Summer League 2016-2017: Roster On Page 4, Schedule On P. 5

A team can never have enough talent...

 

No. I'm going to say that Golden State has enough talent. They have too much talent.

 

5 Things to Know: Summer League Lakers vs. Warriors

Here is what you need to know before the Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors at the Las Vegas Summer League.

1) It’s only been two games, but so far this is the summer of D’Angelo Russell, who is averaging 21.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in Vegas. The 20-year-old has shot 15-of-32 from the field, and his most impressive bucket came with zeros left on the clock Saturday, when he drilled a game-winning 3-pointer to sink Philadelphia, 70-69.

A year of NBA experience has Russell looking like a completely different player than the one who averaged 11.8 points on 37.7 percent shooting at last year’s Summer League. In Friday’s 20-point rout over New Orleans, Russell punished the Pelicans with an improved post-up game that he has spent the offseason crafting. Then, against the 76ers, he literally put the game in his own hands by showing off his slick handles and cashing several jumpers out of pick-and-rolls.

2) After looking comfortable in a promising 12-point performance against the Pelicans, second-overall pick Brandon Ingram struggled with his shot in Saturday’s meeting with the Sixers and No. 1 pick Ben Simmons. Ingram finished with seven points, shooting just 3-of-12 from the field with three turnovers.

Though he hasn’t been able to show off his offensive capabilities, the 18-year-old has played solid defense on the wing and down low as the help defender. Opposing starting small forwards — David Lighty Jr. and Jerami Grant — have shot just 4-of-16 combined with Ingram as their primary defender.

3) The Lakers have a first-round bye at stake, as a victory over the Warriors would keep improve their record to 3-0. This year’s squad has already topped the performance of the 2015 outfit, which — despite having a loaded roster that included Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson — went just 1-4.

Seeding for the tournament portion of Summer League is determined by record, with ties settled by quarter-points and then point differential. The top eight seeds immediately advance to the knockout round on Thursday, while the remaining 16 teams compete head-to-head the day before.

4) Golden State’s most intriguing player is one who spent his entire college career playing at the site of this game. UNLV product Patrick McCaw is plenty familiar with Thomas & Mack Center, where he led the Mountain West with 2.5 steals per game last year, which was also good enough for sixth in the entire NCAA.

The Second Team All-MWC selection now has the opportunity to play for one of the NBA’s top teams, as the Warriors picked him 38th-overall at last year’s draft. The 20-year-old wing gets to learn from some of the best the league has to offer in Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala.

5) McCaw’s fellow draftee, Damian Jones, is not playing at Summer League after undergoing pectoral surgery following his First Team All-SEC season at Vanderbilt. In place of the No. 30 pick, the Warriors are starting a familiar face, Ognjen Kuzmic, who won a ring with Golden State in 2015 after playing limited minutes in the regular season.

The Warriors’ stash of centers also features one of Summer League’s most intriguing physical prospects: 7-foot-6 UC Irvine product Mamadou Ndiaye. Though the two-time Big West Defensive Player of the Year played only one possession during Golden State’s opener on Saturday, he is as imposing as they come, standing only one inch shorter than the tallest players in NBA history: Manute Bol and Gheorghe Muresan.

http://www.nba.com/lakers/news/1607115things-warriors?cid=fb

 

Seeing Fall and Ndiaye on the floor...gave me flashbacks of Manute Bol and Yinka Dare. Fall had the bumbles early but recovered with a couple of flushes and three blocks. He was involved in that hilarious play where a Warrior guard drove on him, saw what he was up against and threw a shot over the backboard. Barry commented that Fall's shadow intimidated.

 

With the win tonight, we got a 1st round bye.

 

Considering I want to see the young palyers actually PLAY...thats terrible.

In a couple of days SL will be over and we will have months of...nothing.

I doubt the workout with team USA produces anything exciting for us except a few articles and a little footage.

 

The next Ryan Kelly

 

Sometime on Thursday at one of these times:

Cox Pavilion: 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Thomas & Mack: 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.

 

With Ingram and Deng Brown will not be playing anyway. He is good as a security for injuries.