Lakers announce Las Vegas Summer League roster

Rarely has summer league been so relevant for the Lakers, as they try to rebuild a nonexistent wing rotation using the highly limited resources available to them, meaning that we may very well see one or two of these names on the final roster on opening day. Not only are many of these players significantly cheaper than the veterans on the market, they also offer a chance at upside and future returns that many of those better known commodities cannot reciprocate. That the Lakers probably shouldn't care too much about how many wins they can get next season only gives them more reasons to take the proverbial leap of faith here; having them all fail to pan out only increases the value of their 2014 draft pick and if not, they will have found an interesting contributor that could be part of the team's post-2014 framework.

Naturally, we must again bring up that summer league should be viewed with a healthy amount of skepticism. The number of bit players who have put up big numbers against this level of competition is lengthy, our very own Adam Morrison being a prominent example of this in the past. That all being said, we shouldn't allow this to prejudice our thinking that much: you can't blame guys for playing well regardless of the circumstances in front of them. As a result, when looking at the guy who dominated his competition in summer league, be pleased he's probably getting a training camp invite for a closer look rather than considering him a mortal lock to be a significant part of the rotation for the parent team.

As far as the list of players go, we now have a full list courtesy of ESPNLA's Jovan Buha, including the tidbit that Dan D'Antoni will be coaching the team. This was going to be the case regardless, but it cements that Mike D'Antoni's system, or at the very least what facsimile of it can be implemented in a handful of practices, will be run during summer league. Essentially any wing player who has a pulse and can shoot will receive the lion's share of attention for training camp invites, although given how shallow the Lakers are in the back end of their rotation in general -- especially since all of their young players save Robert Sacre are no longer on the team -- they will no doubt keep an open mind as to who to retain. We covered seven members of this list in a previous piece, so refer back to that for everyone else as we cover the remainder of the squad:

Chris Douglas-Roberts

Hello, guy who is more or less a mortal lock to get to training camp and probably make the roster. Honestly, CDR probably should have made it last year over Darius Johnson-Odom, a hindsight observation made much stronger by how empty the rotation was behind Metta World Peace at the three due to Devin Ebanks electing to fall off the face of the earth. To further press his case, CDR practically annihilated his D-League competition and at the moment, is likely the most complete wing product the Lakers could sign to fill a spot in the rotation. There might even be a non-zero possibility that he's the starter at the three on opening night depending on whether you believe Kobe Bryant will be sufficiently healthy to be active. CDR certainly has his limitations in the big leagues, whether it's the inconsistency of his long ball outside of a D-League environment or the issue of whether he has sufficient athleticism to finish against NBA defenders, but against summer league competition, he should remind Laker viewers of Kobe.

Josh Selby

Selby, a very athletic guard out of Kansas the Grizzlies selected in 2011, already has that achievement under his belt, as he dominated summer league last year to the tune of 24.2 points per game. To illustrate how that hardly correlates with NBA success, he barely played for the Grizzlies and is now trying to break into the league as a Laker. Nevertheless, Selby has a lot of great physical tools for a guard, boasting a 42'' vertical as well as a lightning fast first step, and he was one of the most highly recruited players in the country at Kansas. He simply hasn't put together a skill set capable of harnessing that athleticism and sticking in the league, whether it is his jumper, decision-making ability, or consistency in general.

The Grizzlies picked him the second round as a flier on that potential and it should be emphasized that Selby is still only 22 years old. There's no guarantee he turns the corner while in a Laker uniform, but he absolutely has the highest ceiling of any of these prospects, making it a no-brainer decision for the Lakers to take a shot on him. Even if he doesn't have a natural landing spot on the parent squad, the aforementioned dearth of talented young players on the roster means that there is probably a strong chance we see Selby again in training camp should he play as well as he did last year in summer league.

Lazar Hayward

The Lakers had the opportunity to view the former Marquette product in their own backyard as Hayward played for their D-League affiliate last season. His stats mostly speak for themselves, as he was highly efficient, notably from behind the arc, and he also did all the little things on the court, whether rebounding or occasionally playmaking, all indications of how seamlessly he was expected to transition into becoming a role player due to the high praise Buzz Williams' players get for their fundamentals. Hayward's ceiling will always be limited by his so-so athleticism and he'll have to find a way to consistently contribute on offense, so ensuring that his three-point accuracy in the D-League translates to the next level, a continual theme for most of these players, will be very important for him. On a team in which he won't be asked to carry a lot of the scoring load with CDR and Selby present, he'll have the opportunities to demonstrate this.

Lester Hudson.

The oldest player on the roster, a strange designation for someone who was drafted only four years ago, Hudson has more of a two guard's game despite being only 6'1'', although he has improved his playmaking ability quite a bit since entering the league. A factor in the drive and kick game for the Toros, Hudson can be effective in that regard, although he has trouble creating for himself without the benefit of a screen. In college, Hudson was lauded for his defensive chops and his fundamentals no doubt played a role in the Celtics drafting him in 2009. On the other hand, he's not that great of an athlete and lacks the elite lateral quickness to turn those skills into a more tangible NBA skill. This noted, Hudson's production in the D-League speaks for itself, his age notwithstanding, and he will no doubt get quite a few minutes in the backcourt as the Lakers sort through the variety of options available to them at those spots.

