Now that the 2019 NBA Draft is behind us, with players drafted and traded into their new professional basketball horizons, the league is putting them to work right away in Summer League.
For the 15th year, Summer League will tip off in early July to showcase the talents of still-developing players while preparing them for the rigors of professional play. But before Summer League gets started in earnest, the Golden State Warriors will play in the California Classic, July 1-3.
The three-day tournament will see the Warriors’ Summer League team go against the Sacramento Kings, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat, with all games — two per night — televised on NBA TV.
California Classic
Monday, July 1
Golden 1 Center
9 p.m. — Heat vs. Lakers (NBA TV)
11 p.m. — Warriors vs. Kings (NBA TV)Tuesday, July 2
Golden 1 Center
9 p.m. — Lakers vs. Warriors (NBA TV)
11 p.m. — Heat vs. Kings (NBA TV)Wednesday, July 3
Golden 1 Center
9 p.m. — Warriors vs. Heat (NBA TV)
11 p.m. — Lakers vs. Kings (NBA TV)
Players get a chance to gorge on grilled meats on Independence Day. But on July 5, Summer League starts in earnest with the Warriors tipping things off at 9 p.m. ET against the Charlotte Hornets (NBA TV).
Undrafted forward Dedric Lawson (Kansas) will join second-year pro Jacob Evans in Summer League play.
In a recent interview, Warriors general manager Bob Myers hinted that Evans still has much to prove. Like many players with a roster of superstars, Evans didn’t get much playing time and finished the 2018-19 campaigning having appeared in just 30 games with averages of 1.3 points, a 34 percent field goal shooting percentage and a 26.7 three-point shooting percentage.
Evans performed better in the 21 games he played for the Santa Cruz Warriors, starting in 16 of them, and averaging 11.2 points per game.
Lawson, meanwhile, averaged over 39 percent from deep while at Kansas. If he can carry that strength to a Warriors roster depleted by injuries, he has a chance of challenging for a roster spot. In the 2018-19 NBA season, Evans averaged just over 29 percent from beyond the arc.
