I have a lot of skills in the NBA

Chapter 62 The menacing enemy in the same city (how could there be no reward!!)

Waking up the next day, Li Yang went to the Thomas & Mike Center in good spirits. There, his second summer league game was about to start, and it was a game against his old enemy Lakers in the same city.

Compared with the Clippers' motley crew, the Lakers' lineup is significantly more competitive. There are two veterans in their lineup, namely Alex Caruso, a 2016 undrafted pick who has established a firm foothold in the Lakers, and Josh Hart, a potential small forward selected by the Lakers with the 2017th overall pick in the first round of 30.

There are also many talented rookies who were drafted this year.

The potential center Moritz Wagner, who was selected with the 2018th overall pick in 25, is an inside player with three-point shooting range, which is very suitable for the current small ball style.

The 2018th pick in the second round in 47, Sviatoslav Mikhailiuk, a Ukrainian prodigy with shooting ability and ball-handling ability, has a very silky touch and is known as the "Little Thompson" of the Lakers.

In addition, this year the Lakers also signed many undrafted rookies off the court, such as MOP Joel Berry II from the University of North Carolina, and signed Malik Newman with a two-way contract, as well as Jeffrey Carroll, Nick King and so on.

In terms of lineup configuration, there are inside and outside, capable of sudden shooting, full of talent, 2 veterans plus 2 rookies selected this year and a lot of other undrafted picks, as well as a bench bandit from the South Bay Lakers. There is no doubt that this lineup is definitely aimed at this summer league champion.

For several years, the Lakers came to Las Vegas every year, played five summer league games, and then returned to Los Angeles.They have returned in triumph, and they have also returned in defeat.

Since last summer, their performance has been extremely impressive.They won six games in a row last year and won the 2017 Summer League Championship.

Since Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka took over the Lakers in February 2017, they have injected energy into the team immediately, a perfect fit for the system that head coach Luke Walton and his coaching staff have excelled at.

That energy was on full display during the regular season, while the Lakers' D-League team, the South Bay Lakers, was trying to do the same.

In both years, they will send a strong team to summer league, including several players who have played for the Lakers.Draft players, South Bay Lakers players and free agents have combined to form the basic lineup of the Lakers in Las Vegas for the past two years.

Against such a strong opponent in the third game, for the Clippers players, it added a lot of pressure virtually.

At 7:13 am on July 8th, BJ time, Clippers players and Lakers players all appeared at the Thomas & Mike Center Arena in Las Vegas.

This morning will usher in a battle of absolute focus. As the Los Angeles Derby of the summer league, the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers vs. Los Angeles Clippers, this game has attracted the attention of countless media.

At this time, the Thomas & Mike Center arena has long been buzzing with people, and it is very lively.

As the winner of the summer league championship last year, the strength of the Lakers should not be underestimated.The goal of the Lakers this year is to defend the title, so the rookies and fringe players of the Lakers are gearing up and gearing up, all wanting to win valuable playing time with the Lakers.

On the courtside seats, many basketball big names came today, and the most famous one is undoubtedly the Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

When the camera turned to Kobe sitting in the second row, he immediately showed a friendly smile, and at the same time got up and waved to the fans.

The fans at the scene immediately burst into violent applause and screams.

"Kobe also came to watch the game between the Lakers and the Clippers. I don't know if he was watching the Lakers rookie or the Clippers' Li Yang."

"I think it should be Li Yang. It is said that the Lakers were very optimistic about Li Yang before the draft, but he was cut off by the Clippers."

"Maybe, it's also the No. 13 pick. Could it be that Kobe is here today to see how good the No. 13 successor is? It seems that today's game is destined to be very interesting."

The two commentators in the live broadcast room were also discussing very passionately, and when it came to right and wrong outside the field, they were even more familiar, and it was very lively.

Before the game started, a female reporter quickly reached over to interview Kobe.

"Kobe, are you here this time to inspect the rookies in the team?"

Kobe smiled, and it took a long time before he replied: "First, observe the rookies of the Lakers, and then take a look at whether Li Yang, the No. 13 rookie of the Clippers, is worthy of the number 13."

Yesterday, the magician called him before the game and said that Li Yang is a defender with great potential and his future achievements are limitless.

Magician is the number one point guard in NBA history. It is very rare for a rookie to get so much praise from him, and it indirectly shows how good Li Yang is.

Therefore, out of strong curiosity about Li Yang himself, Kobe resolutely came to the game site, ready to take a closer look at the true level of this year's No. 13 pick.

"Have you watched Li Yang's game, can you express your opinion on him?" asked the female reporter.

"Not yet, I just want to take a closer look." Kobe said jokingly.

"Uh~~" This blunt answer almost choked the female reporter to death, and she was so frightened that he quickly changed the subject.

"Did you still watch football games often after you retired?"

"To be honest, very little." Kobe explained without a pause. "I have played basketball for more than 20 years. Now that I am retired, I want to find something else to do, such as making a movie. No, I just won the 90th Oscar for "Best Animated Short Film". This is a very good movie. You can watch it when you have time."

"Of course, occasionally I watch other people play."

"However, you also know my character. When I see some players' casual and lazy attitude and playing style, I will be very upset." Kobe shrugged, "So, in order not to get angry, I try not to play."

Kobe is worthy of being an old driver. He directly used this humorous answer to make the staff and fans on the scene burst into laughter, and the audience applauded immediately, which greatly eased the already tense pre-war atmosphere.

This funny scene made Li Yang, who was warming up on the sidelines, relieved a lot of his nervousness.

After a few simple greetings, the starting players of both sides officially debuted.

The starting guard for the Lakers is Josh Hart (Los Angeles Lakers), point guard Alex Caruso (Los Angeles Lakers), small forward Svialasf Mikhailiuk (2018th overall pick in 47), power forward Moritz Wagner (2018th overall pick in 25), and center Jonathan Williams (undrafted in 2018).

The Lakers' lineup this summer is based on Hart as the core player, assisted by the Lakers' two potential rookies, Wagner and Mikhailiuk, which has a strong impact on the summer league championship.

But while being attracted by the identities of these players, another player attracts fans with his own strength, and he is Caruso.

Caruso was the champion guard of the Lakers last season in the summer league. He mainly organizes offense and rarely scores directly.

This characteristic of him is of great help to the Lakers, because the summer league is originally an opportunity for young people to express themselves.

After Li Yang stepped onto the court, he carefully looked at the opponent's starting five.

A player's strength can be seen from his external aura.Li Yang not only has to fully grasp the technical characteristics of his teammates, but also has a clear understanding of the opponent's strength. This is very helpful for him to make correct judgments on the court.

As expected, the main core of the Lakers is Hart, a second position who is skilled in various offensive methods, tough in defense, and has the ability to shoot three-pointers.

Caruso, the Lakers' backcourt organization brain, a man with bald hair and stronger strength.He went from being an unremarkable draft pick to the sought-after "Bald Mamba", a ruthless man who traded his hair for his NBA career.

Svialasf Mikhailiuk is a child prodigy from Ukraine. He is known as the "Little Thompson" of the Lakers. He has excellent three-point shooting ability and feels silky like chocolate. He has everything from three-pointers to mid-range shots.

On the other hand, for the Clippers, Alexander was absent for this game. Apart from his own efforts, only Solwell could compete with others.

The obvious fact is that this is bound to be a tough game.

(End of this chapter)