For a team with a lot of young players like the Los Angeles Lakers, the summer is an extremely important time. Most of the attention goes to the NBA Draft and free agency, but the annual Summer League gives fans the first chance to get a look at the bright young stars of the future.
The Lakers traditionally compete in the Las Vegas Summer League every year and that will once again be the case as they will be one of a record 24 teams participating via NBA.com:
This year’s competition will include the owners of the top five overall picks in NBA Draft 2017 presented by State Farm: the Boston Celtics (No. 1), Los Angeles Lakers (No. 2), Philadelphia 76ers (No. 3), Phoenix Suns (No. 4) and Sacramento Kings (No. 5). In total, eight of the top 10 picks in the June 22 draft belong to teams that will play in Las Vegas.
Summer League officially kicks off on July 7 and will last until a champion is crowned on July 17. Though nearly all of the teams in the NBA will be represented, very few teams will have as many eyes on them as the Lakers.
Last year’s pair of rookies, Brandon Ingram and Ivica Zubac, have both said that they will be playing and Zubac even went so far as to say they will dominate the competition. Additionally, D-League call-up David Nwaba also plans on being part of the team as he looks to secure his spot on the regular season roster.
Of course the Lakers also own the second overall pick in the draft and whether that winds up being Lonzo Ball, Josh Jackson, or someone else, it will be everyone’s first look at him, as well as whoever the Lakers wind up selecting with their other first-round pick, at 28th overall.
Needless to say the stands are sure to be packed when the Lakers take the court in Vegas as everyone will be looking forward to seeing the future of the franchise.