Former Lakers Lottery Pick Believes His Summer League Squad Was Best Ever
The Los Angeles Lakers were able to get a first look at some of their newest roster additions in the 2K24 summer league as Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis got their first action in purple and gold after being selected by the franchise in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The likes of Colin Castleton, Alex Fudge and D'Moi Hodge also got the opportunity to showcase their own talents after going un-drafted but receiving a contract from LA. It took some time for this group to mesh but Castleton eventually proved to be an all-around talent at the center position while Hodge knocked down jumpers to go with impressive defense and Fudge brought a nice level of athleticism.
All of these guys paired nicely with Hood-Schifino and Lewis but it seems like every summer, Lakers fans can't help but look back at their 2017 summer league squad that featured Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Thomas Bryant, Brandon Ingram and more.
A number of players from that roster have gone on to become important pieces of their respective NBA franchises and it can be argued that it all started with that summer league team that actually won the championship and summer league MVP went to Lonzo Ball.
Ball recently appeared on Trae Young's 'From The Point' podcast and when asked about that specific group, he confirmed that he thinks they had the best summer league team ever.
"Summer league was lit," said Ball. "I think we had probably the best summer league team ever. We had a stacked team for sure and we had lost our first two games and I remember talking to our coach at the time. He brought me in and he was like 'Hey man, you're trying to think and run the offense too much, I just need you to play freely.'"
(Via From The Point)
The former Lakers number two overall pick is in the midst of a lengthy knee surgery recovery so we wish him nothing but the best and hope to see him suiting up again as soon as possible!
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