"We're always together" - Bronny James reflects on budding chemistry with Quincy Olivari as Lakers' #41 seeks roster spot
Bronny James named Quincy Olivari as one of the players he loves playing with on the LA Lakers. The two guards have begun their rookie season with the esteemed franchise and could play more together if Olivari gets a deal with LA before the season starts. He's on an Exhibit 10 deal and could get waived if the Lakers stick with their current set of two-way players.
He also showed great chemistry playing next to second-round pick Bronny, especially during Friday's NBA preseason finale against Golden State. The two even connected on an alley-oop amid their best outings in preseason.
"In practice, we're always together," Bronny said about his chemistry with Olivari on Friday. "We've built that connection on the court ... He's a great guy, I mean, I love playing with him. Great spirit, you know, he plays hard all the time."
Olivari dropped a team-high 22 points, while Bronny had 17 in the 132-74 loss after earning starting roles with the Lakers resting their rotation players. Olivari shot 50%, including 5 of 9 from 3-point range. He added 7 rebounds (3 offensive) and 2 assists. Meanwhile, Bronny shot 7 of 17 while tallying 4 rebounds and 3 steals.
Quincy Olivari makes case for earning roster spot after shining next to Bronny James
Quincy Olivari has made a great impression on the LA Lakers after excellent showings against the Bucks and Warriors. Before dropping 22 points against Golden State in a starting role, Olivari single-handedly gave rookie coach JJ Redick his first win in the preseason against the Milwaukee Bucks on Oct. 10.
Olivari was introduced in the fourth quarter with the Lakers trailing 89-74 and nine minutes left. In that short span, the 23-year-old changed the game on its head with his excellent two-way game as he tallied 11 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, shooting 4 of 6, including 3 of 4 from 3-point range to give the Lakers a 107-102 comeback win.
He continued to deliver on Friday against the Warriors and has made a compelling case to earn a roster spot. Apart from Dalton Knecht, he's the only rookie who can contribute during the regular season after Bronny James and other potential two-way spot earners failed to deliver. Olivari also outperformed sophomores Jalen Hood-Schifino, Maxwell Lewis and Colin Castleton.
The Lakers don't have any roster spots to offer, but they can create one to sign Quincy Olivari. That route potentially includes cutting players on two-way deals- Castelon, Armel Traore, or Christian Koloko. The other option would be to create a roster spot by trading one of Jalen Hood-Schifino and Maxwell Lewis without taking any salary back.
That's a more complex route, so cutting one of their three two-way players seems the ideal way to keep Quincy Olivari. If the Lakers don't keep him, he will certainly have other suitors in the market.