The Los Angeles Lakers have inked Roscoe Smith, one of their own Summer League players, bringing him in on a training camp invite, according to Sportsnet New York.
"Former UNLV/UConn F Roscoe Smith has accepted an invite to Lakers’ camp, source tells @SNYtv– Adam Zagoria"
Smith played in all five of the Lakers summer league games, averaging 5.0 points per game in just 12.8 minutes of action each night. The 6’8″ forward went undrafted, but latched on with the Lakers during the summer.
While he likely won’t get a shot at the Lakers NBA roster, he is a big body to bang around during camp against newcomer Julius Randle and veterans like Jordan Hill, Carlos Boozer, and Ed Davis. He also could be kept on the Lakers D-League affiliate, giving him a chance to further progress his skills.
In college, Smith was a double-double machine, averaging 11.1 points and 10.9 rebounds, He had multiple 20-rebound games and only had 12 games where he DIDN’T reach double figures in rebounds. His 16 double-doubles are what made him an intriguing prospect, and he could mature into something given time to develop in the D-League.
Early Tuesday, the Lakers also signed Keith Appling to a training camp deal. Appling and Smith will likely be in the same boat in terms of expectations making the team. However, the Lakers are looking at young players to take a risk on, an encouraging sign.