The 2017 Las Vegas Summer League turned into a coming out party for the young Los Angeles Lakers. Although all eyes were focused on Lonzo Ball, teammates Kyle Kuzma, Matt Thomas and Alex Caruso each had coming out parties to establish their talents.
Kuzma was appropriately named the Finals MVP during their clash with the Portland Trail Blazers, while Caruso showed that he could also handle the play-making abilities by finding a balance between scoring and dishing out assists. On the other hand, Thomas showed off his deadly shooting skills, a highly sought out commodity in today’s NBA.
Thomas dropped 23 points in the championship game, shooting 8-for-9 from the field and 5-for-5 from beyond the arc. His consistent shooting helped space out the floor for the Lakers, making quite the case for a possible training camp invite. However, it seems as though Thomas has accepted an offer to play overseas in the Spanish ACB League, via Sportando.com:
Spanish side Obradoiro has officially announced the signing of American rookie Matt Thomas to a one-year deal. Thomas averaged 12.3 points per game in his final year at Iowa State.
After a primed tenure at Iowa State and impressive display with the Lakers, Thomas earned a one-year contract to join the top professional basketball division in Spain. While he certainly may have received a training camp invite, Thomas elected to go with a solidified situation where he earns his living.
Thomas shot 62.2 percent from the field on 28-for-45 shooting during the 2017 Las Vegas Summer League, while contributing 20 points in the semifinals and his 23-point performance in the championship game.