The 2016-17 NBA season is all but over for the Los Angeles Lakers. Only five games remain for the purple and gold with the storied franchise set to take on the playoff-bound San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center.
Even though there’s still a few games left this season for the Lakers, rookies Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac are already looking toward the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Both players’ confidence level is high as they’ve shown what they can do over the course of their first season in Los Angeles.
As for Summer League, Ingram and Zubac believe they will be a dynamic duo to watch. Zubac believes he will dominate in Vegas come July, via Mark Medina of the L.A. Daily News:
“Last summer league was easy for me,” Zubac said. “I think I’m going to do just fine. There’s a lot of experience. I think next summer league I’m going to dominate.”
Unfortunately for Zubac, he won’t play another game during his rookie campaign. The 20-year-old went down with a high ankle sprain last week against the Minnesota Timberwolves and has since been ruled out of the rest of the season.
Despite the injury, Zubac will have plenty of time to get his body right before playing in the Summer League for the second time. Ingram, who is currently dealing with knee tendinitis, will also be able to get ample rest and treatment before getting back on the floor in July.
Ingram aims to put his improved overall skill set on display in Summer League, via Medina:
“This summer league will be a lot easier,” Ingram said. “I want to show a big jump in how my game progressed over the year. It’s another big jump this offseason. I’ll try to go in and show a little bit of what’s going to happen next season.”
Along with Zubac and Ingram returning for a second straight year, the Lakers may also be able to debut of a couple of rookies in July. Los Angeles is hoping to be able to hold onto their first-round draft pick with a favorable result in the upcoming NBA Draft Lottery on May 16.
The 2017 NBA Draft takes place on June 22. The NBA Summer League will get underway a few weeks later on July 7 and games will be played through July 17.
