How the Lakers Can Salvage Their Summer League Experience

Summer League or not, after Monday night’s horrific performance it would be easy for even the most die-hard Laker fans to panic. If we thought the team looked disorganized and played poorly in the first two games, it was nothing compared to the awful display they put on in game three. When was the last time a Summer League team was booed? Last week we could not wait for the games to begin. The stands were overflowing with fans hoping to see a glimpse of the Lakers’ bright future, one in which energetic young players with enormous talent would dominate and in so doing offer us hope that the team could contend for a playoff spot as early as next season. Four days later it all seems like a bad dream.

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The point of this article is not to dwell on the negative, however, since I’ve decided not to give up or abandon ship, we should focus on what the Lakers can do to salvage their Summer League experience. I have no brilliant insights to offer, but here are a couple of thoughts. Entering the Summer League the team seemed cocky, as though their roster was so much better than anyone else’s that we should expect a sweep. In fact, the Lakers have no right to be cocky about anything, or take anything for granted, after their failures the past three seasons. They need to stop swinging for the fences, even in Summer League, and focus on showing steady, modest improvement. There is still time to take baby steps over the final two games so in the end there is something positive they can take away from the experience.

There is nothing that can be done about a lack of talent if that proves to be the issue once we get to know these players better. However, for now, part of the problem is that these men have never played together – they play as though they had never even met before — so they are out of sync with one another. Win or lose, and regardless of how they look doing it, the coaches need to focus on the players they expect to be around in the fall and give them as much experience playing together as possible in their final game.  They should start D’Angelo Russell, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Anthony Brown, and Robert Upshaw.  They should play with this lineup as much as possible, no matter how they do, and let them get to know each other. I put Upshaw with this group because he needs the work and we need a chance to see him under game conditions to measure his upside. I like Tarik Black, but we already know what we will get from him and besides, he is not big enough to play center effectively without fouling. Upshaw played a total of six minutes against the Knicks, which was foolish.

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When these starters need relief, Black can spell Upshaw, Larry Nance, Jr. can spell Randle, and Brown can spell the two guards. But again, the starters need to play together as long as possible since that is the best way they will learn each other’s tendencies. The oldest player is 23, so they should not get tired. The rest of the men on the roster should not play at all. It is a waste of time and the Lakers cannot afford to squander a second of what precious time they have left to play together this summer.

Further – and I know this will be controversial – for rest of the Summer League the focus needs to be on offense, not defense. The Lakers have been preaching defense the past year, and they are doing so even now, but the name of the game is to outscore the other side and in the games so far the offense has been absolutely terrible. There has been no penetration and no open outside shots, because the offense is taking too long to set up so the perimeter players are forced to go one-on-one before taking an awkward shot. They must be told over and over to keep their spacing and pass the ball, and they should work off the big center Upshaw — who should be in the paint and not at the top of the key where he has been playing — instead of simply dancing around on the perimeter using up the entire shot clock.

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The flaws have been exposed and are too serious for us to think the roster will suddenly wake up and dominate the next game or two and make us all feel better. Time will tell whether the front office misjudged the talent level or whether these players are just young and need time to develop. I prefer to be optimistic and think it is the latter.

With that in mind, the next game should be used to further that development. The team needs to take small steps. That means showing some stability and improvement so some measure of respect and confidence is regained. Hopefully, two or three of the players will show a spark, something we can rally around when training camp opens. The Lakers cannot afford to repeat what we have seen so far. Yes, it is only Summer League, but it has been so unexpectedly embarrassing and so awful that no matter how everyone will try to shrug it off, the team will enter training camp with a cloud over its head. A sense of desperation may envelop the franchise which will only add further pressure on the young players.