Meet the Summer League Lakers
The Lakers are playing Summer League basketball in San Francisco and Las Vegas and this is your preview of every player’s potential and possible role with the team.
If you're excited about Summer League basketball, you've come to the right place. We are ready to analyze every game the Lakers play in San Francisco during the California Classic and every matchup at the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas.
Before we discuss each individual player's potential and role on the team, here is the slate of games the Lakers will play in July.
Schedule and TV Info
California Classic:
Sacramento Kings vs. Los Angeles Lakers
When: Saturday, July 6 at 1:30 p.m. PT
Where: Chase Center in San Francisco, CA
How to watch: ESPN
Golden State Warriors vs. Los Angeles Lakers
When: Sunday, July 7 at 3:30 p.m. PT
Where: Chase Center in San Francisco, CA
How to watch: NBA TV
Miami Heat vs. Los Angeles Lakers
When: Wednesday, July 10 at 4 p.m. PT
Where: Chase Center in San Francisco, CA
How to watch: ESPN 2
NBA 2K25 Summer League:
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers
When: Friday, July 12 at 4:30 p.m. PT
Where: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV
How to watch: ESPN
Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers
When: Monday, July 15 at 7:30 p.m. PT
Where: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV
How to watch: NBA TV
Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers
When: Wednesday, July 17 at 7 p.m. PT
Where: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV
How to watch: ESPN
Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Los Angeles Lakers
When: Thursday, July 18 at 6 p.m. PT
Where: Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV
How to watch: ESPN
For the NBA 2K25 Summer League, the Lakers have the potential to play more games if they advance to the four-team tournament, but that will depend on their standings after their first four games in Las Vegas.
Roster
The Lakers will bring 14 players to Sacramento and Las Vegas, a combination of rookies, G-Leaguers, overseas talent and two-way guys. Here is the full roster breakdown.
Bronny James
The son of LeBron James has arrived and it's his turn to be king.
— Bronny (@BronnyJamesJr) July 5, 2024
The NBA world will be watching how Bronny fares against this talent level. At USC, he averaged just 4.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Still, Bronny has shown potential to be an elite defensive player and a great teammate during his one year of collegiate play and his time at Sierra Canyon.
That first fastbreak dunk he has will rock the West Coast and regardless of how good or bad he plays, Bronny will be the talk of Summer League and is already must-see TV.
Dalton Knecht
The Lakers first round draft pick could be the best talent the franchise has drafted since Max Christie. They took the best player available at No. 17 and Knecht checks many boxes in a player you want on your roster in today's game.
At 6'5, with a wingspan of 6’9 and weighing in at 213 pounds, he has the height and strength you want on the perimeter.
Knecht is an elite movement shooter who hit 39.7% of his shots from 3-point range at Tennessee. He averaged 21.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Don't be surprised if he looks beyond ready for this level of play immediately.
Maxwell Lewis
The Lakers' young wing had a mediocre rookie season, but Lewis should be ready to excel in Summer League.
Now, playing against lesser talent than he's accustomed to, you want to see him take that next step. He should be easily scoring over people, dominating defensively and even swatting a couple of shots.
Let's see if Lewis is ready to take a sophomore jump.
Colin Castleton
The Lakers have tendered a two-way offer to Castleton, so he has that contract with the team. He had the same deal with the purple and gold last year and played 16 games with the Lakers, averaging 1.6 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.2 assists.
Under the South Bay Lakers is where Castleton shined, scoring 14.1 points and grabbing 9.8 rebounds in twelve games.
His South Bay coach, Dane Johnson, will also be his Summer League coach, so, like Lewis, Castleton should be comfortable and look good playing against these young players.
Armel Traoré
Traoré signed a two-way deal with the Lakers and is coming off a successful season with Blois in France.
Overseas, he averaged 10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists. The potential is evident and he's played professional basketball before, so he should look a step ahead as long as he can adjust to playing in the States.
Blake Hinson
The Lakers signed Hinson to a 2-year, two-way contract after picking him up as an undrafted player. Hinson attended Pittsburgh for college and was known as an elite shooter.
He improved yearly and ended his final season converting on 42.1% of his 3-pointers and averaging 18.5 points per game.
Mohamed Diarra
Diarra went undrafted and the Lakers picked him up and signed him to an Exhibit 10 deal. He worked his way up in college playing JUCO ball, then went to Missouri and NC State after.
As a Wolfpack player, he averaged 6.3 points and 7.8 rebounds and started in 22 of the 40 games he played.
Sean East II
Diarra and East should be familiar with one another as their careers overlapped at Missouri. Diarra attended for only one season, while East was there for four years. During that time, the Tigers guard averaged 10.7 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Tommy Kuhse
Harrison Faigen, I mean Kuhuse, has spent the last couple of seasons playing overseas. At 26 years old, he's a bit older and this is likely his final chance at playing NBA basketball.
Kyle Mangas
Mangas spent last year with the Indiana Pacers' G-League affiliate, the Mad Ants. There, he averaged 16.9 points in 34 games played. He can score, for sure, but like Kuhse, he's an older player looking for one more shot at the NBA.
Grayson Murphy
Since 2023, Murphy has been playing for the Dresden Titans, a professional team in Germany. At 6'3, he's a bit small for a point guard, but it will be interesting to see how much playing time he gets in Summer League and how well he can facilitate the ball and run the offense.
Quincy Olivari
The Xavier Muskateer joined the Lakers on an Exhibit 10 deal and will be looking to bring his offensive production to San Francisco and Las Vegas. He averaged 19.1 points in his senior season and shot an impressive 40% from deep.
Vincent Valerio-Bodon
You can't teach size and at 6'10, Bodon is a wing worth taking a flyer on. If he shows promise, I can see him with the South Bay Lakers this year or even earning a two-way deal with the Lakers or elsewhere.
Joirdon Nicholas
He's already a South Bay Laker, so Nicholas should be comfortable playing for L.A. and coach Johnson. He was a late addition to the roster, giving the team some added depth at the forward position.
Closing Thoughts
There's much to be excited about with this year's iteration of the Summer League Lakers. You have top talent like Bronny and Knecht, players returning from last year like Lewis and Castleton and some interesting long shots like Bodon.
The Lakers last won the Las Vegas Summer League title in 2017 and I wouldn't be shocked if this team makes a deep run this year.
In the end, though, it's all about development. So, if everyone leaves healthy and there are some promising moments from these young players, this July will be a success.
You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88.