Los Angeles Lakers: 5 takeaways from Las Vegas Summer League

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 17: Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to a reporter after the Lakers beat the Portland Trailblazers during the 2017 Summer League Finals on July 17, 2017 at the Thomas
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 17: Magic Johnson of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to a reporter after the Lakers beat the Portland Trailblazers during the 2017 Summer League Finals on July 17, 2017 at the Thomas
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Los Angeles Lakers: 5 takeaways from Las Vegas Summer League
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 17: Lonzo Ball #2 of the Los Angeles Lakers receives the MGM Resorts NBA Summer League MVP Award before the game against the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2017 Summer League Finals on July 17, 2017 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)

Lonzo Ball Dominates

The Lonzo Ball era officially got underway in Las Vegas and started off about as poorly as it possibly could. Ball struggled out of the gate, shooting 2-of-15, and 1-of-11 from deep, in his first game. Whatever the reason may be for the poor performance, Ball made sure that was an aberration, not a trend.

Ball was far and away the best player in the Summer League after that first performance. Ball would play in five more games and absolutely dominate. He recorded two triple-doubles in those games and had four games of double-digit assists; the most of anyone in Las Vegas Summer League history.

Despite the debut dud, Ball had some very impressive stats. While his shooting percentage wasn’t great, as he made 38.2 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from deep. But, digging deeper into those percentages, he actually shot 51.1 percent inside the three-point line, which is strong for a guard.

All in all, Ball averaged 16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists, 2.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 32.5 minutes per game. Ball took home MVP honors and was named to All-Tournament first team as well.

It was an excellent debut for Ball overall. His playmaking skills were on full display as he made a number of dazzling passes. There are a lot of people excited to see what he can do with NBA players on the receiving end of those passes as he made it look easy at times in the Summer League.