Here are five takeaways from the Los Angeles Lakers performance in the Las Vegas Summer League.
The Los Angeles Lakers came into the Las Vegas Summer League with high aspirations; they wanted to win the championship. The Lakers came into the Summer League with a very talented roster, and sportsbooks were high on their chances as well. Los Angeles was co-favorites along with the Phoenix Suns to bring home the title.
Things did not get off to a great start for the Lakers. They would lose their first two games despite building early leads. Injuries also threw the Lakers off, as Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and P.J. Dozier all missed games. Despite the slow start, the Lakers would soon enough get on track.
Oddly enough, the Lakers winning began without Ball in the lineup. The Lakers picked up their first win of the summer against the Sacramento Kings in the third game with Ball sitting out with a sore groin. Los Angeles wouldn’t lose the remainder of the summer, as they won in the play-in round of the playoffs and never looked back.
The sportsbooks were right, as the Lakers eventually picked things up and won the championship. They went 2-0 in the games without Ball, which showed just how deep and talented this roster truly was. Even without their presumed best players in Ball and Ingram missing multiple games, the Lakers still played well.
While there were some difficulties in winning the championship, the Lakers, for the most part, lived up to the expectations. There were some breakout performances along the way to help pick up the slack because of injuries.
Here are five takeaways from the Lakers performance at the Las Vegas Summer League this year.