Los Angeles Lakers: 5 reasons to look forward to 2018-19 season

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 2: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers exchanges a high five with teammate Josh Hart #3 against the Denver Nuggets during a pre-season game on October 2, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /

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Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images /

4. Josh Hart as a legitimate force at shooting guard

This might be a bit premature, but all signs point to Josh Hart being at the precipice of the next phase of his career.

He surprised a lot of people by asking to play in every possible game in the Las Vegas Summer League and preseason. He emerged as the Summer League MVP, averaging 24.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the field. While the performance itself was impressive, the desire to get out there and put in the extra effort to push himself to be better spoke volumes to me.

He’s an often forgotten figure when people discuss the potential of our young roster, but I expect that to change this year. And even if I’m wrong here, the extra competition at the shooting guard spot should keep Kentavious Caldwell-Pope on his toes and encourage both of them to work for their minutes.

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