The Los Angeles Lakers and guard Vander Blue have reportedly agreed on a two-way contract for him to remain with the team.
One of the big takeaways for the Los Angeles Lakers in the Las Vegas Summer League was the impressive play of guard Vander Blue. As mostly a G-League player, Blue made a name for himself there as a great scorer and the league MVP.
The success of the G-League has given players a chance to grow with teams rather than having to play overseas. Blue is one of the more recent players that has taken advantage of the G-League in order to help him achieve success in the NBA.
According to Shams Charania, the Lakers and Blue have agreed on a two-way contract that will allow him to play in both the NBA and the G-League this coming season.
Sources: The Lakers and guard Vander Blue have agreed on a two-way NBA contract. Blue was released out of camp but staying in L.A.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 18, 2017
This is certainly well-deserved for Blue, who was the star for the South Bay Lakers last season. In his MVP season, Blue averaged 24.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. Blue is a true combo guard with excellent scoring ability, and in Las Vegas, he showed an ability to run the offense better than expected.
Blue will be joining Alex Caruso as the other player to receive a two-way contract from the Lakers. Both players did extremely well in Las Vegas, and their Summer League performances certainly helped earn them these deals.
As of now, the Lakers’ backcourt is actually a bit banged up. Josh Hart is currently dealing with an achillies injury and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope suffered a broken nose at practice. Since the Lakers will be short-handed in their backcourt on Thursday against Los Angeles Clippers, we might see one of them active for the game.
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For Blue, it is great to see his hard work in the G-League pay off for him. He is certainly an exciting young player to watch, and also is a player that continues to get better. This is certainly the next step in the right direction for him in the NBA.