Lakers News: Expert Applauds Second-Year LA Forward's Summer League Sharpshooting

Did he do enough to earn a rotation spot?

As the NBA summer league starts to come to a close, we have seen some strong performances across the league. But with the Lakers, we got a glimpse into the games of some players on the roster. Namely, some players that could have a chance to crack the rotation for LA this season and it has been helpful to watch them grow as members of the organization.

One in particular has been going for his chance to earn minutes and that is second year two-way player Cole Swider. Swider joined the team last season and was hopeful to earn minutes based off his strong three-point shooting skillset. But other than shooting the ball, Swider didn’t show much else and was played off the court at times.

He continued pushing through and once again, has had the chance to show what he could do this year at summer league. He again has showed signs of being a sharpshooter, but we’ve also seen that he doesn’t provide much else when his shot isn’t falling. It has plagued him so far in his NBA career and it may limit his career.

However, Swider did impress in the final summer league game for the Lakers as they took down the rival Los Angeles Clippers in the process. Robert Marvi of Yahoo Sports listed him as one of the biggest takeaways from the win.

"Swider’s jumper was hot for most of this year’s summer league, and Sunday was no exception. He went 5-of-9 from 3-point range and 7-of-11 overall, giving him 21 points in 31 minutes."

Per Yahoo Sports

Defenses need to know where Swider is on the floor at all times otherwise he will make them pay with his shooting ability. He is a great example of what a three-and-D player should look like with this skills and 6-foot-9 frame. But his defense still remains a question mark and it has caused the Lakers to not give him minutes. 

He showed some growth there but it may not be enough. Swider will likely be assigned to the G-League again this year to work more on his game. If he can show signs of promise, he could get a run with the Lakers as he is the type of player that could help the team. 

His shooting ability next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis would be fun to watch but him being a defensive liability may be cause for concern. It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out and maybe we will see Swider with the purple and gold this season!