Cole Swider Impresses in Lakers Summer League Debut

The former Syracuse forward had a strong first outing.
Cole Swider Impresses in Lakers Summer League Debut
Cole Swider Impresses in Lakers Summer League Debut /

Former Syracuse forward Cole Swider had an impressive NBA Summer League debut for the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday. Swider, helping the Lakers to a 100-66 win over the Miami Heat, scored 13 points on 5-7 shooting including 3-5 from beyond the arc to go along with six rebounds a block in just over 19 minutes of action. Swider signed a two-way contract with the Lakers after not being selected in the 2022 NBA Draft. 

Swider had a strong 2021-22 season in his lone with the Orange, especially over the last half of it. He really came on down the stretch. You can watch highlights of his season in the video above.

Swider came to Syracuse last offseason as a transfer from Villanova. He was not playing a consistently large role with the Wildcats and elected to look elsewhere for that opportunity. With the departures of Alan Griffin and Quincy Guerrier, Syracuse had the roster space and role available. With Swider's relationships with the coaching staff, it was a slam dunk for both sides.

Still, it took Swider a bit to get comfortable. He started the year 3-22 from beyond the arc but really turned it on over the last half of the season. In the final 13 games, Swider shot 40-77 (52%) from three point range and had several games where he took over offensively. He even seemed to get more comfortable on the defensive end as well and rebounded at a high level all season.

In total, Swider averaged 13.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 44% from the floor overall and 41% from three. He also shot over 86% from the free throw line.

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Mike McAllister
MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting.  EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans.  After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years.  Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports.  Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College.