if i were huff's agent, i wouldn't have him play another sl game, tbh. he showed enough already to earn at least a two-way somewhere, if not a partially guaranteed roster spot.
Handy keeping these guys competitive and drawing up some really nice stuff... This is the best we looked in SL in awhile...
^^^ https://theathletic.com/3400568/202...alifornia-classic/?source=user_shared_article Five observations on the Lakers’ young players from the California Classic By Jovan Buha Jul 6, 2022 17 Here are five observations from the Los Angeles Lakers’ three games at the California Classic at the Chase Center in San Francisco. 1. The scouting department strikes again The Lakers’ scouting department, widely regarded as one of the best in the league over the past decade because of their impressive track record, appears to have uncovered future rotation players again. All three rookies on the 17-man roster — Max Christie, Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider — had impressive moments in which they displayed high-level skills that could eventually translate to the NBA level (which we’ll cover below). The expectations are obviously much lower with players who are taken in the second round or are undrafted, and there is still plenty of time for that assessment to change. NBA Summer League, which starts at the end of this week in Las Vegas, will be more revealing. But based on first impressions, it seems as if the Lakers’ scouting department found some late value, which is all the organization could hope for given their lack of draft capital. 2. Max Christie is ahead of schedule defensively Though shooting may be his No. 1 projected skill, Christie’s defense impressed in the first three games of summer league. With the way he defends, Christie often looks bigger than 6-foot-6. Christie is active, using his long arms (6-foot-9 wingspan) to deflect and steal passes, shrink driving and passing lanes, close out effectively, poke away dribbles and contest shots. He navigates screens well, almost mimicking his offensive ability to do so. He has solid fundamentals. His arms are almost always up and big. He mirrors the ball, making his length more of a factor. He has efficient footwork. He’s a smart defender who reads opposing offenses well. Strength, or lack thereof, is an obvious deficiency. Big wings will be able to drive through Christie or post him up. There’s a reason why most of the elite defensive guards have strong bases and athletic, sturdy frames. Christie isn’t there yet. Watch here as Moses Moody, who’s only listed at 6-foot-5 and 205 lbs., effortlessly bulldozes Christie on a drive to the rim. Even so, Christie should be able to develop into a relatively effective defender early, especially if he’s only going up against bench units. Offensively, Christie looked rawer than anticipated. His shot selection was questionable at times, especially in transition, where he sometimes settled for pull-up long 2s or semi-contested floaters from just inside the free-throw line. His legs weren’t there, with his shot all over the place, including falling short several times. He needs to tighten his handle and learn to leverage his athleticism better in the paint. His lack of strength might affect his offense more than his defense at this point of his career. Christie still found ways to be effective, though, finding teammates with one-handed cross-court bullets, moving without the ball and cleaning the glass. He averaged 7.7 rebounds, third-most of the tournament, and two offensive rebounds, tied for the sixth-most. That’s impressive. This is the type of second-effort play — opportunistically crashing the offensive glass while the defense stares flat-footed — the Lakers needed more of last season from their wings and guards. Christie is only 19. It’s understandable that he has a way to go to become even a backend rotation player. But his defensive potential is tantalizing, and his offensive game will round out as he gets stronger. 3. Cole Swider can shoot as well as advertised Swider can shoot the leather off the ball. He’s already an elite shooter, which is valuable, particularly for the 15-man roster, which lacks elite shooting. He can catch and shoot, shoot off the dribble or shoot off movement — if he can get a decent look, he can make it. Swider’s three-game averages: 11.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and one block in 20.2 minutes, with 57.9 percent shooting overall and 60 percent 3-point shooting. It’s a small sample size, obviously, but his textbook form and quick release indicate he should be able to shoot 40-ish percent at the NBA level. Swider’s ability to dribble into his shot is notable. He’s not just a stationary shooter. This is a harder shot to make than it looks. Swider has a knack for getting open — he relocates into passing lanes well and always has hands ready. He’s drawn comparisons to former Laker Kyle Kuzma, who won the fan base over with his breakout summer league performance in 2017. Swider’s confidence, shooting and competitive fire resemble Kuzma’s that summer. But that’s just about where the comparison ends. Defensively, they are nothing alike. Swider’s biggest issue is his defense