Lakers’ Quincy Olivari sets LeBron James-esque target after first NBA bucket
LA Lakers guard Quincy Olivari has emerged as one of the most talked-about two-way players in the NBA this season. Olivari, who has been playing with the South Bay Lakers in the G-League, was called up to play against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, providing an extra hand for the Lakers’ 107-98 win.
It was Olivari’s first-ever NBA game, hitting a 3-pointer for his first points in his career after three attempts. After the game, Olivari expressed that he had an ambitious dream.
“I hope it’s 3 points of 50,000. … I like to dream big,” Olivari said.
No one has ever reached 50,000 points in their NBA career. The closest player to be in the running for the unprecedented feat is Lakers superstar LeBron James, who currently boasts 41,003 total career points as the all-time NBA leading scorer.
James missed his first game this season against the Trail Blazers due to left foot soreness, allowing Olivari to get some NBA regular-season minutes.
With James’ injury, the Lakers may need production from their deep bench. The Lakers currently stand at 13-11 and occupy the eighth spot in the Western Conference standings.
Quincy Olivari made a fan out of head coach JJ Redick
Quincy Olivari made a name for himself during the preseason, where he impressed Lakers fans with his execution and energy on the floor.
Olivari also impressed Lakers head coach JJ Redick during one of his runs in the preseason, emphasizing how important it is for a team to have a player like Olivari. Redick said after a preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 10:
“Ray Allen used to always talk about every time you step on the floor, it’s a tryout essentially. There’s always people watching you. There’s guys that have earned a roster spot for their play in Summer League, for their play in training camp, a preseason game, guys that run rotation minutes in garbage time in a regular season game.
"So I don’t take what that group did lightly at all. Really impressive. I thought, in particular, Quincy (Olivari) just completely changed the game."
Redick continued:
“I thought he just executed exactly what we want from someone in his position and we’ve challenged a number of guys and they’ve done it well to varying degrees. But I haven’t seen it executed that well until tonight with Quincy."
Olivari is averaging 18.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game in the G-League, making the most of his chances so far while the Lakers continue to find the right formula. With his continued growth and the Lakers’ injury woes, Olivari could crack a permanent roster spot soon.