Lakers Summer League Preview: The Season Starts Now

The Lakers are about to start their Summer League schedule on Friday night. Historically, very little attention has been paid to these games which are often described as meaningless since they feature mostly rookies many of whom went undrafted. This year, however, the stakes are higher for the Lakers as they prepare to rebound from the worst season in franchise history. Their squad will feature not only rookies D’Angelo Russell, Larry Nance, Jr., Anthony Brown, and Robert Upshaw (undrafted but much heralded), but second year players Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Tarek Black, and Jabari Brown. What makes these games unusual and important is that these eight players could end up comprising two-thirds of the Lakers’ roster when the season starts this fall. If this is the case, the team’s future will depend on some of these players emerging as stars. It is an intriguing group that has many Laker fans excited.

It is never too early to start developing on and off-court chemistry as well as experimenting with different line ups to see how the pieces best fit together. These men are all 23 years old or younger. The hope is that they can connect, form a tight-knit unit, and jell into a cohesive unit that will create continuity and success for the franchise for many years to come. Will they evolve as Golden State’s young nucleus did (Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, and Draymond Green), or will they become the Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers, teams which perennially have top draft choices but it never translates into winning.

An important goal is that the players emerge from these games healthy. The team has been strangely decimated by injuries the past three seasons for no obvious reason. That factor played a significant part in explaining the Lakers’ terrible records. Already Jabari Brown suffered an eye injury and is expected to miss at least the first two summer league games. In particular, the focus will be on Randle, who appears to have immense talent but must prove he can avoid injury. Virtually all of the names mentioned above are being counted on to play a vital role when the season begins. The team cannot afford to lose any of them to a serious injury with less than three months to go before training camp starts.

One of the biggest intrigues of the summer will be to see the progression of sophomores Clarkson, Black, and Jabari Brown. Clarkson appeared to be a very popular, emerging star last year but his presence has been slightly overshadowed by the return of Randle and the arrival of Russell. Some pundits continue to question if he is a long-term option. In my opinion, these critics are sadly mistaken. Clarkson works incredibly hard and is one of those players whose games will keep improving. The same can be said of Black, an energetic, enthusiastic front court player who is undersized but has a big heart. Likewise, Brown will be counted on to provide the team with the consistent outside shooting they lacked last season.

Then there is Upshaw. Much has been written about his past travails as well as his enormous upside potential. Suffice it to say Laker fans are extremely excited to see if he is the real deal. He looks the part in person and on tape, but he has not played competitively in months and is not in the best physical condition by his own admission. He has been given a major opportunity this summer as he is the only true center on the Lakers’ squad for these games (unless you count Black, who can play center but whose size makes him more of a natural power forward). The Lakers passed on Jahlil Okafor which was a risk, but management immediately seized on Upshaw. The hope is that he will become a dominant shot-blocking force in the middle who will mature alongside Russell, Randle, Clarkson, and the others. If this were to happen, the Lakers could make the playoffs and become a contender much sooner than anticipated.

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The two other rookies, Brown and Nance, should also be interesting to watch. Brown would appear to be in an ideal position as he is currently the only small forward on the entire team – and the roster for the fall, at the moment, appears to be full. The Lakers just signed him to a reported multi-year deal, which they do not do every year with second round selections. Nance is an energy guy whom we are told can jump out of the gym. There is some resemblance to Blake Griffin in the way he plays. In the past, late first round and second round draftees did not garner much attention and were not counted on for much. There is a sense, however, that the Lakers view Nance and Brown differently and that both will be asked to make strong immediate contributions.

The Summer League lasts only four games but make no mistake about it, for the Lakers the 2015-16 season starts now. We will have an opportunity to watch promising young players who are being counted on to fuel the team’s return to prominence and keep it at that level for years to come. Much of the Lakers’ resurgence will depend on how the players on the Summer League squad develop and how fast they do it. Whether they will meet the lofty expectations directed their way remains to be seen. The opportunity to make a good first impression starts Friday night.