Lakers vs Hawks Summer League preview and Game Thread: Looking for the positives

With exactly two games to go, the least this summer Lakers team can do is make the most out of the opportunity they have left at the Las Vegas Summer League.

After failing to complete a comeback against the Boston Celtics last Monday, the Lakers are still searching for their first victory of the summer. They will attempt to snap their five-game losing streak against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks

When: 6:30 p.m. PT, July 17

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas

Watch: ESPN

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I think I speak on behalf of Lakers fans when I say that, at this point, we’re just searching for the positive takeaways we can get out of this extremely underwhelming summer stint by the purple and gold. This Lakers team has been a challenge to watch and they’re arguably up there as one of the worst teams ever assembled by the franchise in Summer League history.

They’ve played five games, but it seems they look more disorganized as each one passes. They don’t have a real playmaking guard and a competent rim protector. They lack offensive juice and can barely string defensive stops together. Add this all up, and you have a subpar team that’s currently winless in a competitive field consumed by young players trying to make a name for themselves.

With exactly two games to go, the least this team can do now is make the most out of the opportunity they have left. Let’s break down what some of these notable players have shown thus far and how they can maximize the time they have left in Vegas:

Can Dalton Knecht continue to prove he’s NBA-ready?

Perhaps one of the few highlights this summer is the performance of the team’s 17th overall pick. Knecht is averaging 22.0 points on 41.2% three-point shooting in Las Vegas. He’s been Los Angeles’ leading scorer in all three games so far in Las Vegas and, frankly, the only good consistent player on this team.

Obviously, a typical NBA game is a lot different than the one being played in the Summer League, but Knecht has certain skills that can help him transition to the parent team well. The rookie has his flaws, especially on the defensive side of the ball, but it’s nice to know that he has the potential to be a serviceable player this season.

Overall, it has been a successful summer stint for the University of Tennessee product and he has two games left to continue to show that he’s ready for the NBA.

Bronny James is a project in the works

I’m at a point where I sympathize with Bronny because he’s being covered by the national media as if he’s Victor Wembanyama. Every little thing he does on the court, whether he shoots an airball, gets a defensive stop or is crossed over, is being magnified around social media.

It’s reached a point where even Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown made headlines for being caught seemingly saying James isn’t ready to compete in the NBA, which he later on had to backtrack. All these unnecessary bits pretty much sum up the 55th pick’s NBA career so far and it’s unfortunate because it skews away from what James truly is: a developmental project in the works.

Coming off his worst summer game yet, where he shot 1-5 from the field, it’s clear by now that James has miles to go in order to be a competent professional player, and that’s okay. The sooner people understand that he’s a developmental prospect, the better it is regarding the expectations for the 19-year-old.

Does Maxwell Lewis have more to show?

Speaking of second-round picks, the Lakers’ 40th pick in the 2023 draft has been a tough watch since he arrived in Vegas. Lewis, who tallied just six points on 2-8 shooting against the Rockets, continues to show that he’s still a work in progress.

The Pepperdine alumnus’ performance this summer has indicated that he isn’t ready to contribute to the parent team yet and will most likely spend time in the G-League again this upcoming season.

Unless the 21-year-old saved the best for the last two games, Lewis’s summer has been mediocre at best. But the good news is, he has a lot of time to develop.

Is anyone else going to stand out?

Castleton, the team’s undrafted pick signed under a two-way contract, has also not stood out much this summer. The 24-year-old was an exciting prospect last season but one can argue after seeing his performance this summer that maybe his ceiling isn’t good enough for the NBA. These next two games are vital for him to prove that there’s still untapped potential.

In terms of the rest of the roster, Tommy Kuhse seems to be the most exciting undrafted guard but that’s not saying much. Blake Hinson, who had an impressive debut during the California Classic exhibition games, hasn’t made his presence felt much since. Current two-way signee Armel Traore hasn’t been a factor in any of these games. These undrafted players are supposedly the ones that make the roster fun and entertaining, but that hasn’t been the case this year.

Notes and Updates

• Part of the Hawks’ Summer League roster is Zaccharie Risacher, the first pick in this year’s NBA Draft. It’ll be a good test to see how well Knecht matches up with the forward.
• The Lakers will also play back-to-back games to close out their Las Vegas trip. After Wednesday’s game against the Hawks, they will face the Cleveland Cavaliers less than 24 hours later.
• In other news, in case you missed it, JJ Redick has added Lindsey Harding to his coaching staff. Harding, who was named the G-League coach of the year last season, is the first full-time female coach in franchise history.
• We’ll be live on Playback for this one, so be sure to join us to watch along!

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.