Before the Los Angeles Lakers can avenge their 2023 conference finals loss, they'll compete for the all-important Summer League championship in Las Vegas.
The Los Angeles Lakers were plenty busy on the night of the 2023 NBA Draft, selecting Indiana's Jalen Hood-Schifino with the No. 17 pick before moving up to select Pepperdine's Maxwell Lewis with the No. 40 pick in the second round.
When the night ended, the Lakers acted swiftly in the undrafted free agent market, swooping up Florida's Colin Castleton and Alex Fudge, as well as Missouri's D'Moi Hodge.
Naturally, all five will appear for the Lakers in Summer League action, which runs July 3-5 in Sacramento before shifting to Las Vegas from July 7-14, with the "playoffs" taking place afterward.
Who is on the Lakers' Summer League roster?
Here is the Lakers' full Summer League roster.
- Damion Baugh, G, TCU
- Colin Castleton, C, Florida
- Max Christie, G, Lakers/Michigan State
- LJ Figueroa, F, Oregon
- Alex Fudge, F, Florida
- Bryce Hamilton, G, UNLV
- D'Moi Hodge, G, Missouri
- Jalen Hood-Schifino, G, Indiana
- Sacha Killeya-Jones, C, Kentucky
- Maxwell Lewis, G, Pepperdine
- Scotty Pippen Jr., G, Lakers/Vanderbilt
- Cole Swider, F, Lakers/Syracuse
The focus will naturally be on Hood-Schifino, the highest draft pick on the roster. The Lakers are aiming to compete next season, but there could be room for Hood-Schifino to carve out minutes with the big-league club depending on how the free agency decisions of Dennis Schroder, D'Angelo Russell, and Austin Reaves play out.
With Hood-Schifino, pay attention to his decision-making as a lead ball-handler. The Lakers can afford to give him free rein over the offense in Vegas. Hood-Schifino's craft and touch scoring the ball are unquestionable, but how consistently does he get teammates involved and how efficiently does he find his spots? Does he get all the way to the rim, or does he settle for contested jumpers?
Those questions and the answer we receive could determine whether or not Hood-Schifino gets immediate run or spends his first season racking up experience points in the G-League.
Max Christie flashed real 3-and-D upside on the wing as a rookie. The Lakers will be hoping he takes the next step in 2023-24. A good sign with second-year players is when they outclass Summer League competition. The Lakers will hope that's the case with Christie.
The same can be said for Scotty Pippen Jr. and Cole Swider, but they're further from being rotation-level NBA players. This is an opportunity for them to showcase growth in extended minutes.
Maxwell Lewis, the Lakers' second-round pick, was pegged by many as a first-round talent. He struggled to win games at Pepperdine, a definite red flag, but he's looks and moves like a future star. LA fans should temper expectations, but if Lewis competes on defense and makes the right reads on offense, that could signal a potential steal with the No. 40 pick.
Colin Castleton profiles as a potential third-string center with size and some mid-range shooting touch.
Hodge and Fudge were productive college players who will face a steep learning curve to crack an NBA rotation.