LeBron James and Anthony Davis along with several other key rotation players did not participate in the Los Angeles Lakers preseason finale against the Golden State Warriors on Friday. But undrafted rookie Zach Norvell Jr. did play for L.A. and he made the most of his opportunity for extended minutes once again. While competing against a Warriors backcourt that featured Stephen Curry on the floor for 33 minutes and D’Angelo Russell for 28, Zach would hold his own by pouring in 29 points which included five 3-pointers.
On Monday, the Lakers’ 6-5 rookie from Gonzaga took advantage of extra playing time by scoring a team-high 22 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field. He’d also connect on a trio of 3-pointers while helping Los Angeles to a 104-98 victory. He concluded the work week by leading his team in scoring once again while earning praise from veteran teammates like Kyle Kuzma who tweeted the following after the game.
The 29 points that Zach scored were the most by any Lakers player during this preseason. While connecting on a handful of triples, he also dropped his defender on a crossover move from the top of the key that sent his teammates into a sideline celebration for the second time this week. After the game, Norvell talked about the confidence he’s playing with right now as his first regular season in the NBA is set to begin next week.
“I’m just comfortable letting it fly,” Norvell told Lakers.com. “I’m a shooter — so any shot I shoot I feel like’s it’s going in, honestly.”
Despite the heroics from the guard who signed a two-way contract with the Lakers this summer, the Warriors would go on to secure the 124-103 victory. Los Angeles wraps up the regular season with a 3-3 record as they now await their crosstown rival on Tuesday night when they tip things off for real against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers.
