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As the NBA season winds down, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to give their young players a chance to shine. The younger group has played well and even pulled off a decisive win against the Oklahoma City Thunder. There’s not a lot to be excited about with the team but perhaps there are some young players with talent who just didn’t get a true shot to make a difference when the games still mattered.
The Lakers already cut veteran forward Trevor Ariza so that they could make room to sign Wenyen Gabriel to a two-year contract. Gabriel was on a two-way contract so him getting a Standard NBA Contract meant the team had another two-way spot open. The Lakers announced that they have chosen to fill that spot with guard Mac McClung.
McClung originally signed with the team as an undrafted free agent after the draft. He never made the active roster for the Lakers but did get a chance to play in a game for the Chicago Bulls. He eventually made his way back to the South Bay Lakers of the G League.
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McClung Played Well in G League
While McClung didn’t get much of a shot to prove himself in the NBA, he did everything he could to stand out in the G League. He averaged 21.6 points per game with 7.6 assists and 6.6 rebounds. He’s a big reason the South Bay Lakers have a 21-11 record this season.
For his efforts, McClung was awarded G League Rookie of the Year. Now, the NBA isn’t littered with superstars who were G League Rookies of the Year but the young guard can certainly play. He made a name for himself in college thanks to a number of viral dunks. He’s got plenty of athleticism to be a decent NBA player. The Lakers only have one game left and there’s no guarantee he’ll be called up for that game. It would be smart to see what he can do in an NBA game but Los Angeles also has other players they’re evaluating.
Lakers Almost Put out of Their Misery
Even though the season hasn’t technically ended, it was over after the Lakers officially got knocked out of the playoff race. There have already been reports detailing what went wrong and the team is making roster moves for the future. This has been one of the most disappointing seasons in Lakers’ history and it can’t end soon enough.
The team is about to go through a brutal offseason filled with uncertainty. There’s nobody on the roster who is truly guaranteed to be there next season. Even LeBron James or Anthony Davis could get moved. While things are grim, it’s not the end of the world for Los Angeles. If LeBron and Davis can stay healthy next season and the front office does a better job of constructing the roster, the Lakers could be right back in title contention. However, the team has to have close to a perfect offseason to pull that off.
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