and below-average athleticism. While he’s clearly a smart team defender in a positional sense, rotating and contesting and helping teammates and boxing out, his short arms limit his defensive impact (there is no public record of his wingspan.) Additionally, Swider is relatively slow for a wing/big, leading him to being blown by more often than the team would be comfortable with. He certainly cares and tries, but it seems as if that will always be a relative limitation. There’s a reason why Swider wasn’t ranked on The Athletic, ESPN or most major mock drafts. Swider is big — he’s 6-foot-9 and 225 pounds — which could help him. That’s one of the reasons a player like Doug McDermott, who has some similarities with Swider skill set-wise, has been able to stick around. Swider could grow into a backup stretch-four role. He’s a high IQ role player who isn’t afraid to mix it up in the paint. 4. Scotty Pippen Jr. flashes two-way versatility When considering both sides of the ball, Pippen probably had the most impressive tournament among the Lakers’ rookies. He’s a heady floor general who can pressure the ball on the other end. He’s shifty with his movements, showing the ability to get into the paint and to the rim consistently. He’s most comfortable using ball screens to get him going downhill, but he can also create with his solid ballhandling. This is an NBA move: Pippen fakes the dribble handoff, uses the misdirection as a screen, zooms into the paint, does a subtle ball fake and then kicks the ball to Christie in the corner, all in just a few seconds. Pippen is athletic, though it doesn’t always show with his finishing. He already has the NBA pump fake down, drawing multiple shooting defenders by getting his defender up in the air. He attempted 16 free throws in 65 minutes. He can force passes, trying to thread a needle that isn’t there, but those are good turnovers a team can live with. Pippen also has a tendency to jump before making a decision with the ball, which is a fundamental no-no. He averaged 11.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 2.7 turnovers in 21.7 minutes. He struggled with his efficiency, shooting 34.6 percent overall and 18.2 percent on 3s. His shot selection needs to be better. While Pippen can pressure ballhandlers well, he can sometimes get too close and be blown by. His quickness doesn’t translate as much defensively with his lateral movements. When defending screens, he can give up too space and fail to recover to the ballhandler in a timely manner. Pippen’s greatest obstacle is undersized — he’s 6 feet in socks and 6-foot-1 1/2 in shoes. That’s on the small end for a modern point guard. He partially makes up for that with his gigantic 6-foot-6 wingspan, but his size is a limiting factor in the NBA. He was bothered, at various points, by longer defenders and more aggressive defensive schemes. He also struggled to score in traffic. Pippen has the skill set of a respectable backup point guard and can earn his way into an NBA rotation if he gets stronger and develops more as a shooter. 5. Jay Huff dominates with paint protection Huff, who had a two-way stint with the Lakers last season and primarily played for the South Bay Lakers in the G League, was arguably the biggest surprise of the tournament. His rim protection was elite. The obvious summer league caveats apply, but Huff’s ability to block and alter seemingly anything in his vicinity was remarkable. Huff blocked five shots in 37 minutes — a ridiculous rate of 4.9 blocks per 36 minutes (for reference, Myles Turner, the league-leading shot blocker last season, averaged 3.4 blocks per 36 minutes). Though he was only credited with two blocks in the first game, by my count, Huff actually had five, which would give him eight blocks in 37 minutes. Huff’s instincts and timing are incredible for someone with his size and lack of speed. This is textbook drop defense. He prevents the ballhandler from getting to the rim or getting up a floater/runner, he prevents the roller, his man, from getting behind him, and he recovers promptly, blocking his man’s shot. Huff has good footwork and an impressive ability to recover and make second efforts when beaten. He’s primarily a drop big, and he’s too slow for above-average NBA ballhandlers. He can also be pushed around at times, though he often boxes out and battles in the paint as best he can. His strength is his defense, but he’d clearly struggle against five-out teams that force rotations and athletic, explosive guards and wings that can challenge him at the rim. On the other end, Huff’s more of a pick-and-pop big, which gives him an intriguing skill set as a 3-and-D center. He doesn’t force shots, seining the ball if he isn’t open or pump-faking and putting it on the ground to drive to finish or dish. He flashed some underrated hops with multiple putback dunks, alley-oops and even a couple of reverse dunks. Huff missed the tournament’s championship game due to health and safety protocols, which certainly affected Los Angeles in the loss. With Thomas Bryant joining the roster, giving the Lakers a third center, the team likely doesn’t need Huff. But he’s a name to watch if his production keeps up.
