NBA: The Lakers' Unknown Talent
The Los Angeles Lakers won the 2017 NBA Summer League, after defeating the Portland Trailblazers, 110-98, in the championship game. Along the way, No. 2 pick Lonzo Ball and No. 27 pick Kyle Kuzma stole the show and made headlines. Ball averaged 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds in six games, before missing the title game, because of a minor injury. Kuzma notched 30 points in the final game, and averaged 21.9 points for the entire season. However, in my opinion, there was another player who's game spoke just as loudly as the others around him. Vander Blue, the former-Marquette guard, didn't receive much recognition for his performance this summer, but he proved to me just how talented he truly is.
I'm not surprised that Blue didn't get a lot of attention, because that's how it's always been, dating back to his days on the Golden Eagles, when he helped the 2012-13 squad reach the Elite Eight after scoring a 26-9 record. During his career at Marquette, he was overshadowed by teammates Jimmy Butler, Jae Crowder, Darius Johnson-Odom, and Jamil Wilson. While Butler has ascended to All-Star status, Blue's game is on par with the other three athletes. And yet, he still wasn't getting a serious look from NBA scouts. Because of that, he was overlooked again, going undrafted in the 2013 NBA Draft. He eventually signed on with a number of NBA D-League teams, attempting to find a perfect fit, before finally settling in L.A. with the Los Angeles D-Fenders.
In short time, Blue became the best player on his team, earning three D-League All-Star appearances, two All-NBA D-League First Team honors, and the 2017 NBA D-League MVP award, after averaging 24.8 points and 3.0 assists per game. So why, after all he has accomplished, is Blue still unknown? Obviously he isn't going to suddenly rise into an everyday starter in the league, and I'm not saying he should. But after posting 15.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the NBA Summer League, he should definitely earn a role on the upcoming 2017-18 Lakers’ roster. It’s time for people to start taking notice of him, because there is a spot for him in this league, and he’s earned the right to compete for playing time.
Photo Credit: New York Times.
