The summer of 2017 for the Los Angeles Lakers was one filled with excitement in Las Vegas. The Lakers captured the Summer League title led by Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball.
But starting this summer, the team will add another summer league to the mix.
The NBA is expected to introduce a Sacramento Summer League to go along with Summer League tournaments in Utah and Las Vegas for 2018. The teams expected to compete in the Sacramento Summer League along with the Lakers are the Miami Heat, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings.
The start of the Sacramento Summer League was first reported by Basketball Insiders’ Ben Dowsett and Sports Illustrated’s Jake Fischer.
For the Lakers, this obviously means more guaranteed games, assuming the team takes part in both the Las Vegas Summer League as well as the one in Sacramento. The Vegas Summer League will an added bit of intrigue as, for the first time, all 30 teams will travel to Vegas to compete.
If the Lakers do take part in both, it means an extended run of action for young players as they get acclimated to both the NBA style and pace of play and the Lakers’ system.
Last season, fans saw players like Kuzma, Alex Caruso and Josh Hart all excel and hit the ground running as rookies.
This season, the team will likely have a first- and second-round draft pick on the roster along with the likes of Hart and Thomas Bryant, though Kuzma and Ball will not be participating.
The schedule for the Sacramento Summer League will be interesting as will the Lakers’ philosophy toward it. Last summer, the team shut down Brandon Ingram early on after a minor injury and limited Ball and Hart after they sustained injuries as well. However, it’s clear they value the experience gained in these games for rookies moving forward.
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