With his strong performance in Summer League, Josh Hart could just be playing himself into a starting spot for the Los Angeles Lakers next season.
Speaking with the media during a conference call on Friday, Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson had some high praise for the second-year guard.
“Look at Josh Hart. He’s playing unbelievable in Las Vegas,” said Johnson, according to Tania Ganguli of the Los Angeles Times. “Some guys better watch out because he’s pushing to start.”
The 23-year-old Hart has been showing out through four games in Summer League so far, averaging 22.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He also shot 39.6 percent from three as a rookie last season and was named Big East Co-Defensive Player of the Year in college. Those could be exactly the attributes that the Lakers are looking for out of their primary 2-guard.
Lakers GM Rob Pelinka did also say recently that there would be a lot of potential starting opportunity on the team next season, and what a rise it would be for Hart to go from No. 30 overall pick to starting beside LeBron James in the span of just one year.
