Lakers vs. Kings Preview: Anything to distract from Kawhi Leonard

Coming off of a blowout win against the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to wrap up the California Classic with a win against the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center on Wednesday.

While that’s going on, the Toronto Raptors will be meeting with Kawhi Le — sorry, let me stay focused. Summer League.

Zach Norvell Jr. has been far and away the Lakers’ best player through two games in Sacramento, as he’s averaged 15.5 points per game on 50 percent shooting from the field, 6 rebounds and 2 assists per game. Barring a surprise outburst from someone else on the roster, the Lakers’ only two-way contract player so far will likely lead the way for Los Angeles again on Wednesday.

However, in order for his contributions to mean anything, the team’s undersized frontcourt has to try and keep up with Sacramento’s breakout Summer League star Wenyen Gabriel. Gabriel went undrafted last year despite being a highly touted prospect coming out of high school, but he seems ready to prove his doubters wrong this season with the Kings. In his California Classic debut on Tuesday, Gabriel tallied 22 points and 12 rebounds.

Forwards Aric Holman and Roscoe Allen will have to do everything they can to make sure Gabriel doesn’t have another big night at the Golden 1 Center. Devontae Cacok can also be a big help on the boards, as he showed with his 12-rebound outing against the Warriors on Tuesday.

Did I put maximum effort into this preview for a Summer League game to keep my mind off of the fact that Kawhi Leonard has yet to make a decision about his future? It’s tough to say, really.

The Lakers will take on the Warriors at 2 p.m. PT on Spectrum SportsNet. For more Lakerstalk, subscribe to the Silver Screen and Roll podcast feed on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher or Google Podcasts.