The NBA G League is an important tool for teams to use to develop talent in-house and potentially find role players for a low cost. For the Los Angeles Lakers, the South Bay Lakers have unearthed quality talent in recent years, most notably two-time champion Alex Caruso.
With a new CBA in effect, general managers have taken advantage of two-way contracts, as it allows for second round picks or undrafted players to showcase their talents. A benefactor of this system was Austin Reaves, who signed with L.A. on a two-way deal back in 2021.
Now that the regular season is underway, the G League is about to kick off on Nov. 7 and South Bay unveiled its training camp roster, featuring plenty of familiar faces:
The @SouthBayLakers have announced their training camp roster: pic.twitter.com/6wIL3qoEPl
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) October 29, 2025
Those familiar faces include RJ Davis, Kylor Kelley, Christian Koloko, Chris Mañon, Nick Smith Jr. and Augustas Marciulionis, who signed Exhibit 10 or two-way contracts.
Davis played for the Lakers during the preseason before being waived to join South Bay. Meanwhile, Smith, Manon and Koloko are on two-way contracts as they look to convert into standard deals.
Kelley and Marciulionis signed with the purple and gold, but never saw any time on the floor with the former being with the organization last year and the latter working his way back from injury.
Perhaps the most notable new face of this group is Drew Timme, formerly of the Brookyln Nets and Gonzaga. South Bay acquired the big man in a G League trade that sent out the top pick in this year’s draft Dillon Jones.
Also, it is worth mentioning that Bronny James and Adou Thiero may spend time in South Bay despite being on standard NBA contracts. Thiero is recovering from a knee injury and could use on-court reps with the affiliate while the Lakers are in the midst of their regular season.
When the G League season kicks off in November, it will be intriguing to see if South Bay produces any feel-good stories or if it empowers players like James and or Thiero to make an impact with the Lakers.
Adou Thiero willing to play in G League for South Bay
This past NBA Draft, the Lakers made multiple moves in the second round to draft Adou Thiero. Coming out of Arkansas, he is an insanely athletic forward with promising defensive tools, but the 21-year-old has yet to see the floor due to knee surgery recovery.
As he continues to rehab and nears his return to the court, L.A. may need him to spend time with the South Bay Lakers and Thiero is willing to do whatever is asked of him.
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