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The Los Angeles Lakers are forging ahead with LeBron James, and even though James is still taking up much of the chatter in the league, the Summer League is starting to take over, too.
The Summer League is an exciting time in the NBA. It's when rookies get a chance to prove that they can fit in with the big guys. Second and third-year players who haven't gotten much playing time get to prove they're still worth keeping around. Benches get made. Players who have been invisible suddenly appear to everyone and make some noise.
One second-year Lakers player is getting a lot of attention after his performance on Saturday in the Summer League. It's the good kind of attention, too.
Arthur Kaluma has strong performance with the Lakers
Former Texas standout Arthur Kaluma had an absolutely electric performance during the Lakers' NBA Summer League matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. The second-year player out of Texas showed that he has a variety of tools in his kit and finished with a game-high 34 points and five rebounds in the Lakers' 91-70 victory.
The 6-foot-8 forward's performance should put him back into the conversation. One of his most impressive moves was sinking six 3s. He was also 11-for-16 from the field. Kaluma had 18 points on Friday against the Thunder, and he already seemed refreshed by Saturday.
"It's just his confidence," Lakers Summer League coach Ty Abbott said about Kaluma's performance after the matchup. "And understanding of how to play without the ball in your hand."
He added that against the Thunder, it was a "situation where he's just finding windows, he’s crashing, he’s creating extra possessions, getting putbacks, tip-ins, and he’s getting fouls, and he’s taking advantage of smaller defenders. Today, he had some actions run for him and he was ready."
Don't be surprised if you see more of Kaluma with the Lakers this season. That's what the Summer League is all about: finding new talent but also hidden gems that have been around.
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