The Los Angeles Lakers have already had an eventful first wave of the offseason. But that excitement will soon give way to the NBA’s Summer League. All 30 teams will converge upon Las Vegas as rookies and young players alike will look to showcase their talents in the desert.
While some players may have a ticket to the Lakers’ roster this season, some may have to earn their way. That includes one player that has been invited to compete in the Summer League but has already grabbed the attention of a former Lakers guard.
Former Lakers Guard Patrick Beverley Hypes Up Cole Swider Ahead of NBA Summer League
Cole Swider is in his second (unofficial) stint with the Lakers after being invited to the team’s Summer League squad earlier this month. While he has yet to hit the court, a video of him draining 3-pointers in front of Los Angeles’s 2024 first-round pick Dalton Knecht went viral. When a fan suggested that Knecht shouldn’t let Swider “come into your house and take your meal,” Beverley quoted the post and hyped up Swider.
“No, no, no. Cole [different],” Beverley wrote. “Cole is an elite shot maker. If he ever gets a chance, the [world emoji] will see.”
No No No, Cole diff. Cole is an Elite shot maker. if he ever gets a chance the 🌎 will see @coleswider21 @PatBevPod https://t.co/Cw33cLAdwF
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) July 7, 2025
Despite Beverley’s endorsement, Swider has yet to have an extended opportunity in the NBA. He’s played in 35 games across three seasons, breaking in with the Lakers in the 2022-23 season and playing with the Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons and the Toronto Raptors over the past two years. His .364/.329/.667 splits doesn’t reveal the “elite shot maker” that Beverley is talking about but his collegiate career was a different story.
Swider was part of Villanova’s national championship team in 2018-19 but his playing time spiked the following season. He shot .442/.352/.667 during his sophomore season and .426/.402/.750 in his junior season with the Wildcats but kept draining shots when he transferred to Syracuse for his senior year. After shooting .440/.411/.866 in his lone season with the Orange, he joined the Lakers as an undrafted free agent and became a teammate of Beverley.
Whatever Beverley saw might have been similar to Swider's performance in the G-League, where he averaged 20 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting .501/.454/.847 in 59 career games. While more high profile names on the roster, it may be hard for Swidel to stand out, but he has one supporter and could use that to earn an opportunity for the upcoming season.