The Los Angeles Lakers have determined to chop ties with certainly one of their prime prospects, paving the way in which for him to show them unsuitable.
For months, the Los Angeles Lakers have been rumored to be concerned in a commerce for a brand new heart. In a transfer nobody anticipated, the Western Convention challengers determined to signal free agent Trey Jemison.
Jemison’s transfer got here at a value, as they needed to waive Quincy Olivari, a participant on a two-way contract who made a giant impression in the course of the preseason.
Olivari performs for the South Bay Lakers and scored 22 factors a number of days in the past.
The younger prospect has earned the respect of his Lakers teammates, with former Laker D’Angelo Russell saying he’s too good for the G League.
Nevertheless, Olivari performs guard, which isn’t a lightweight place for the Lakers, and he’s now a free agent.
Quincy Olivari was an undrafted rookie, however the choice to waive him was simpler for the Lakers as a result of they weren’t losing their funding.
Olivari spent the 2023-24 collegiate season at Xavier College, the place he impressed coach Sean Miller.
After enjoying within the Huge East Convention event at Madison Sq. Backyard final March, Miller spoke of his respect for his numbers.
“Quincy undoubtedly had what I believe is without doubt one of the nice seasons in Xavier historical past, actually. I’m not going to lie in the event you simply put up the numbers.
“I believe the one distinction between Quincy and a number of different gamers you evaluate him to is the schedule he performed towards. 20 video games within the Huge East this 12 months, 10 video games at dwelling, 10 video games on the highway. I believe we performed the No. 1 seed six instances.”
Miller additionally talked about Olivari’s magnetic persona, which additionally confirmed up in the course of the Lakers’ preseason.
“Quincy has charisma, management and a smile that’s so contagious. When you may have a persona like his, it may well work each methods.
“For those who get him on a superb day, he is this. You get him on a foul day, oh, he is that. That is not him. He is the identical daily, that is a credit score to him.
“None of us, none of us, may have watched Quincy come to Xavier and carry out as he’s at Xavier daily main as much as this event, on the court docket, in video games, in follow. Have a look at it as one thing aside from a plus and an exception.”
Los Angeles Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised Quincy Olivari for coming off the bench and scoring 11 factors in a win over the Milwaukee Bucks in the course of the preseason.
He stated: “Quincy simply fully modified the sport. For me, and I’ve stated this to the gamers on the group afterward, what he did was arise full court docket, be disruptive, shoot the ball. It was a blueprint for what we wish a few of our gamers to do by way of taking day without work the clock.
“I assumed he did precisely what we search for in somebody in his place. We have now tried various gamers and so they have all carried out various levels of success. However I’ve by no means seen it executed properly till tonight in Quincy.
Regardless of this, Redick was reluctant to pick out Olivari in the course of the Lakers’ season, and he solely performed in two NBA video games, in November and January.
Olivari will get one other probability within the NBA, and he’ll be decided to grab it and put into follow what he discovered from LeBron James and others.
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