He also ranked second in the NBA among rookies in field-goal percentage at the rim 2. And it wasn’t as if he just wildly sped down the floor in those situations: Hart, at 1.18 points per transition possession, was scoring nearly as well as the Houston Rockets, who led the NBA in transition scoring efficiency last year at 1.20. Hart, one of the Lakers’ many solid-rebounding wings who could lead the break, was responsible for much of that 31.5 percent of his offensive plays came in transition - the highest rate in the league, per Synergy Sports 1. Hart’s ability to beat the defense before it’s set will be one of the Lakers’ greatest weapons - both when James is quarterbacking things and when he’s on the bench.Īt 10.4 seconds per possession, the Lakers had the NBA’s second-fastest offense after securing a defensive board last season, trailing only the Golden State Warriors (10.0 seconds), according to advanced-stats website Inpredictable. Yet there’s reason to believe that Hart, in his own way, will be just as important in the grand scheme. The former college star who led Villanova to a national title took 6.0 shot attempts per game as a rookie, scoring 7.9 points and taking a definitive backseat to far more heralded Lakers youngsters such as Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma. After all, the second-year Hart - who is all of 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds - may not even start for this talented team. Josh Hart is something of a makeshift James clone, and he could very quietly end up being the club’s second-most-important player because of the unusual, Swiss Army knife role he plays.Īt first blush, that might seem preposterous. But no: We’re not talking about the NBA’s best player, LeBron James. Monday against the Kings will be a tough outing for the shorthanded Lakers, but ultimately the long-term goals of the franchise take priority.In case you hadn’t noticed, the Los Angeles Lakers have a cerebral, multi-talented player who is strong as an ox and competes like a runaway train. That leaves the Lakers without the core of their summer league team, leaving players like Vander Blue, David Nwaba, Ivica Zubac and the rest of the undrafted players that make up the roster to pick up the slack. Thomas Bryant is also listed as probable, dealing with left knee soreness.
Not only will the Lakers be without Kuzma, but Lonzo Ball (sore groin), Josh Hart (right ankle sprain) and Brandon Ingram (shut down after Game 1) are also out against Sacramento. Kuzma is coming off a dominant performance against the Boston Celtics, dropping a game-high 31 points while splashing five of his 10 three-point attempts.
Kyle Kuzma is one of four Lakers out against Sacramento, missing the team’s third exhibition game due to cramps, the team announced hours before tip-off. The Los Angeles Lakers are going into their Monday night Las Vegas Summer League game against the Sacramento Kings without most of the headlining talents of their summer squad.
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