After striking out at the California Classic, the Los Angeles Lakers looked to change their luck as they traveled to Las Vegas to continue their Summer League schedule. L.A. possesses two intriguing talents from their 2024 draft class in Dalton Knecht and Bronny James, which means venues have been packed to watch them play despite being winless.
That was the case on Friday as the Lakers took on the Houston Rockets in the Las Vegas opener. However, when it comes to the on-court product, L.A. has struggled to find their way in playing winning basketball. A key part to that is the offense has not been structured and players are struggling to shoot efficiently.
On Friday, it seemed that the Lakers were off to a better start as they scored 26 points in the first quarter. However, the wheels started to fall off as L.A. did not score over 20 points in any quarter for the rest of the game.
Nonetheless, wins are not necessary at this time of year, but rather how prospects perform against NBA talent. Knecht, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, had his first breakout game with 25 points, six rebounds and four assists on 9-for-18 from the field and 5-for-11 from 3-point range.
Outside of Knecht, only two players reached double figures for the Lakers in Colin Castleton and Tommy Kuhse. Heading into Monday, hopefully L.A. is able to have a more put together game to sustain offense throughout all four quarters.
Playing their rival Boston Celtics, they have some young talent in Jordan Walsh, who is entering his sophomore season, rookie Baylor Scheierman, Ron Harper Jr. and Jaelen House. Walsh had himself a solid Summer League last year averaging 16 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1 steal but was held to just four points in their loss to the Miami Heat on Saturday.
On the other hand, Scheierman had a strong debut with 13 points and is coming off a college season with Creighton where he averaged 18.5 points, nine rebounds and 3.9 assists on 44.8% from the field and 38.1% from 3-point range. It can be expected that Walsh and Scheierman may see extended time and possess a bulk of the Celtics offense, although it was Jaden Springer that led them in scoring in their first game with 23 points.
There will be extra competitive juice due to his rivalry, but for the Lakers, they again need to focus on both ends of the floor. L.A. has looked like a team with not much chemistry with each other, but hopefully with now four games under their belt, the Lakers can begin to turn the tide.
Los Angeles Lakers (0-1) vs. Boston Celtics (0-1)
7:30 p.m. PT, July 15, 2024
Thomas and Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: NBA TV
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Tommy Kuhse
SG: Bronny James
SF: Dalton Knecht
PF: Maxwell Lewis
C: Colin Castleton
Key Reserves: Blake Hinson, Armel Traore, Moses Brown, Trent Forrest
Projected Celtics Starting Lineup:
PG: JD Davison
SG: Jaden Springer
SF: Baylor Scheierman
PF: Jordan Walsh
C: Neemias Queta
Key Reserves: Drew Peterson, Anton Watson, Jahmi’us Ramsey, Ron Harper Jr., Jaelen House
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