As the NBA is wrapping up the first week of the 2022-23 season, the South Bay Lakers are preparing for the tip-off of the new G League campaign.
The Los Angeles Lakers’ G League affiliate had a bittersweet season last year. Two South Bay players scooped end-of-season awards as Mason Jones featured in the All-NBA G League First Team while Mac McClung received the Rookie of the Year Award and made the All-Rookie Team.
Both also made a combined five appearances for the senior Lakers team, in addition to Jay Huff’s four.
As a team, South Bay finished the regular season as the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference before crashing out of the playoffs in a conference semifinals clash with the Agua Caliente Clippers.
They qualified for G League Winter Showcase after placing first in the Showcase Cup’s West regional pod — as part of an in-season event that precedes the start of the regular season. However, the Lakers again suffered a semifinal exit, losing to the would-be Showcase Cup champions, the Delaware Blue Coats.
South Bay is approaching the new season with a fresh roster. According to the team’s 2022-23 training camp roster, only Huff and Nate Pierre-Louis are returning for another G League campaign:
Your #SBLakers Training Camp roster ? pic.twitter.com/3M5YUu29Im
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) October 22, 2022
The roster includes the main Lakers squad’s two-way players, Cole Swider and Scotty Pippen Jr. Both showed potential in the Las Vegas Summer League and have already debuted in the NBA this year — suggesting head coach Darvin Ham could certainly recall either of them at some point in 2022-23.
South Bay will also have the 2021 G League Finals MVP in Devin Cannady on the roster after the team traded for the Lakeland Magic’s point guard earlier this week.
Canandy made eight appearances for the Orlando Magic in 2020-21 and five last season, averaging 10.0 points and 2.0 assists in 2021-22. He also shot an eye-catching 40.5% from 3-point range on 7.4 attempts per game, suggesting the 6-foot-2 guard could be another South Bay player to watch for a potential NBA call-up — particularly amid the Lakers’ shooting woes at the start of the season.
South Bay Lakers will tip off 2022-23 on Nov. 5
South Bay will begin the new season with a Showcase Cup matchup at home against the Stockton Kings on Nov. 5.
Winter Showcase will take place in Las Vegas between Dec. 19-22 before the Lakers tip off the regular season with a back-to-back clash against the Memphis Hustle starting on Dec. 29.
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