Reflections on Lakers Summer League Opener

Some of my takeaways from watching the Lakers' Las Vegas Summer League opener against the Clippers.

1. Brandon Ingram was by far the best player on the floor, and he was playing like he knows he is the best player on the Lakers. This version of him is who I was excited about being drafted last year. Now, with D'Angelo Russell out of the way, Ingram gets to be the floor general and play with a more aggressive style. He was successful every time he put the ball on the floor and attacked the basket, and his jump shot looked confident and reliable.

2. I really want Ivica Zubac to develop into a serviceable big man, but it looks like he still has a long way to go. It is evident that he has some skills, but he still hesitates and doesn't carry himself with any sense of strength or aggression.

3. Vander Blue could be Lou Williams. A pure energy scorer off the bench, able to attack the basket at will and can seemingly create his own shot whenever he wants.

4. Lonzo Ball plays the game so fast, he's ahead of everyone but Ingram. His shooting totals (2 for 15, 1 for 11 from 3) were pretty disappointing, but at least three of those shots were end-of-clock heaves. It wasn't until his seventh attempt that he made his first three. I understand continuing to put shots up because he wanted to see one go in. I'm actually glad he did. But continuing to put up the same shots after that seemed unnecessary. I wanted to see him default to attacking the basket more and get his teammates accustomed to what that's going to look like and when to expect passes to be flying at them.

5. Lavar Ball's halftime interview is the best sound clip I have ever heard out of him. He put the attention on Lonzo, acknowledged a changing Laker culture and that the team winning is ahead of Lonzo's performance, and declared that Lonzo's relationship with Magic is the most important thing for Lonzo moving forward. If this is the version of Lavar that becomes the norm, I will be very pleased.

6. I really like Sindarius Thornwell of the Clippers. His performance and leadership during the NCAA tournament last year, single-handedly propelling the Gamecocks to their first Final Four appearance, was incredible. There are some doubts regarding his size and athleticism translating into the NBA, but he repeatedly made intelligent basketball plays today, and his physical abilities look like they are more than enough to get the job done.