Los Angeles Lakers Summer League Notebook: Game 2 Reaction

A day after taking on the first overall pick in the draft, the Los Angeles Lakers were faced with having to stop the guy they passed on: No. 3 overall pick Jahlil Okafor of the Philadelphia 76ers.

The game wasn’t as epic as the premise suggests.

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In a case of just not being as bad as your opponent, the Lakers took home the victory 68-60. They “held” the 76ers summer league squad to 28.6 percent shooting from the field in the win.

Okafor dropped in 19 points to go with 11 rebounds for Philadelphia, while Jordan Clarkson led the Lakers with 19 points of his own.

For the Lakers, the win marked their first triumph of the summer session, raising their record to 1-1. Here are five takeaways from the second game of summer league action:

1. The Los Angeles Lakers offense looked like a steaming pile of garbage.

It’s summer league. We have all heard the disclaimer enough to understand that what we are watching supposedly is not basketball, but the Lakers really took that to heart in Saturday’s contest against the Philadelphia 76ers.

The offense looked stagnant quite often, which is puzzling considering the success that Jordan Clarkson had in the pick-and-roll game just a day prior. There was some success when Clarkson attacked, and D’Angelo Russell had a handful of exciting passes, but there was enough questionable action to make the offense frustrating to watch.

Whether it was allowing Tarik Black/Robert Upshaw to hold the ball at the top of the key for an extended period of time or mindless “execution” that led to shot-clock violations, something just seemed off about how the Lakers played this game offensively.

When it was all said and done, the Lakers shot 39.3 percent from the field, and finished with a horrific five assists to 18 total turnovers. Yikes.

2. D’Angelo Russell looked like … well, a rookie.

Russell’s final line does not look all that bad: 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block.

But the bad was overwhelming in this game. Russell was responsible for seven of the Lakers’ turnovers, went 4-for-15 from the field, and seemed to press a bit when things did not go his way.

The good part? There is nothing wrong with any of that.

Here is your first (of many throughout the next year) reminder that D’Angelo Russell is in the earliest stage of his professional basketball development. There will be plenty of turnovers and a heap of ill-advised shots as he tries to find his way early on.

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And, as fierce of a competitor as he seems to be, the pressing is to be expected; especially considering the competition (Jahlil Okafor) and the potential internal pressure for success.

It will be interesting to watch how he bounces back from a poor showing, starting with the “Summer Knicks” on Monday.

3. Larry Nance showed why he is an important part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ core.

Many fans were a disappointed when Nance’s name came up with the 27th selection in the NBA draft, but he may have changed a few minds in his first summer league start.

Starting at power forward for Julius Randle, the springy forward out of Wyoming was plus-20 in nearly 28 minutes of game action, tallying eight points, five rebounds, three steals, and two blocks on Jahlil Okafor.

Nance has some serious potential as an energy guy off-the-bench that can impact the game with crowd-pleasing plays. He seems to effect opposing rebounders simply because he can jump to the moon, and seems good for a highlight-reel rejection or dunk if given a bit of extended run.

Besides the nice steals/blocks production, Nance’s offensive rebounding was one of the more impressive things he showed on Saturday. He snagged three offensive boards, and one led to a put-back jam that had the crowd break out a chant for him.

Larry Nance is not going to be a star for the Los Angeles Lakers, but he’s an active big who can spark the team with a single play. That will be important as this core begins to grow together.

4. Anthony Brown showed flashes of becoming the “3-And-D” threat he was drafted to be.

There was not much to say about the 34th overall pick in the draft after his NBA debut on Friday, but Brown showed a little bit more against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Brown’s shooting stroke looks excellent, despite only hitting one three-pointer per game thus far. When he’s had the opportunity to get off a clean catch-and-shoot, Brown has looked confident in his shot, and there’s little doubt in my mind he will make a difference for the Lakers as an outside threat.

Room for concern was whether Anthony Brown could provide the Lakers with some much-needed defense. He looked to play that part in a sequence late in the game, where he locked in on the ball handler and refused to let up an inch of space. That came a quarter after an impressive block and recovery to start the break.

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If Anthony Brown is able to blossom into the “3-and-D” player he’s stated he wants to become, the Los Angeles Lakers will have gotten a steal in the second round in consecutive years.

5. Jordan Clarkson continues to look excellent, even if that is expected.

Summer league is a tough situation for second-year players. If they stink, most people will write them off. If they are awesome, the general reaction is “meh” because the level of competition is not remotely close to what an NBA preseason game even looks like.

So, it is definitely in Jordan Clarkson to do well this summer. He has obliged.

After putting up 23 points in the first game, Clarkson followed with a 19-point effort on Saturday. And, perhaps more importantly, he continues to look like the perfect attacking guard to pair with D’Angelo Russell in the backcourt.

Clarkson has continued to be decisive in the pick-and-roll, and he’s looked more confident in his jump shot. He has even been ultra-aggressive from three-point range (11 attempts in two games) even if he hasn’t shown his supposed improved effectiveness quite yet (three makes).

In two games of summer league action, Clarkson has been able to get to the rim almost at will. Clearly, it will be more difficult against proven NBA competition, but his explosion isn’t going anywhere. If Jordan Clarkson stays aggressive when the seasons arrives, the Lakers (and D’Angelo Russell) should reap the benefits — improved three-pointer or not.

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