The Los Angeles Lakers released their roster for the upcoming California Classic and Las Vegas Summer League as well as their playing schedule.
The Lakers kick off the California Classic on July 3 against the Miami Heat and conclude on July 5 against the San Antonio Spurs. Los Angeles will then hit the road for Las Vegas where their first game will take place on July 7 against the Golden State Warriors.
Following the Golden State Game, Los Angeles will play again on July 9 when they draw the Charlotte Hornets. Following that, they’ll have a break for a few days until they play the Boston Celtics on July 12. After the Celtics, the Lakers will play the Memphis Grizzlies on July 14 but the date and time for their fifth game will be determined by results of the first four games.
The team is comprised of a few returners such as Max Christie, Cole Swider and Scotty Pippen Jr. Christie is the main attraction as the second-year guard looks to take a leap and prove that he deserves minutes, while Swider will look to make a case for a spot on the parent team after lighting it up from distance in the G League. Pippen is no longer on a two-way deal, though he can still catch on with another team if he has a strong showing.
Outside of the second-year guys, Los Angeles also has an intriguing group of rookies that fans will be eager to see suit up for the first time. Jalen Hood-Schifino, the team’s first-round pick this year, is a highly-touted two-way guard who can both score and playmake. Joining him is his fellow draftee Maxwell Lewis whom the Lakers traded up seven spots to grab in the second round. Lewis has prototypical 3-and-D wing size and the athleticism to boot, so he should also be a point of interest.
The two-way players are no slouches themselves, starting with Colin Castleton who reportedly had offers to get drafted but declined in order to make his way to Los Angeles. The other new two-way addition is D’Moi Hodge who, like Hood-Schifino, is a two-way player that can really shoot it from deep.
The purple and gold have assembled what looks like a balanced and competitive team, and it’ll be exciting to see how they fare against their peers.
Lakers Summer League roster
Number – Name – Position
29 – Damion Baugh – G
26 – Colin Castleton – C
10 – Max Christie – G
30 – LJ Figueroa – F
27 – Alex Fudge – F
36 – Bryce Hamilton – G
55 – D’Moi Hodge – G
11 – Jalen Hood-Schifino – G
31 – Sacha Killeya-Jones – C
21 – Maxwell Lewis – F
14 – Scotty Pippen Jr. – G
20 – Cole Swider – F
