Three takeaways from Sunday’s Lakers vs. Hornets summer league game
The Los Angeles Lakers’ entry in the NBA Summer League got its second straight win on Sunday when it notched a 93-75 victory over the Charlotte Hornets in a matinee contest.
The squad seems to be finding itself, both collectively and individually, after it lost both of its games in the California Classic on Monday and Wednesday. The Lakers have won both of their games thus far in the main summer league, and they have looked fairly impressive at times.
By now, a few of their players have established themselves as potential or even serious NBA prospects. These three players looked especially spry on Sunday afternoon.
Max Christie is looking like a well-rounded player
After playing excellent ball in his first three summer league games, Christie had a rough offensive outing on Sunday with 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting. But that told only part of the story.
In a couple of other aspects of the game, the soon-to-be second-year guard made a positive impact. He had six assists in 31 minutes, which included two lovely dimes in transition. Christie led the break early in the third quarter and dished off a nice pass to Cole Swider for a dunk, and later he had a nice lead pass in transition to Maxwell Lewis for a dunk of his own.
The 6-foot-5 man also had four blocked shots versus Charlotte. The Lakers have reportedly challenged him to be a dominant defender, and he seems to be responding to that challenge.
Colin Castleton has been surprisingly productive
It’s hard to tell how much NBA potential Castleton, an undrafted big man from the University of Florida, truly has. But he has played very well thus far in the NBA Summer League.
On Sunday, he had 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He also dropped off three assists, and he appears to have potential in operating from the high post or in the pick-and-roll as a facilitator. He even led the break late in the third quarter and found forward Alex Fudge for the jam.
Castleton also showed some prowess on the boards by taking down 14 rebounds on Sunday. In previous contests, he looked soft boxing out and going after rebounds, but he showed some improvement in that category versus Charlotte.
Maxwell Lewis started to show his potential
Lewis, the No. 40 pick in this year’s draft out of Pepperdine University, was quiet in Los Angeles’ first three games. But on Sunday, he came out of his shell.
He scored a dozen points in 20 minutes on 5-of-9 shooting, which included two 3-pointers, one of which he hit off a nice step-back move. He got a couple of dunks on the fast break, as well as a third on a cut to the basket during a halfcourt set.
The keys for Lewis may be discipline and focus, especially on the defensive end, where he has the potential to be very effective thanks to his 7-foot wingspan. But his skills on offense are already evident.