The Los Angeles Lakers held their third full day of training camp on Thursday, and so far, things seem to be going well.
LeBron James, according to head coach Darvin Ham, has regained his explosiveness and looks like a much younger version of himself. Meanwhile, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura have been vying for the team’s third and final starting frontcourt spot, but they have reportedly been joined by Taurean Prince.
Ham has praised rookie guard Jalen Hood-Schifino, calling him the MVP of the team’s first full day of camp. Reportedly, he is one of four Lakers players who have been standouts so far in scrimmages, along with Hachimura, D’Angelo Russell and Christian Wood (h/t Lakers Daily).
Via The Athletic:
“Hachimura, who rejected the assumption that he had lost weight this summer, has been one of the standouts in scrimmages, along with Russell, Wood and Hood-Schifino, according to team sources,” wrote Jovan Buha.
Wood is likely going to be the team’s wild card this season because of his ability to score from multiple locations on the court, as well as the negative narrative that has dogged him, especially regarding his poor defense. Ham said on Wednesday that the big man has been active, engaged and communicative on the defensive end during practice.