The 2023 Las Vegas Summer League will be kicking off this weekend and fans will be able to get a look at some of the future stars of the NBA. Top picks Victor Wembenyama and Scoot Henderson will surely draw some big crowds, as will the Los Angeles Lakers, who always bring out all the fans and this year will be no different with a squad headlined by Jalen Hood-Schifino and Max Christie.
The Summer League has also turned into a place where the NBA can begin experimenting with different potential rule changes and try them out on a trial basis to see how it works. Some of the biggest complaints recently have been about the flopping that still is rampant around the league, as well as the limited usage of coach’s challenges.
The NBA is considering making some changes and the Las Vegas Summer League will be the testing ground. The league announced that it will be trying a new challenge rule in which a team will be granted a second challenge if their first one is successful:
The proposed Coach's Challenge rule will be in effect on a provisional basis for all 2023 NBA summer leagues. pic.twitter.com/Bqat0AnfRg
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 4, 2023
With teams only being allowed one challenge, most coaches save it until the end of the game so that they can challenge a close out of bounds or foul call in the final minutes. But this often means clearly wrong calls that occur earlier aren’t challenged because they don’t want to waste it. With this change, a team could challenge a call early and still have one for later if they’re right.
That won’t be the only rule being tested as the league also announced a new in-game flopping rule will also be tested in Vegas:
An updated version of the proposed In-Game Flopping Penalty is below.
Please note: Rather than the opposing team always getting possession after a flop, the league’s resumption of play rules will apply. https://t.co/8GUf4X54mz pic.twitter.com/9j8ufm3qWN
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) July 5, 2023
Essentially, if a player is deemed to have committed a flop in the game, the opposing team will be awarded a free throw. Basically it is a technical foul, but without the possibility of leading to an ejection and the officials are able to go back and check a previous play as opposed to stopping the live game.
Regardless of whether these rules work, it is great seeing the NBA take note of issues that hurt the game last year and look to find ways to fix them.
Lakers’ Max Christie happy to show off improvements in Summer League
When the Lakers take the court for Las Vegas Summer League, second year wing Max Christie will undoubtedly be one of the team’s key players. That was certainly the case in the Lakers’ debut in the California Classic and Christie was pleased to show off the improvements he has made in the offseason.
Most notably, Christie spoke about how he has worked really hard to improve his on-ball skills as a dribbler, creator and scorer. The Lakers wing added that he felt more assertive and confident overall and wants to continue being more comfortable with the ball in his hands.
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