LA Lakers News Roundup: Thomas Bryant gets reunited with the Purple and Gold, Anthony Davis gets on a strict shooting training schedule, and more - July 6th, 2022
The LA Lakers have started to make some serious moves in the offseason that will benefit them moving forward.
The biggest criticism they received last NBA season was that the team was too old and "washed". However, the front office has now acquired players with an average age of 25. They have added shooting, defense and wing depth and the team looks better than last year, at least on paper.
They managed to acquire a pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and selected Max Christie from Michigan State. They are now rumored to be indulging in heavy trade talks with the Brooklyn Nets. Recent chatter suggests that Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook might swap teams.
Let's take a look at a few news stories around the Purple and Gold from the last 24 hours.
Thomas Bryant will wear the Purple and Gold colors again
Thomas Bryant was once a part of the Purple and Gold. He was drafted by the Utah Jazz as the 42nd overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft and was immediately traded to the LA Lakers along with Josh Hart in exchange for Tony Bradley.
He played just 15 games for the Lakers in the 2017-18 season and three games with the G League affiliate South Bay Lakers.
According to Yahoo! Sports' Chris Hayes, Thomas Bryant has reached an agreement with the Lakers for a one-year deal. He will reportedly have an opportunity to enter the starting lineup. Bryant tweeted after rejoining the Lakers, and called it "deja vu."
🏾It’s like deja vu lol 💪🏾
LA Lakers lose their first Summer League game
![Mac McClung with the LA Lakers in the Las Vegas Summer League [Source: AP]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2022/07/f5656-16571223473920-1920.jpg)
The LA Lakers started the California Classic Summer League in great fashion. They won their first game against the Miami Heat in a 34-point blowout (100-66). Mac McClung scored 17 points in 16 minutes and the Lakers never trailed in the game.
They won their second game against the Golden State Warriors in a blowout, scoring 100 points yet again and keeping the Dubs to 77. Cole Swider and Scotty Pippen Jr. combined for 31 points on 9-15 (60%) shooting.
The Lakers faced their first defeat in the last game of the California Classic against the Sacramento Kings. They lost 87-75 as most of their players went cold from the field. The team (without McClung) will now head to Las Vegas, Nevada for the NBA 2K23 Summer League with a 2-1 record in the California Classic (2nd).
Next Stop: Vegas
#LakersSummer https://t.co/3LHDUoaI07
Famous shooting coach "Lethal Shooter" reveals Anthony Davis' daily training regimen
Anthony Davis had a horrible shooting season last year. In 40 games he played, he shot an absurdly low 18% from beyond the arc. His free-throw shooting also dipped from nearly 85% in 2020 to 71% last season.
He is now training with famous shooting coach "Lethal Shooter" aka. Chris Matthews, who is one of the most sought-after shooting coaches in the NBA. He has trained several NBA players such as Grant Williams, Cameron Johnson, Markelle Fultz and now AD.
Matthews revealed on his social media that Davis is "locked in" and is practicing free throws and making 400 of them. He added that AD is training every day at 4:50 AM and there is more work left in the summer.