LA Lakers Announce Summer League Schedule
By Alan Huerta
With the NBA draft nine days away, the Los Angeles Lakers are set to turn the historic franchise around with the 2nd, 27th and 34th overall pick. Although the team has worked out numerous prospects for the second pick, the Lakers are reportedly ‘locked in’ on drafting Jahlil Okafor, as all signs point to the Minnesota Timberwolves selecting Karl-Anthony Towns with the first overall pick, according to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated:
|”The Lakers are going through the motions with other draft prospects—D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay have been in for workouts—but multiple league sources say L.A. is locked in on Okafor. Despite being overtaken by Towns, scouts still see Okafor as a franchise center—one with an enormous upside.”|
That being said, the Lakers official Twitter account released the summer league schedule this morning:
The schedule was followed by the official press release via the Los Angeles Lakers:
EL SEGUNDO – The National Basketball Association announced today the schedule for the 2015 Samsung NBA Summer League, with the Lakers officially tipping off on Friday, July 10 in Las Vegas against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The two remaining scheduled games are against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday, July 11, and the New York Knicks on Monday, July 13, meaning the Lakers (who hold the second overall pick in next Thursday’s NBA Draft) will face off with the teams that hold the first, third, and fourth overall selections. All three contests will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center at 5:30 p.m. Pacific.
The Summer League entry is expected to feature Los Angeles’ 2015 NBA Draft selections, in addition to 2015 NBA All-Rookie First Team member Jordan Clarkson, 2014 seventh overall pick Julius Randle, and sophomore center Tarik Black, who all concluded the 2014-15 season on the Laker roster.
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After competing in the three preliminary games, teams will be seeded in a tournament that starts on July 15 and concludes with the Championship Game on July 20. Each team is guaranteed to play at least five games.
All Lakers summer league games will be televised on Time Warner Cable SportsNet and Time Warner Cable Deportes, as well as NBA TV.
Tickets for the Samsung NBA Summer League are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets by visiting NBATickets.com, or by calling 702-739-FANS.
With so much talent and potential coming in with the draft selections and returning players for the team, the Lakers’ franchise seems to be headed back in the right direction. The NBA Draft will be held on June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with so much anticipation set on what the Lakers will do with three picks and free agency around the corner (begins July 1).
Whoever the Lakers’ select in the draft, expect all of them to join 2015 NBA All-Rookie First Team member Jordan Clarkson (drafted in the 2nd round), 2014 seventh overall pick Julius Randle (who broke his foot on Opening Night), and sophomore center Tarik Black, who is looking to get back on the team’s roster in 2015-16.