It’s not often you see a basketball team erase a 21-point deficit with just 7 minutes left in a game, nor a 9-point lead with 2:16 to play, but with a barrage of 3-pointers and stop after stop from the Lakers Summer League squad in Sacramento, that’s exactly what happened as they closed out the California Classic in style.
It was L.A.’s second straight win after a loss to open the 3-game tourney, and we put together ten things to take out of L.A.’s time in the state capital, where the summer league squad composed primarily of undrafted free agents acquitted themselves quite well:
1) Two-way signee Zach Norvell was a clear bright spot for the Lakers, highlighted by his game-winning 3-pointer with four seconds left against the Kings that capped off the ridiculous comeback. His best all-around game came against Golden State on Tuesday, when he scored 20 points on 7 of 10 FG’s (3 of 5 3’s), plus five boards, an assist and a steal. Norvell, a 1st Team All-WCC player at Gonzaga last year, led the conference in total 3-pointers (97) and 3-point percentage (37.0%) and was in the 86th percentile in the NCAA as a spot-up scorer … he showcased that ability to hit 3’s in a spot-up fashion in Sacramento. That’ll be essential if Norvell’s going to get some minutes with LeBron and Co. during the regular season. Playing in his third game in three days, Norvell didn’t have his legs in Wednesday’s loss, hitting 4 of 12 shots, but two of the makes were clutch 3’s in the final two minutes. Meanwhile, he showcased some playmaking in leading L.A. with seven assists, and he competed all the way through the end of the fourth on the defensive end, a positive sign on the 3rd day of a B2B2B in an exhibition. Bonus fact: Norvell acknowledged his childhood nickname of “Snacks,” given mostly due to his voluminous consumption of chocolate chip cookies.
2) The player on the roster most likely to see regular season minutes with the Lakers, 2nd-round pick Talen Horton-Tucker, was unable to play due to a stress reaction. The goal is to get him ready for training camp, and there’s a full expectation that will happen. Horton-Tucker was with the team, however, participating in film sessions and keeping things light in the locker room. The youngest player on the summer league roster – he’s just 18 – has a 7’1’’ wingspan and can play point guard while guarding power forwards. His favorite player growing? LeBron James. “I just wanna see the little things that make him who he is,” he told Lakers.com last week. “Just being to be able to be around him 24/7 is going to be important for me as a rookie coming in.”
3) Horton-Tucker and Norvell were actually high school teammates at Chicago’s Simeon Career Academy, where former MVP Derrick Rose, Jabari Parker, Bobby Simmons and Nick Anderson also starred.
4) The one player on the SL roster with NBA experience, Joe Young, started slowly in L.A.’s blowout loss against Miami – calling his play “doo doo” on Spectrum SportsNet’s postgame show – but bounced back well against Golden State, going for 13 points with seven assists and four steals in the 100-90 win. Young, who averaged 31.6 points per game in China last year, has long been known as a scorer, but really wanted to show that he’s improved as a playmaker and defender. Especially against GSW, he picked up opposing point guards full court and set a nice defensive tone, and he also had nice moments as a playmaker, often via dribble penetration and drop offs to post players or kick outs to wings and guards. Young, the 43rd pick in 2015 who spent three years with the Pacers, shot just 39.3 percent from two and 29.6 percent from three in the NBA.
5) Our Joey Ramirez found a few good notes on Young: he attended the 2014 LeBron James Skills Academy, and is a fifth cousin of Paul George; their fourth great-grandmothers were twin sisters. (Indianapolis Star).
6) Young was held out of Wednesday’s game (rest), which allowed Jordan Howard the chance to start. Howard first saw minutes in the fourth quarter of Monday’s loss to Miami, when he hit 4 of 5 FG’s and 3 of 4 3’s, before totaling 9 points with three assists in 16 minutes against the Warriors. Against the Kings, Howard was largely responsible for getting the Lakers back into the game, nailing four straight 3’s to trim the 21-point deficit in half, and then added his fifth triple of the fourth quarter in the final minute to cut the margin to one. He finished with 25 points on 10 of 15 FG’s (5 of 5 3’s) plus four assists, four boards and a steal to reach a team-best +18. No stranger to scoring, the 5’11’’ guard ranked third in D1 while at Central Arkansas, where he broke Scottie Pippen’s scoring records.
7) After struggling in the opener as much of his teammates did, Devontae Cacok was terrific in Game 2, going off for 16 points, 12 boards, five steals, two blocks and two assists and was a game-best +25 in the win over Golden State. Afterwards, he told us that he wants to show people that his effort, intensity and all-around impact can translate to the next level. Cacok led the NCAA in rebounds in 2017-18 (13.5 per game) at UNC-Wilmington, and set an NCAA record as a sophomore by shooting 80 percent from the field, with almost all of his shots coming right at the rim. Cacok hit 6 of 9 FG’s against the Kings to finish the tourney with 13 points plus five boards.
8) Speaking of Cacok, an article in Sports Illustrated told us this, via Joey: He grew up playing football as an offensive lineman until he broke his wrist in eighth grade, causing him to miss most of the season. When it healed, he decided to play basketball for the very first time and claims he averaged “like one point a game.” But his play immediately improved after growing seven inches between his freshman and sophomore years.
9) Cacok’s bench mates Jaron Johnson and Marcus Allen -- a defensive ace who played for the South Bay Lakers last season – were very effective for the second straight day, as L.A.’s bench largely outplayed the starters due to their collective energy and athleticism. Johnson, Allen and Cacok turned the Warriors and Kings games around after the starters fell behind by double-digit margins with a combination of defense, rebounding and timely scoring.
10) South Bay Lakers head coach Coby Karl responded impressively to the opening loss, first by simplifying the offensive scheme and by encouraging defensive effort for all 24 seconds off the shot clock. Karl’s gone 83-67 (.553) in his three seasons with SBL, with two playoff appearances and one trip to the Conference Finals, and played for the Lakers in 2007-08 while also playing for the D-Fenders (prior to their becoming SBL). Karl, incidentally, is the second-leading scorer in Las Vegas Summer League history, totaling 337 points in 33 games over six seasons, including two with the Lakers. Archie Goodwin (375) passed him last summer. Players have responded very well to Karl’s teaching over the past few years, and he looks to have a bright future.