The Los Angeles Lakers were given their first glimpse at some roster hopefuls on Saturday night in their Summer League debut against the Golden State Warriors. Their start to the California Classic was a disappointing one in the win-loss column, dropping the contest 89-84 to the Warriors.
Luckily for the Lakers, winning and losing is not the core focus of the Summer League. No one hangs banners in the rafters for what they did at these events.
Summer League is all about player scouting and development. It is this stage where teams will hope to find a diamond in the rough making a case for a roster spot, or a young player rewarding the high investment the team has recently put into them.
The Lakers did get a little bit of that in their first performance. There was some good, some bad, and even some ugly.
Stud: DJ Steward
DJ Steward went undrafted in the 2021 NBA Draft after a solid one-and-done season with the Duke Blue Devils in the NCAA. The 23-year-old has spent time hovering around in the NBA G League since.
Steward delivered 20 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the field, six assists, and one steal in the loss to the Warriors. The Lakers guard was one of only two players on the team to crack 20-plus points in the game.
One of the key knocks on Steward around the time of his draft was his lack of playmaking chops. The four turnovers in this game were a little discouraging, but the team lead in assists was not. The progression of Steward as a lead guard will be a key focal point of assessing his worth.
Dud: Dalton Knecht
Dalton Knecht did not do himself a lot of favors in terms of showcasing to the Lakers why he should not be traded. The 2024-25 rookie struggled in the Summer League opener.
Knecht finished the game shooting 3-of-13 from the field and 0-of-6 from beyond the arc. The Lakers wing had the worst plus/minus (-13) of anyone on the team. This certainly was not the best reflection of the work JJ Redick has been putting in with Knecht lately.
Stud: Cole Swider
Cole Swider has stuck around on the fringes of NBA rosters during the past few seasons. This was an encouraging game for the Lakers forward in terms of making a case to do that once more in 2025-26.
Swider led the Lakers in scoring, dropping 24 points while shooting 7-of-10 from the field and 6-of-8 from distance. The three-year NBA pro also had the highest plus/minus, with +4, to go with his team-high eight rebounds.
Dud: Trey Jemison III
Trey Jemison III enjoyed time as a part of the Lakers rotation last season due to the glaring hole at center in 2024-25. The two-way big man did not look like he had much interest in having those responsibilities once more.
Jemison was held scoreless in this one, not even attempting a field goal during the game. The two blocks in 20 minutes of action do look good, but the three fouls made him inconsistent in that department too. The DeAndre Ayton signing is starting to look a whole lot better after this.