With D'Angelo Russell sitting out to rest up for the upcoming Team USA camp, and Larry Nance Jr. out with a sprained wrist, the Los Angeles Lakers put out a younger squad for its final 2016 NBA Summer League game.
The Lakers lost a close contest 92-88 to conclude their summer session with a 3-2 record.
Despite the defeat, the Lakers' top draft pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Brandon Ingram, put on his best performance of the Summer League. The rookie appeared to understand a void existed and took the impetus to lead the Lakers in the finale.
"I felt comfortable," Ingram said after the game. "I saw I was knocking down shots today, so I just try to get to spots and knock down shots."
By halftime, Ingram had 13 points on 5-8 shooting from the field, including a made three-pointer.
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The former Duke University Blue Devil displayed intelligence on both ends of the court, as he read the passing lanes for an easy steal and finished on the opposite end of the court with ease. Ingram's length allows the 18-year-old to disrupt passes, recover on defensive closeouts and shoot over defenders effortlessly.
On Friday night, Ingram's shot was dropping, and the Lakers' rookie had 17 points on 7-10 shooting by the end of the third quarter. Ingram finished with 22 points, five rebounds and four assists in an impressive performance.
Along with Ingram, rookie Ivica Zubac also stepped up to show his quality. The 19-year-old center claimed his first double-double of the Summer League with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Perhaps most impressively, Zubac patrolled the paint with six blocks against the Jazz. Zubac finished only four shots shy of a triple-double.
"I didn't know I'm going to play like this," Zubac said after the game. "I knew I'm going to let everybody see what I have, prove myself, why they picked me, but I didn't know I'm going to play like this."
Though the Lakers stayed close and made the game interesting, the Utah Jazz managed to outlast the young Lakers and won 92-88. Joel Bolomboy led Utah with 20 points on the night.
