The 2014-15 Los Angeles Lakers were terrible. There’s no way to sugar coat it, their play was depressing last season. Now, with the addition of D’Angelo Russell and the return of Julius Randle, fans are excited once again.
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The Lakers won’t start the season until late October, but you can see their promising young players in Las Vegas as they compete in the Summer League. The Lakers will take a talented group of players that should compete for the title.
The Lakers also added Robert Upshaw and Brandon Ashley to the Summer League squad after the draft, but one of them had a change of heart. According to Shams Charania of Real GM, Ashley has decided to play for the Atlanta Hawks instead of the purple and gold.
Arizona's undrafted Brandon Ashley has changed course from the Los Angeles Lakers' summer league, going to the Atlanta Hawks.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 27, 2015
Before you head to Twitter to criticize the young man, Ashley had good reason to leave. Jordan Clarkson, Tarik Black and Jabari Brown will join Russell and Randle in Las Vegas, which means the rest of players on the team will have a hard time getting some playing time.
Ashley needs the playing time to hopefully land on an NBA roster when the season opens. Scouts from all over the world will be in the desert, including the NBA, so Ashley went to a team that could give him a better opportunity. Best of luck young man.