Los Angeles Lakers: Zach Norvell Jr. will prove his worth soon
The Los Angeles Lakers nabbed Zach Norvell Jr. after he was not selected during the 2019 NBA Draft and he will soon prove his worth after a strong preseason.
The Los Angeles Lakers had a busy offseason, but a quiet draft night. The team went into the 2019 Draft without a draft pick and traded for the 46th pick, where they picked Talen Horton-Tucker. As soon as the draft concluded the Lakers signed Zach Norvell to a two-way contract.
Many west coast basketball fans were probably familiar with the sharpshooter from Gonzaga. With the Bulldogs, he averaged 14.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists as a redshirt sophomore. He shot 37% from 3-point range and an impressive 87% from the charity stripe.
A quiet NCAA tourney in which he averaged 11.5 points in four games didn’t help his stock. Not only did he have a less impactful tourney than most imagined, but he also isn’t a player who will catch your attention at a combine. He isn’t a high-flyer or a versatile player.
What he is, is a 6″5 shooter with a high IQ and toughness. As a sophomore, he averaged only 1.4 turnovers despite playing just over 30 minutes a night.
It’s not a surprise that Norvell is here on the Lakers. As a senior coming out of Simeon Career Academy in Chicago he ranked 76th on the ESPN 100 recruiting list.
In the preseason he shined and looked like a rotational NBA player some nights. To end the preseason Norvell made his splash against the Warriors in two meetings.
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On Oct. 14, he went for 22 points on 3-of-8 from 3-point range. Four days later he went for 29 points on an impressive 5-of-10 from deep.
What made his two games impressive is that he didn’t rely on his 3-point shooting. In both games, he made plays off the bounce and went to the free-throw line. In the two games combined, he went 15-of-17 free-throws.
At this stage, Zach Norvell won’t get minutes unless players go down with injuries or struggle mightily. However, getting reps in the G League and with members on the Lakers in practice will only better him.
Don’t be surprised if Norvell gets some minutes down the line when guys like Anthony Davis or LeBron James have rest days. He is a player who will be ready to contribute.
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His role can be similar to that of Troy Daniels who has a quick trigger as shown in the first few games. The Lakers have lacked shooting the last few years, that won’t be an issue as the season progresses.