Jordan Williams

One of the big mysteries of last year was why Jordan Williams, who was a productive 14.5 PER backup big for the Nets until he was traded to Atlanta as part of the Joe Johnson trade, was never able to find a home after being waived in the offseason. Although he is undersized for the five at 6'9'' and not particularly athletic, Williams competes well, is active on the boards, and is still only 22. In that line, he was making strides towards developing a midrange shot up to the 2012 draft, although he never got the opportunity to use it in more than a very limited sample size. Weirdly, Williams is probably a better prospect than the guy that will be the Laker starting summer league center in Robert Sacre and has a far superior NBA track record. We shouldn't discount Sacre's ability to improve or his possible chemistry value to the team, but don't be surprised if Williams outproduces Sacre in any given game.

D.J. Seeley

Seeley appears to be the classic example of a big mid-major scorer who will have to prove that his production wasn't merely a result of weak competition at CSF. Needless to say, having to transfer from Cal to an easier locale doesn't reflect well on him, even if he did eventually flourish after the move. And to his credit, Seeley developed as a playmaker and a scorer as he went from his junior to senior year, scoring more efficiently while upping his ratio as he carried a large offensive burden -- 27.0 usage rate -- for his squad. With a number of options ahead of him on the wing, Seeley will have to be quite exceptional in both these regards to shine out from his peers on the team, although summer league squads are generally fairly good about giving most guys a fair shot to demonstrate their skills at some juncture, so Seeley will probably have his day in the limelight to prove himself.

Renaldo Woolridge

Apologies to Renaldo, but it seems fairly likely that he's here as a tribute to his father, Orlando Woolridge, a former Laker who unfortunately passed away recently rather than his skill on the court. At both Tennessee and USC, Renaldo was a bit player, rarely getting significant playing time and not doing anything particularly notable when he was on the court either. His career 45.0 TS% belies his general ineffectiveness on offense and not much else about his resume speaks to the notion that he has any future in the NBA. The Lakers do need bodies to fill the roster and no doubt Woolridge's family appreciates the gesture. That noted, expect Renaldo to be riding the bench for the grand majority of summer camp.

Souleyman Diabate

Likely a player who caught the fancy of one of the Lakers' international scouts, Diabate is a native of the Ivory Coast who has been playing professional ball in France for the past eight years. A 6'0'' point guard, Diabate had decent distributing chops for his French squad this past year as far as his stats are concerned, but as is the case with Seeley above, you have to couch his production with the level of competition he was playing at. SLUC Nancy Basket, Diabate's team in France, competes at the third tier of European leagues, so the players Diabate is facing are a far cry from the top ones in Europe to say the least. Something certainly compelled the Lakers to pick Diabate out of relative obscurity to take a closer look at him and the relative lack of traditional point guards on the roster might give him an opportunity to get some playing time, although expectations shouldn't be that high either.

Travis Hyman

Hyman joins Woolridge as the probable bench warmers of the squad, seeing as his production has done little to give credence that he deserves more of the Lakers' attention than any of the other players on the roster. Last season in the D-League, Hyman was barely able to get off the bench for the Thunder's affiliate in Tulsa or the Lakers' own D-League team and again, as with Woolridge, wasn't impressing anyone with his production in those minutes either. His decent size for a center at 6'11'' and 35.5'' vertical have very likely played a role in his continuing employment, although with Sacre and Williams ahead of him, this won't get him any more playing time.

Mitchell Watt

A heartwarming case, Watt overcame Guillain-Barre syndrome, an autoimmune condition that makes it difficult to walk yet alone play basketball, on route to a productive senior season in Buffalo. Although he was a primary option in college, Watt possesses a number of skills that make him an interesting fit in the modern NBA, namely his decent midrange jumper and developing long range shot. Moreover, he was a solid roll man due to his good hands and coordination, so he should be productive in both pick-and-roll and pick-and-pop contexts. As is the case with a good number of college big men, his post game will probably cease to be a factor on the next level and Watt will have to make big strides in his rebounding and defense, both of which weren't as good as they should have been against the level of competition he faced in college.

All this notwithstanding, Watt's skill set lends itself to the notion that he could find a niche as a role player at the next level and his decent athleticism helps in that regard as well. Due to Ryan Kelly's absence from the team, Watt is one of the few actual power forwards on the roster, moreover, as Elias Harris and Ian Hummer are more suited to the three at their size and Williams lacks the perimeter game to be effective at the four, so he might be able to find some minutes, especially if Dan D'Antoni sees him as a good fit in his brother's offense. Would certainly be a nice outcome given the circumstances Watt has had to go through to get to this point.

Considering all of the prospects on the roster, whether those listed above or in the previous piece, the Lakers have a nice mix of wing shooters, D-League stars, and undrafted 2013 prospects with skill sets that could work in the Lakers' system. It still is unrealistic to expect any more than one or two of these guys to make it to training camp, although CDR seems to have a clear path so long as he performs well, seeing that Dan D'Antoni was effusive in his praise of him in Buha's piece. If we had to hazard a guess at this point, Selby, Snaer, and Hayward have the highest chance of joining CDR and given how shallow the Lakers' wing rotation is right now, they could really use more bodies there. Still, it is refreshing to have what appears to be a genuinely good summer league roster after a dreadful experience last year that seemed only to showcase the futility of the Lakers' recent drafting. With any luck, this year will serve as a firm step in the opposite direction as the Lakers try to rebuild their team in Dwight Howard's absence.

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