The Los Angeles Lakers have signed three players to their two-way contracts this offseason, all of them being undrafted rookies. That is the trio of Alex Fudge, Colin Castleton and D’Moi Hodge, all of whom have made waves among Lakers fans at some point during NBA Summer League or since being signed by the Lakers earlier in the offseason. The three will all have opportunities to be with LeBron James on the Lakers between time with the G League’s South Bay Lakers.
That means that as rookies — and primarily G League players — they will all have the chance to share a court with James. Fudge was less than one year old when James made his NBA debut in 2003. Castleton was three and Hodge was four. So to share a court with a player they have seen the entire career arc of is likely a surreal feeling.
All three confirmed this when they had the opportunity to meet James for the first time at the Lakers practice facility. Fudge, Castleton and Hodge were all going for a normal workout when they saw James in the facility doing a workout of his own. He met with all three and introduced himself, as the three described, via South Bay:
Meeting the King 👑#SBLakers x @Lakers pic.twitter.com/ldPKnrFXGI
— South Bay Lakers (@SouthBayLakers) September 1, 2023
James is unarguably one of the most iconic figures in the history of basketball. And it should be huge for the development of the young two-way players to get to meet James and learn alongside one of the best basketball minds in the league.
Of course, with the Lakers competing for a potential championship during the 2023-24 season, it’s unlikely that Fudge, Castleton and Hodge will see any legitimate playing time. But they will have time to practice with the team and one could easily surprise and become a more regular player.
The Lakers have had instant success with players on two-way contracts before, and next to the high IQs of James, Anthony Davis and players like Austin Reaves, there’s no ceiling for what a two-way player can accomplish in L.A.
Reaves favored to win Most Improved Player
Reaves, the third-year Lakers guard currently turning heads for his work with Team USA at the FIBA World Cup, has now become the betting favorite to win the 2023-24 Most Improved Player Award. He’ll need to capitalize on the momentum and grow even more from a postseason run that saw him cement himself as perhaps the third-best player on the Lakers roster.
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