Early Look At the Summer League Squad

The NBA Summer League season starts next Saturday! We will get to see our young prospects and new additions.

If we incorporate the projects from 2023 and the recent signings, we can get a preliminary view of the Summer League roster. More importantly, this allows us to envision the team's direction in the years following LeBron's tenure. Without adding any more players, the current roster count is 10. I am uncertain whether any G League players will be included or if it is beneficial to add them if they receive no playing time.

There are rumors that Reddick will coach the team. If he does, we might get an early look at his offensive strategies and coaching style. It would be encouraging to see members of his prospective staff alongside him on the sidelines, though I am unsure if they will be in place by next Saturday.

It's been apparent the front office is being careful about the transition after Lebron’s retirement. It’s a bit early, but we can start to see skeleton of the team Davis will inherit and Pelinka’s vision.

Suggested Depth Chart -

PG: JHS (If Medically Cleared)…...................B. James..........Sean East II

SG: Maxwell Lewis..........................................Olivari..........

SF: Knecht.........................................................Hinston..........

PF: Armel Traore (If Medically Cleared)......Mohamed Diarra

C: Castleton.....................................................TBD......

I’m not sure Christie will be asked to play. He’s probably too skilled to participate, but one could argue that he’s young and there is no harm in having him join. If he does play, this team would be an early favoriteto win the Summer League Championship, as their talent level should be far superior to any other team.

A few early reads:

Jalen-Hood Scifino (PG) – He will show he’s already too good for the SL. He led the SB Lakers in scoring and assists. He’s a lot better than people realize. When playing against a lower tier of talent people will realize that he's far above most.

Maxwell (SG) – Hopefully we can see some return on our $5M investment. He’s supposed to be a KCP type. He showed this ability in the GLeague. Can it transfer? I expect we'll see that he's a year away.

Knecht (SF) – He’s a rookie, but I expect to see that he’s too good for the SL already. His 3-point shooting and "always on attack" offense will be a breath of fresh air. He'll be fun to watch and a fan favorite.

Armel Traore (PF) – He was part of the French invasion that happened this year and on a meteoric rise; until he blew out his knee. He’s the older brother of a guy who is already in discussions as next year's #1 pick, which is a talented and deep draft. He was supposed to be a lottery-level player. A year in the GLeague will tell us a lot.

Castleton (C) – I had high hopes, but this is the end of the line for him. Unfortunately, he seems to be nothing more than a starting caliber player on a GLeague team. He’s too stiff, slow and just not talented enough. The team has no one else at center, and he’s good enough to excel versus Summer League guys, so he gets the nod.

B. James Jr (PG) – He’ll get playing time. Hopefully, we can see his defense, solid IQ, and clean shooting form. Maybe he can start to step out of the nepotism shadow and show his true abilities. But, If nothing else, his name will bring the hype and an arena full of fans; his name on the roster will be a great "Welcome to the Lakers" moment for him, Reddick, and the other young players.

Hinston – Keep an eye on this guy. He’s a 40% 3-point shooter from college, and has an above average offensive skillset. He's another one of those guys who put all of his skill points on one side of the balance however. I doubt he makes the roster, as his 40% shooting was only 1 season, but I could see that if he’s legit, he gets the add for an end-of-season push. Right now, he’s not proven enough, and there are no roster spaces. All the signs point that he should be legit, but a year of GLeague has a way of revealing a player's true level. He’d have to shoot beyond lights out for me to think he makes the final 15.

Olivari – An Exhibit 10 sharpshooter. Meh. I’ll care if his name is on this list next year. He's a good add for the SB Lakers team however. As GM of that team, this was a great get for Pelinka.

Diarra – Another Exhibit 10 guy. That means, "We pay you to work out with the team during training camp and preseason because we need bodies." This guy is supposed to be a human vacuum for rebounds, but not much else. Will be a benefit to the SB Lakers team.

Sean East II – Exhibit 10. Not to knock on this guy, but aren’t flashy offensive-focused 6’2" combo guards with slightly weak defense a dime a dozen? Another SB Lakers add... Not a bad one either.

The last team we had that was this good won a Summer League championship. If these guys are as good as their scouting reports suggest, this team will be really fun to watch and a good warmup for Reddick and his staff.