The Los Angeles Lakers capped off a strong showing at the Las Vegas Summer League on Monday by topping the Portland Trail Blazers in the championship game.
This immediately created optimism surrounding the Lakers, with team president Magic Johnson going as far as stating that the franchise is back.
“When Rob and I took over when Jeanie Buss hired, we strive for excellence. We wanted to talk about doing things the right way. We wanted to talk about winning and building a winning tradition. And it started with these young men tonight. Winning the Summer League. Then it has to carry over to our summer workouts and into training camp, exhibition season and into next season. So the Lakers are back, we’re going to try to build and grow. We’re going to have a great year but also build toward having sustainability so we can have a lot of great years.”
Although it's a step in the right direction for the Lakers, this was still just the Summer League. The competition only featured rookies and other young players looking to make a strong impression to latch on with an NBA team.
That said, the fashion in which the Lakers played was quite encouraging, as each of their 2017 draft picks showed promise with their play on the court in limited action. This was led by Lonzo Ball putting on display his special passing ability that helped fuel him to the first Summer League MVP in franchise history.
Meanwhile, Kyle Kuzma, who earned the Summer League Final MVP behind a 30-point performance, had a strong showing with averages of 21.9 points, 51.4 percent shooting from the field, and a 48 percent clip from beyond the arc. Even Brandon Ingram scored 26 points in his one game of action, making it appear that he is primed for a huge season.
Los Angeles still has a long way to go, but things are certainly trending in the right direction.
Follow Us
Subscribe
