Dalton Knecht, Darius Bazley and Cole Swider shine for the Los Angeles Lakers in their NBA Summer League matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.
After making the blockbuster move in the middle of the season to get Luka Doncic, the NBA season did not end the way as imagined for the Los Angeles Lakers. With LeBron James entering his 23rd year in the league, the Lakers need to develop a championship-contending roster sooner rather than later to maximize James’ time in SoCal. Losing Dorian Finney-Smith hurts, but picking up Deandre Ayton helps to fill that big man void. As it stands on paper, the Lakers are not one of the contenders, but that is where the 2025 NBA Summer League comes into play.
Since their bubble championship, depth has always been an issue for the Lakers, so it is paramount that Rob Pelinka is satisfied with a player or two joining the roster from the Summer League. They are looking for players to step up, and many did on Tuesday, including Dalton Knecht, Cole Swider and Darius Bazley.
Cole Swider Shows Promise in Early 2025 NBA Summer League
Through the first three games that the Lakers have played in the 2025 NBA Summer League, it looks like the Lakers have found a potential contributor in Cole Swider. You might remember Swider from his time in college at Villanova or Syracuse. While in his senior season at Syracuse, Swider started at the four and scored 13.9 points per game (PPG). Since then, Swider has been grinding to work for an NBA spot.
Going undrafted in 2022, Swider signed a two-way contract with the Lakers. He then bounced around the G-League, before finding a home with the Raptors last year, where he averaged 7.4 PPG. After being waived, Swider rejoined the Lakers.
At 26 years old, Swider has shown flashes of making a roster spot with his great play in the NBA Summer League. In the Lakers’ first game, Swider poured in 24 points on 7/10 shooting from the field and 6/8 shooting from three. He followed that up with a 20-point performance in the team’s second game. On top of pouring in points, Swider has shown flashes on the defensive side of the ball, totaling 11 rebounds and two steals. He kept that forward momentum, scoring 15 points on Tuesday.
When looking at the Lakers’ current roster, there is an obvious need for wing depth, as outside of James, Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt, there is nothing that really scares opponents. Should Swider continue to impress in Summer League, a two-way contract feels likely with the potential for a roster spot come later in the season.
Lakers Need More Production from Bronny James, Dalton Knecht
The two notable names on the Los Angeles Lakers’ NBA Summer League roster are Bronny James and Dalton Knecht. While neither of these guys is in particular danger of not having a job come the regular season, it would be nice to see a little more production this summer. Given his name alone, it is safe to assume that James will be bouncing between the G-League with maybe a couple of appearances in the NBA. We knew James was not ready for the NBA, so continuing to develop him will be a major need. Even so, through two games played for James, he has scored just 12 points on 4/12. The good thing for James is that his athleticism and perimeter defense are well above average, but his ball handling and offensive game will need a lot of work to make strides in the NBA.
As for Dalton Knecht, he, like James, is in no position to lose a position within the Lakers organization. Knecht’s ability to score the ball and create his own offense is his best skill. When spotting up, it looks like every one of Knecht’s shots is going in. The only issue is that throughout the first three NBA Summer League games, that has not been the case. He has scored a total of 14 points on 5/20 shooting before erupting for 25 points last night. When talking about wing depth, Knecht probably has the most lead way to be that fourth player just given his talent and the draft capital the Lakers spent on him.
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