First of all, I just wanted to thank all new subscribers and the current subscribers for joining me on this substack. I drilled pretty hard through the month of July going through game tape and narrowing down on the players that I thought would be the most effective from the draft regardless of draft position, and the players that are worth highlighting due to any connection with Los Angeles or Klutch.
(photo from Summer League 2017)
Through 8/12, the Lakers have already completed the 2021 California Classic held in Sacramento, and two games at the Las Vegas Summer Pro League. This article will cover Austin Reaves, Joel Ayayi, and Trevelin Queen. Other players will be covered at a later date.
Let’s start with the player that started off hot, in Austin Reaves. His willingness to play through contact at both ends of the floor has made the transition from Oklahoma to summer league a lot easier. His role at Oklahoma as a lead initiator, trying to create advantage situations on offense, has only helped his ball-handling, passing, decision-making, and his scoring abilities. It’s a dramatic change from his archetype at Wichita State, but as this 3:00 video will show, he plays poised under tough defensive pressure, and does a great job attacking of what the defense gives him.
This particular play at the 0:36 mark, sums of Reaves’s game altogether. This is a signature play by him, showing his poise, IQ, and maintaining his abilities through contact. Through tough defensive pressure, well beyond the arc, he plays through it, evades a defender with a crossover, maintains his composure and handle after a bump, and then cuts away from the pressure up high to get an open layup.
Joel Ayayi had a tougher start to the summer. He played on a great Gonzaga team, well balanced in terms of playmaking, interior play, and perimeter shooting. A summer league setting doesn’t usually lend to a ton of team play, with offensive sets going 4,5, or 6 actions deep. Against the Knicks, he finally started showing some confidence again, starting with this play with Justin Robinson finding him in the corner. The Knicks made a mistake defensively, Robinson was patient in letting both Knick players fly to him at the corner. Ayayi faked a pass right, which kept the defender at his side, and he attacked the open lane.
Still, Ayayi’s off ball game is in full effect, even if he isn’t getting touches. Chaundee Brown Jr. makes this shot on the drive, but you can see that this could be a jump pass to an uncontested layup. Look how well he times his movement, coinciding with the Brown Jr. drive.
(Stills from the YouTube link above)
That looks like a dump off for an open shot while Toppin is mid-air.
Austin Reaves cooled off a bit during the game against the Knicks. Miles McBride did what he does best with man-defense along the perimeter, but it was good to see Ayayi get a few more pick-and-roll reps, and be aggressive when the ball did swing to him eventually. Here he shows his floater touch, which along with his finishing ability at the rim and solid 3-point shooting, projects to an even higher 3-point field goal percentage down the line. The subtle fake on Wayne Selden freezes him, and Ayayi gets to the rim.
Trevelin Queen was a lot more aggressive as well, after a slightly more passive start during the California Classic. He just has a knack for forcing turnovers defensively on actions beyond the 3-point line, and finally started showing some of his offensive ability.
Here, he shows three consecutive plays of that increased offensive aggression. I especially liked his shots done off-the-dribble.
But what really stuck out for me, was this movement 3-point shot even when his feet weren’t perfectly set. While he doesn’t have the kind of reputation as a shooter as say, Sam Hauser or Kyle Korver of years past, this is the kind of shot, that when consistent, gets guys on NBA teams.
I was not going to wrap up the Trevelin Queen section without highlighting what I think he does best.
The Lakers are halfway through their summer league, and although Chaundee Brown Jr. and Mac McClung have signed Exhibit-10 contracts (Congrats to them!), guys like Justin Robinson, Tres Tinkle, Zavier Simpson, Alan Griffin, and the rest of the roster linked here, still have something to prove.
Overall, they have been competitive games, playing a higher level of basketball than what is typical of summer league. Hopefully, other guys still get opportunities and stay injury free. Personally, I would love it if Alan Griffin, Tres Tinkle, Chaundee Brown Jr., and Trevelin Queen at bare minimum, get a chance to play on the South Bay Lakers. That would make for a fun season.