Lake Show Life
Fansided

Los Angeles Lakers: Thomas Bryant has impressive game in Summer League debut

By Asha Doucet

BLOOMINGTON, IN - FEBRUARY 01: Thomas Bryant #31 and Josh Newkirk #2 of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrate in the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Assembly Hall on February 1, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - FEBRUARY 01: Thomas Bryant #31 and Josh Newkirk #2 of the Indiana Hoosiers celebrate in the game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Assembly Hall on February 1, 2017 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped their first Summer League game to the Los Angeles Clippers but rookie Thomas Bryant stepped up and gave fans something to cheer about.

One of the Los Angeles Lakers’ rookies played an impressive game in their first outing as a pro but it wasn’t Lonzo Ball. L.A.’s No.42 pick of the draft, center Thomas Bryant, came off the bench and had the best game of any Laker not named Brandon Ingram.

With his first shot of the game, Bryant showed his range and hit from three. He ended the night with 13 points and five rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting. But it wasn’t Bryant’s stat line that was so impressive. It was his hustle, creation of second-chance opportunities and his overall impact on the game that was clear because he had the highest plus minus percentage of any Laker.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/883495800185143296

More from Lake Show Life

Bryant came in and was effective immediately at bringing energy and was the most active player on the court. When he was in the floor everyone knew it. Even when he wasn’t making a play, Bryant was pumped up and showed enthusiasm for his teammate’s production.

Effort was the name of the game for the rookie in his debut as a Laker and the effort he gave showed as he even outplayed second-year center Ivica Zubac, one of L.A.’s young promising players. Bryant certainly surpassed expectations of a No. 42 pick and gave Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka something to smile about.

Related Story: 4 Lakers to watch in Summer League

Bryant shares a last name with a Laker great, so naturally he’d be impressive. He was so good it made you wonder why he didn’t get more minutes down the stretch. But when he was on the floor he made his presence known. If he continues to put forth the effort like he did against the Clippers he may give Zubac a run for his money as the backup center to Brook Lopez

Home/Lakers News