Here is what you need to know before the Lakers conclude their Summer League run against the Utah Jazz.
1)
The Lakers find themselves playing a consolation game after failing to hold onto a 19-point lead against Cleveland on Thursday night. Jordan McRae was a monster for the Cavaliers, scoring 36 points on 11-of-22 shooting, plus 11-of-13 at the free throw line. Meanwhile, the Lakers — who shot 50.0 percent in the first half — hit just 28.6 percent in the second and missed half of their 28 foul shots.
2)
However, losing wasn’t the worst of the Lakers’ worries. During the final minute of the game, Larry Nance Jr. took a hard fall on a dunk attempt and landed on his wrist. X-rays after the game showed an apparent fracture to the base of the third metacarpal on his right hand, and he will be re-evaluated on Friday.
In his place, the Lakers will start backup power forward Zach Auguste, who has impressed off the bench with 6.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 16.7 minutes per game.
3)
In addition to Nance's injury, the Lakers will be without their star, D'Angelo Russell, who is fifth in the Summer League in scoring with 21.8 points per game. Russell has been stellar in Las Vegas, shooting 47.7 percent while also tallying 6.3 rebounds and 4.0 assists. However, he will rest during Thursday's consolation game considering that he will participate as a member of the USA Select Team at the U.S. Men's National Team's training camp beginning Monday.
Xavier Munford will start at point guard in Russell's stead. He is shooting just 29.6 percent in Vegas, but played meaningful minutes in this year's postseason as a backup for the Memphis Grizzlies.
4)
With Nance and Russell out, L.A. will need some of its other players to step up. Their fellow sophomore, Anthony Brown, could see a bigger offensive role after averaging 5.0 points on 34.8 percent shooting, while second-overall pick Brandon Ingram looks to snap out of a slump that has him at 9.8 points on a 31.6 percent clip. Among the other candidates is rookie center Ivica Zubac — who is providing 9.3 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 70.0 percent.
The challenge to make up for Nance and Russell's production will fall upon Theo Robertson, who is filling in for Summer League head coach Jesse Mermuys. Robertson is a recent addition to regular-season head coach Luke Walton's staff and will focus primarily on player development. Robertson served as a video intern during Golden State's run to the 2015 championship and was promoted to video coordinator/player development coach last year. He was a 2010 Second-Team All-Pac-10 selection at California, where he set the program record for career 3-point percentage (44.0).
5)
Utah is coming off a 20-point loss to Denver Thursday despite a roster that features three 2016 second-round draft picks: Joel Bolomboy (52nd), Marcus Paige (55th) and Tyrone Wallace (60th). However, the Jazz were also without their best player, Trey Lyles, who has averaged 23.8 points and 9.0 rebounds at the Utah and Las Vegas Summer Leagues combined. It is unsure if Lyles will play against the Lakers.
Rule Changes
Summer League is played under different rules than the regular season. These include:
- Quarters are 10 minutes long instead of 12.
- Halftime is eight minutes long.
- Teams are in the penalty on the 10th team foul or second in the final two minutes.
- Players foul out after their 10th personal foul in non-tournament games. The standard six-foul rule is applied during the tournament portion of Summer League.
- Each team receives two, 105-second timeouts per half, which do not carry over.
- Each team can advance the ball to the frontcourt once in the last two minutes of regulation and any overtime period.
- Overtime is two minutes long instead of five. Double overtime is sudden death during non-tournament games and two minutes during the tournament.