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Lakers Summer League Guide: Where to Watch California Classic, Biggest Storylines, Key Matchups

It should be quite the show!
Noel Sanchez|
Lakers Summer League Guide: Where to Watch California Classic, Biggest Storylines, Key Matchups
Lakers Summer League Guide: Where to Watch California Classic, Biggest Storylines, Key Matchups

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Los Angeles Lakers

Lakers basketball is finally back ladies & gentlemen! The last time we saw anybody from the purple and gold suit up was about a month and a half ago when we lost a hard-fought battle to the eventual champion Denver Nuggets.

Since then, LA's front office has been super busy. They brought back a number of key guys on new deals (Austin Reaves, D'Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura) and signed multiple new faces (Gabe Vincent, Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince) to add to the roster. 

But even before that, they went the younger route and held onto both of their 2023 draft picks as they welcomed in Indiana's Jalen Hood-Schifino and Pepperdine's Maxwell Lewis to be likely cornerstones of their future. Colin Castleton, D'Moi Hodge and Alex Fudge all joined the squad as undrafted free agents as well.

And seeing that the Lakers will once again take part in the California Classic tournament, we'll get our first look at this new young core today when they suit up against the Miami Heat's summer league squad.

Where To Watch

LA's first California Classic match will take place in Sacramento and will start at 3 pm PT. It will be nationally televised on ESPN 2, along with all of the other tournament games.

For the full schedule, take a look down below!

Names To Keep An Eye On: Max Christie

I definitely believe that the ball will be in the hands of Max Christie and Jalen Hood-Schifino the most this summer and they'll get started early in these first two games against the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs.

Christie got some actual run with the Lakers' main squad last year and he will be expected to be the first of this young group to make the full-time leap to their roster, hopefully sooner rather than later. In 13 games with the South Bay Lakers last year, he averaged 14 points on 29 percent from versus with his 41 games with the Los Angeles Lakers that saw him average just three points with the little playing time he received in 41 appearances.

Christie should be this group's go-to scorer and unquestioned leader and I'm intrigued to see how returners Scottie Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider perform with the pressure on them as well.

Jalen Hood-Schifino

The last time the Lakers drafted a point guard in the first round, it was Lonzo Ball and at the very least, he had a legendary summer league for LA. Jalen Hood-Schifino has some similar traits in his game to Ball but the Lakers are getting a guard that I believe will be much more aggressive off the jump.

Indiana fell in the second round of the March Madness tournament to Miami but Fino had been doing an excellent job of running an effective offense all year. The point guard also has it the most rough in summer league because of how little time every team has had to prepare but I want to see him utilize all of the scoring weapons he has on the court in these first two games. We'll probably see a more score-first version of him when the Vegas games roll around but I hope to see plenty of PNR action between him and Castleton with some fast break opportunities with Lewis.

Maxwell Lewis

If Fino is going to be compared to Lonzo, I guess it's only right to compare Maxwell Lewis to Brandon Ingram... ehh not really. Lewis is going to be a huge x-factor for the Lakers in a few years and if it hadn't been for a wrist injury that caused him to stay an extra year at Pepperdine, he probably wouldn't be rocking the purple and gold right now.

I want to see the summer league coaching staff trust Lewis to play fast and allow the game come to him. The iso possessions don't have to occur every few minutes but if he grabs a long board plenty of easy points will follow if he's allowed to take off. Other than that, expect a ton of big dunks and the threat of a lob will always be there.

Key Opponents: Jaime Jaquez/Sidy Cissoko

Starting off with Miami, their own first round pick Jaime Jaquez will be making his summer league debut in his first official game not wearing a UCLA Bruins uniform. Jaquez is a 6'7 guard that is fundamentally sound and is usually most lethal with his back to the basket. Luckily, LA has a number of defenders they can throw at him and try to wear him down early. Taylor Funk and Drew Peterson also could be lethal seeing what Miami is known for doing with undrafted talent.

And even though the San Antonio Spurs will not have Victor Wembanyama on their side just yet on Wednesday, Sidy Cissoko is a do-it-all forward that loves to rim run and can find his teammates whenever the paint is clogged.

We cannot wait to see our guys get rolling!

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Noel Sanchez
NOEL SANCHEZ

Noel is currently in his third year at California Polytechnic University of Pomona and is pursuing a B.A. in Communications with an emphasis in Multi-Media Journalism. He has always had a deep passion for sports and writing.

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