Here are five Los Angeles Lakers players to keep an eye on once they get underway in summer league.
The Los Angeles Lakers will be looking to defend their championship in the Las Vegas Summer League. However, before they get to Las Vegas, they will be participating in the new California Classic.
The Lakers will be playing along with the Sacramento Kings, Golden State Warriors and Miami Heat in California. The games will be played over a four-day stretch at the Golden 1 Center, home of the Kings. It will be a round-robin style tournament, as each team will face each other once. Action starts July 2nd and will last until July 5th before the teams head to Las Vegas.
Summer League is the first chance for fans to get to see younger players in action. Summer league play has garnered a lot more attention in recent years as the leagues are getting very popular. All 30 NBA teams will be participating in Las Vegas this year in addition to the Utah Summer League and California Classic.
The Lakers do not have as highly touted players as last year when everyone wanted to see Lonzo Ball on the court. However, the Lakers do have some recognizable names and should be competitive once again in the summer league.
Miles Simon will be taking over as head coach for Jud Buechler, who joined David Fizdale’s staff with the New York Knicks.
There will be some holdovers from last year’s team, but for the most part, this is a new squad that will be participating. Here are five players to watch for during summer league competition.