The Los Angeles Lakers are the co-favorites to take home the Las Vegas Summer League title.
There has been a lot of talk surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers this offseason. The new front office duo of Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka have revitalized the organization from top to bottom. In their first offseason at the helm, the results have been good.
The Lakers did very well in the 2017 NBA Draft. They made four selections overall and two trades. The first trade came before the draft, as they send D’Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for Brook Lopez and the 27th pick. In the draft, they traded the 28th pick to the Utah Jazz for the 20th and 42nd.
The Lakers added plenty of talent with those four selections. With the No. 2 pick, the Lakers selected UCLA star point guard, Lonzo Ball. With the 27th pick, Utah power forward Kyle Kuzma was the selection. With the selections acquired from the Jazz, the Lakers picked Villanova shooting guard, Josh Hart, and Indiana center, Thomas Bryant.
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The Lakers have been very quiet in free agency thus far, as they are setting their sights on the loaded 2018 free agent class. They have some holes that they still need to fill, specifically at shooting guard. Whomever the Lakers decide to sign, you can be sure that they will help either defensively or knock down three-pointers, arguably the two biggest needs for the team.
While the future is promising for the Lakers, they are still a few years away from being contenders in the NBA. But, their young collection of talent will be on display in the Las Vegas Summer League.
The Lakers Summer League team is absolutely loaded. In addition to this year’s draft class, the Lakers will have Brandon Ingram, Ivica Zubac, and David Nwaba playing from last season’s team. Reigning NBA Gatorade League MVP, Vander Blue, will also be on the squad. Two solid undrafted free agents, P.J. Dozier and Matt Thomas, will also be in Las Vegas along with some G-League players; Alec Brown, Alex Caruso, Travis Wear, and Gabe York.
There are some impressive players going to Las Vegas for the Lakers. They have put together such an impressive roster that they are actually the favorites to win the Summer League Championship.
Westgate Las Vegas Superbook Manager Jeff Sherman released some of the odds for teams to win in Las Vegas and the Lakers will head in as co-favorites with the Phoenix Suns.
There will be 24 teams participating in the Las Vegas Summer League this year. We will see a ton of young talent on display, some getting their first taste of the NBA. The Lakers will be bringing a strong combination of rookies, G-League veterans, and youngsters looking to make their way into the NBA.
Next: Lakers 2017 Summer League Roster Breakdown
Based on what the Lakers are looking for on their NBA team, anyone that shows they can make three-pointers and play some defense could garner some attention. The Lakers have 13 players currently on the roster, so they have some spots open. Invites to training camp will also be on the line, so the summer league will be fun to watch as players fight for a chance at the NBA roster.