Third Center? Nah- AD shouldn’t see any time at Center if we want him to be healthy at the end of the season. Huff needs a spot on this team, or at least another two way contract.
watched most of the third game, and my opinions basically didn't change. christie looks like a hit to me. his shot selection was bad, but he didn't look selfish, just needs some seasoning there. he's plays bigger than he is and mixes it up physically despite being a little light. his legs aren't skinny, and i think he can put on a little core strength without sacrificing speed. his defense was excellent. keegan murray looked great, and christie gave him more trouble than anyone else in isolation--think he even blocked him on a drive. definitely see shades of reaves in the wiry toughness, and he rebounds and gets to the line with ease; he just doesn't have the experience that gives you the higher offensive hoop iq. i think he'll get there. i like him and think he has an nba career ahead of him. still don't think pippen is an nba player (or really even that close). the other guard (don't think he played the first game), jevante mccoy? he looked the best out of him, pippen and cole. interesting player. swider's so slow; it's troubling. he made a nice crossover move, and made a nice recovery to block a shot, but he just gets beat on straight line drives by basically anybody at any time. he'll be hunted mercilessly at the next level. i'm not as optimistic as most here, despite the obvious shooting ability. the big that started for the lakers in the last one with the long name killeny-smith or some such? he was sort of fun. don't think he's good enough for the league this year, but he knocked down a three and generally threw his body around and is big enough. i like vitto brown (and bass to some extent), but i don't see a place for them with us. but if were about to sign blake griffin, i'd take vitto over him.
I thought the Kings game was by far our ugliest game. Was it all because we were without Huff? I know the official word is he was out because of protocols, but I hope we shut him down to hide him. Christie's D has been impressive. He's been the standout against each team's best wing. His legs, stamina, J, and weight are not at NBA levels yet. I think he'll be really good for us, but I'd rather not see him play for the Lakers a single second next season. Let him play catchup in the G League. I still think Pip has a career. Handy has been raving about his IQ. He's made some plays out there that outsmart the rookie bar. He knows how to get to his comfort spots really well and if he can draw fouls like he did in game two, that's a real value. I don't think he's a starter ever. I think he could grow into an OK enough backup depending on the size of the two guard next to him. Maybe as like the team’s 8th-9th man. Think he needs hang out in the G League too. Swider is slow and D isn't great. Effort is there but currently he's not able to get it done. Maybe our development coaches can fine tune his techniques on that end. He'll never be fast but if he can be smart and use his hands and size, that could work eventually. I think he's the most ready of the 3 because his shot is NBA ready and as of today he's the best shooter on the team at a position we're thin at. I think Buha made a Doug McDermott comp. Another good sized slower shooter who's managed to stick because of the value of that skill.
but mcdermott had so many other skills when he was drafted, AND he's actually substantially more athletic than swider, imo. i just don't think he'll be able to overcome how slow he is. and i'm not sure pippen's iq can overcome being both slow and small. add in that he's not a great shooter, and i just don't see a path. there's just too much competition at that spot in the nba. i suppose tj mcconell is a good aspiration, though? maybe he can get there.
The key to Pippen is his shooting, IMO. He needs to become a knock-down three point shooter. Talking 40 percent. Shooting has become such a valuable trait in this league. If he couples that with his current skill-set, he has a shot. Not saying it will happen, but he has a shot.
He’s just small. If he had Westbrook’s size and length, let alone his dad’s, he’d be an NBA player. Of course, he does not have their athleticism either.
The practice battles between he and McClung ought to be great. McClung a little taller, probably stronger at this point, probably equally skilled after a year of S. Bay Lakers and training, and a lot more athletic. Probably better on D too but just guessing. Mac is a battler and had to prove himself at every level from articles that have been written, and I always remind he's the guy that broke Iverson's state HS scoring record ... not an insignificant feat.
What??!! Tell me this isn’t so. He’s got more upside possibly than Pippen. Gawddamnit!! They just took him for their SL team. Rob WTF?! https://lebronwire.usatoday.com/202...league-guard-mac-mcclung-is-joining-warriors/
Very quiet game for Christie on both ends. Maybe there's some man D that will show up on twitter highlights that I missed, but nothing jumped out in real time. Edit: checked the box. Sneaky 8 boards. Swider had a few nice 3s and a couple really loud defensive mistakes in the first half. Seems like he could become a solid rebounder (has the size), showed decent instincts for where the ball was going to be. If he can do two things, one at a high end level, then maybe that can buy him some time as he tries to get better defensively. The interior D by our bigs is really bad. It really is Huff or bust. Bass did some nice things out there, but that's not his strength. Pip struggled early. It looked like the Suns were really pressuring him and the physicality bothered him. Then with 3 minutes left on the first half he flipped a switch and was the best player on the court by a mile during those 3 minutes. Really aggressive driving and then pressured the Suns and came away with a few steals. Continued looking for his in the second half and the attack mode worked. Game high 5 TOs, but 3 of them were good passes and the fault falls on the teammates.
Yeah he’s got some of that “IT” going on and as @FrontOfJersey22 mentioned he’s quite a passer. Some of those have the wow factor like some of Reaves’s best passes. He’s small though and plays hard and hits the deck going to the rim. Hope he stays healthy.
Slightly shorter Ja build. Went to look at their measurements from the combine to see a side by side, but Ja didn't partake in the measuring portion.
