start as the Mavericks seemed to score at will inside and from three. L.A. came back strong in the second half but D’Angelo Russell had a late turnover with 23 seconds left when they had a chance to take the lead. That led to the Tyler tip-in. The Lakers couldn’t get a shot off in the last possession and the Mavs took the duke.
Head coach Mark Madsen took responsibility for the last play and the loss. He complimented Julius Randle’s play, who easily had his best game in Summer League. Madsen thought the team played overall but kept emphasizing that the loss was on the coaching staff overall. Madsen pointed out that D’Angelo Russell played relaxed in that game.
Randle, who finished with 17 points (6/11 shooting), is still not pleased over his 20-minute cap but he knows he has to keep it in perspective. He was trying to “create for others and then for himself.” He felt he played much better because he “slowed down” against the Mavs. I asked if there was a concerted effort to get him off to a good start as he made his first four shots early and he answered that he was just taking what was given to him.
Jordan Clarkson ended with 17 points and had his third good game in Summer League. I had mentioned that Clarkson probably shouldn’t play in Summer League but he is because he would rather play than “sit on the couch and watch the games at home.” And as we suspected, he wants to get the chemistry going with Russell, Randle, and the rest of the guys. He knows that they have to turn this around real soon.
Russell ended with an 8-6-5 line. While he didn’t shoot well again (3 for 11), he did end with only three turnovers (though the last one was costly). Like Madsen said, he looked much more relaxed in this contest. His passes were looking great as his teammates were starting to catch the balls. D’Angelo likes the balance of he and Clarkson sharing the ballhandling duties off the break. He doesn’t seem to care all that much about the expectations of being the #2 pick; he cares more about winning and not letting the “whole Laker nation down.” Russell understands how huge that fan base is.
I like that Randle continues to get to his spots easily; he is such a bull. This time around, he’s finishing and that quick start definitely gave him some confidence. Randle is a rhythm player and he got it going in that game even though he is still on that minute cap. Clarkson had a big third quarter as he scored nine of his 17 points there. He continues to be fearless driving the ball and taking the midrange. Russell has talked about getting better defensively but he’s still getting caught ball-watching as he was getting beat on the backdoor. And Jabari Brown did his part with his 19 points. And as he mentioned postgame, shooters shoot. Yup. Shoot your shot, Jabari.
The Lakers will play one more game tomorrow. In terms of Summer League championship, they can’t win it anymore with the loss. But in the long run, it’s good to see these guys get one more run and continue to build on their chemistry. It is a process and it’s going to be a long one. We all have to be patient. Just remember that we’re still only in the month of July and we all have to slow down on calling these players busts or the greatest thing since Kobe Bryant.
Todd says
Bill Oram ?@billoram
Jordan Clarkson told me he is planning on future workouts with Steve Nash. He believes D’Angelo Russell will be included as well.
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I wonder if Nash might get into coaching? I am not high on our FO at all. However, it’s a good sign that they are leveraging some of their unique resources and advantages.
If Kareem is feeling well enough, I’d like to see him work with Upshaw. I always felt bad for Kareem, because I heard stories that Bynum was not an attentive student and was the one that asked the FO to stop the training sessions with KAJ.
Keno says
After the last 2 years it’s very hard to have patience.
Reminds of being 10 and waiting to open my present Christmas morning thinking it was the new Micky Mantle baseball glove I waited for all year. Turned out to be a new winter jacket.
Just like we need patience with Russell I probably needed a jacket more but waited all year for that glove. Never was a patient person.
Turned out it was a very cold winter in Jersey and the jacket saved me. In spring I made 3 errors with glove I finally got for my birthday in the little league first game.
Moral of the story? Good things happen to those that wait and I am a goof and never grew up.
Here’s hoping Jacket Russell Works out!
Calvin says
Hindi, Tankyou – Nothing wrong with a taller Kendall Marshall. Marshall did have a strange set-shot form, but he’s around 37% from 3pt range which is good. Russ Westbrook shoots about 33%, although Russ can create his own shot in clutch situations because he can get separation with his speed and elevate to shoot over defense. But Marshall has elite vision and passing. I was amazed at how Marshall became an assist factory under MDA. His passes were precise – pocket passes, lobs, bounce – he was delivering the ball exactly where the receiver needs it.
Calvin says
Tankyou – Marshall is a good player. Westbrook, Harden, CP3 are superstars. The difference between a good player and superstar is how they play in clutch situations and playoffs. In the last 4 minutes of the game – closing time – a superstar can make plays on offense. He inspires fear. Whereas a solid player can get locked down by good defense. My disappointment is that Mudiay is showing signs that he can be a superstar, while Russell seems more like a good player. I hope Russell proves me wrong. But Mudiay has looked very impressive.
Kbj says
Keno is right. I came into Summer League with the expectation that Russell would be able to play well against d leaguers and rookies. Basically, I expected him to play like Mudiay has. To my surprise, Russell has been struggling mightily. It really makes me question how Mitch came to the conclusion that Russell was the best player and not Okafor at pick number 2.
I’m going to try to have patience, but I can see why people may be frustrated with the slow progress of Russell. If he busts, it will be a major setback and it will add a couple years to the recovery time.
Craig W. says
Up front we all knew that Oakfor was more NBA ready (would show more promise early) and Mudiay had the advantage of playing in a reasonably good professional league (where his practice and work time were not monitored by the NCAA). Additionally, Mudiay is the more athletic and this characteristic shows particularly well in summer league.
This doesn’t mean these players won’t be better than Russell, but it does mean we can’t know that yet.
Anonymous says
People have been comparing Russell to players like Curry but I think he resembles more of Steve Nash’s game during his MVP years.. Which wouldn’t be a bad thing at all. Good ball handler great passer deadly shooter from deep and free throws but suspect on D.. But the the one advantage he does have is his height and length? Can’t go wrong with that.. Just needs to cut his turnovers down which will come with patience and court time!!
Corey says
Id like to see the list of players people think killed it the second they stepped in the league. Kobe, tmac, curry, stockton, nash, dirk, kg, and many others struggled early. Calm down, these guys were in high school a little over 12 months ago. He’ll look better in training camp and even better by February.
We new to this though. Hasnt been since kobe and fish that weve had a chance to watch kids grow.