The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night in NBA Summer League action. While it has not been as eventful for the Lake Show as in previous years, there is still a lot to take away from this Summer League.
Max Christie has proven that he deserves more minutes in the rotation while rookies like Jalen Hood-Schifino have shown that some development needs to happen. It has been a nice taste of Lakers basketball as fans get ready for a highly-anticipated 2023-24 season.
Despite the roster being loaded with talent, the Lakers still have two more roster spots up for grabs as well as two-way contracts to give out. Summer League is more about earning a roster spot than team success and there are certain players on the Lakers that could really help their chances with a strong game against Boston.
Cole Swider could earn a Lakers roster spot vs Celtics
Cole Swider has become the forgotten-about young player for the Lakers. Swider took the Summer League by storm in 2022 and signed a two-way contract with the Lakers and spent most of his time with the South Bay Lakers.
Swider played pretty well in the G League and definitely proved that there is something there and he can be an NBA rotation guy. However, with the Lakers struggling to even get into playoff position during the regular season, he did not get much of a chance.
There is a lot of talk right now about the team adding a stretch five and while Swider is not a center, he could give the team shooting in the front-court, which could help accomplish the same thing.
Swider is a bit one-dimensional and he has not been all that great thus far in Las Vegas. However, a strong showing against the Celtics followed by another strong game against Memphis to close out play could give him a leg up.