The Los Angeles Lakers ended their NBA 2K23 Summer League in Las Vegas on a high note, beating the Dallas Mavericks in their finale.
The Lakers ended their Vegas trip with a 3-2 record, but with three consecutive wins that should bring some positive momentum heading into the 2022-23 season. The young roster gave a glimpse into how the parent team may look to play on the floor, playing with pace and space offensively while defensively competing on a possession basis.
While most eyes were on second-round pick Max Christie, it was undrafted free agent and two-way contract player Cole Swider who stole the show for the Lakers. The 6’9″ forward made every team look foolish for passing on him because of his sweet shooting stroke from outside, giving Los Angeles hope they may have found yet another gem.
Watching Swider shoot the ball was a fun time for fans and the Lakers compiled every 3-point make from both the California Classic and the NBA 2K23 Summer League in Las Vegas tournaments, via their YouTube channel:
When watching the clips, it’s apparent that Swider can operate as more than a spot-up shooter. There are several instances of Swider trailing the play on a fastbreak or coming off screens before rising up and knocking down the outside shot. More impressively, the rookie also showed he’s comfortable pump faking, taking a dribble to his left or right, and pulling the shot.
On a Lakers roster that’s currently devoid of shooting, Swider has a serious case to outright make the parent team ala Austin Reaves the year before him. Defensively he has a long way to go, but there’s no denying his shooting is elite and at the NBA level there’s always going to be minutes for someone like him.
Perhaps L.A. keeps Swider on a two-way contract to maximize that deal before converting him to a standard NBA contract, but it’s going to be hard to not to call him up sooner rather than later if he reports to training camp and continues to shoot the lights out.
Rob Pelinka believes Cole Swider can be come an elite shooter
Rob Pelinka acknowledged that he and the front office aren’t done building out the roster, with one of the areas of improvement being their outside shooting. While trades for veterans like Buddy Hield and Eric Gordon could be coming, Pelinka already believes Swider can become an elite shooter himself and maybe he’ll end up filling the need instead.
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