While that time may seem far away today, not so long ago the Los Angeles Lakers were going through the darkest period in their history. After winning their second consecutive championship in 2010, Kobe Bryant suffered a rupture in the Achilles tendon in 2013, and they became one of the worst teams in the NBA in those years, and the process of re-emergence was quite long and painful. What's worse is that the Lakers, who have always prided themselves as the holy land of free agents, have been repeatedly rejected by superstars, and the management has had to rebuild through the draft, but their scouting department is really strong and has achieved good results.
The Lakers have made good use of the lotto draws in their hands and have been able to find treasure in players who are in the final stages of the draft, or even in the lost draft, and players like Jordan Clarkson, Larry Nance Jr., julius Randle are enough to prove the success of the Lakers' scouting work, and each of them is now successful at some level in the NBA. But unfortunately, none of the Lakers' players have been able to stay until the end, taking the Chicago Bulls, who are currently in the limelight, who are at the top of the Eastern Conference by overpowering super teams the Brooklyn Nets and defending champion Milwaukee Bucks, and they have as many as three guards from the Lakers.
In the first year that Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka took charge of the Lakers, they got a pick-up pick that chose the controversial Lonzo Ball. Ball, who just entered the league in 2017, helped the Lakers win the Summer League championship with 16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.5 steals per game in the Summer League, and also won the Summer League MVP. From the current point of view, although the ball brother has not yet fully met his father's expectations, he has become an extremely influential NBA player, and has just received a big four-year contract worth $80 million from the Bulls.
In that year's Lakers Summer League lineup, there was also an unknown missed draft, considering that the Lakers have just won some high-potential rookies, his name seemed a bit redundant at the time, his name is Alex Caruso. In the summer league, Caruso has been a substitute for Ball, averaging 15 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists per game, especially in the decisive championship game, when Ball was unable to play, Caruso topped the starting position, showing his fighting spirit and leadership attitude on the court. Such a performance helped Caruso reach a two-way contract with the Lakers, and as we know, this hard-won two-way contract put him on the track he is on today, becoming one of the best role players in the league, and eventually getting him a contract that he deserves.
In addition, the Lakers' summer league lineup also has a missed draft, that is, Iowa shooting guard Matt Thomas, who is a sharpshooter, although he did not perform well in the opening derby game, he broke out in the following game and became one of the biggest contributors to the Lakers' summer league championship, Thomas averaged 9.6 points per game in that summer league, shooting 60.7% from three-point range. After playing an explosive performance, it is widely believed that Thomas has locked up the opportunity to sign a training camp contract with the Lakers, and even has a chance to compete for a place in the Lakers' 15-man roster, but surprisingly, he chose to play overseas to earn more money.
After two seasons in the Spanish League, Thomas was given the opportunity to return to the NBA, joining the Toronto Raptors, the championship team of the year, shooting an outrageous 47.5 percent from three-point range in 41 games he played, and playing superbly in the first round of the playoffs, the Brooklyn Nets, scoring 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting. After that season, he spent another season with the Jazz, only to become a marginal man in the league, but the offseason bulls gave him a one-year contract that allowed him to rejoin Ball and Caruso, two former Summer United teammates.
Thomas didn't get many playing opportunities at the start of the season, but his presence became crucial when many of his teammates were unable to play because of league safety and epidemic regulations, helping the team maintain its winning streak in the face of a disorganized lineup, and the Bulls achieved a perfect 5-0 record during the time thomas replaced injured and sick teammates.
All three players used to wear Lakers uniforms, and while their careers went in different directions, after more than five years of separation, they reunited with the Chicago Bulls and became an important part of the team's renaissance. Their individual and collective success is a testament to the Lakers' management and scouting division's ability to always find talented players and untapped potential, and even now, players like Austin Reeves have once again proven their professionalism.