Los Angeles Lakers: Early Takeaways From Summer League

The Los Angeles Lakers have their young core on the court at the Las Vegas Summer League. Here are some takeaways from their first two games.

For the casual basketball fan, the NBA season ended in June and returns in early October. But for the dedicated NBA hoops aficionado, the new season is just beginning on courts in Orlando, Salt Lake City and now Las Vegas.

It’s the NBA Summer League, the three-week, three-location event that allows fans and team coaches and execs to get a first look at their rookies, see how much their second-year players have improved and scout potential prospects to add to their NBA or D-League rosters.

Like every year, the Los Angeles Lakers‘ summer league squad is participating in the Las Vegas run as the Casino City is somewhat of a second home for the purple and gold, who play a lot of their preseason games there.

However, the buzz around this year’s team is different as it’s the first incarnation of a Lakers team free of the daunting shadow that is the aura of Kobe Bryant, under the tutelage of Luke Walton and led by the young but talented duo of second year point guard D’Angelo Russell and rookie forward Brandon Ingram.

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Though fans have had a short sample size (undefeated through two games), there have been a lot of positive things to take away from this young Summer League team. Here are a few.

D’Angelo Russell Showing Signs Of Maturity, Leadership

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First things first: the star of the show for the Lakers — and maybe the Las Vegas Summer League as a whole so far — has been D’Angelo Russell.

After struggling in the Summer League his rookie year, Russell’s been the team’s go-to guy on offense and a consummate floor general through the first two contests this summer.

In the first game against Buddy Hield and the New Orleans Pelicans, Russell led the way with 20 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three steals as the team won in a 20-point rout.

While his all-around game was impressive in the first contest, it would be the second one that would have fans buzzing about the young point guard.

After a rough start to a game that saw the Lakers facing off against Russell’s high school teammate and 2016 first overall pick Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers, the youngster shouldered the load for the purple and gold, erupting for 17 of his 22 points in the second half and answering a go-ahead layup by T.J. McConnell by nailing a game-winning 3 with 1.8 seconds left.

While the ice in D-Loading’s veins are currently the talk of the town, what has equally impressed Lakers fans has been how well Russell has embraced a leadership role on this young team.

Throughout the first two games, Russell could be seen being very verbal on the court, talking to teammates one-on-one as well as urging the team to be sharper on the defensive end.

All of these things are great signs of Russell’s maturation and things you want to see from a player with the great responsibility of being the Lakers’ franchise point guard.

Russell had a tumultuous end to his rookie season but if his Summer League performance is any indication, he’s ready to lead this new Lakers team and silence the doubters in the 2016-17 season.

Brandon Ingram’s Good, But Still Has A Way To Go

Although Russell has since stolen the show, all eyes were initially on rookie forward Brandon Ingram at the start of the Las Vegas Summer League.

The rook impressed fans in his debut, scoring with relative ease and displaying the defensive capabilities that endeared him to scouts on his way to 12 points, four boards and two blocks.

Ingram’s calm and collected demeanor had fans feeling excited about how the youngster would fare in his rookie year.

Unfortunately, those same fans were brought right back down to earth as Ingram matched up with Simmons in the second game and struggled to get any kind of offensive traction against a Philly defense that threw more physicality at the 195-pound forward, holding him to seven points on 3-of-12 shooting from the field.

While Ingram has a lot of two-way potential and even showed confidence in his ability to score, Saturday’s game showed that the rook still has a way to go in adapting to the strength and quickness of the defenders he’ll have to face on the professional level.

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He’ll either have to work on getting more creative with his slashes to the basket or putting on more muscle to absorb the contact he’ll inevitably sustain in the lane.

Great first showing for the rook, but he’s not quite at savior level yet.

Larry Nance Jr. Developing Into Versatile Weapon

Second-year swingman Larry Nance Jr. quickly became a fan favorite in Hollywood for his continuous hustle and his jaw-dropping dunks.

So far this summer, it’s been more of the same — but not really.

In addition to his high-flying athleticism, Nance is putting his unique and advantageous offensive versatility on display in Las Vegas, averaging 12 points, 8.5 boards and two assists per contest on 8-of-17 shooting and 2-of-4 shooting from three point range.

He’s also arguably been their best defensive player, averaging four blocks and three steals a game.

If Nance continues to improve his all-around game on both ends of the floor, he could be the perfect player to fill a role similar to the one Draymond Green plays for the Golden State Warriors in Luke Walton’s scheme as a Swiss army Knife on offense and a defensive anchor on the other end of the floor.

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Although this Lakers team is young and in the first year of a rebuild following the end of the Kobe Bryant era, this Summer League team is already giving fans hope for a better 2016-17 season and a better future for the organization overall.