Zach

Norvell Jr.

Norvell Jr. is likely headed to the G League, where he’ll be safe to ignore in all leagues.

Norvell appeared in a total of five games for the Lakers and Warriors last season, averaging 2.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 0.4 steals in 8.2 minutes per contest. At best he’ll give the Bulls another body, but it’s more likely that he spends the majority of his time with the team’s G-League affiliate.

The Warriors allowed Norvell Jr. and Jeremy Pargo’s 10-day contracts to expire, so they now have another two spots open on their roster and will likely look to ink another player to a 10-day deal. Norvell will likely return to the G League, so he can safely remain on waivers everywhere.

He was a lot of fun in the preseason back when he was with the Lakers, averaging 11.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 dimes, 1.0 steals and 2.0 triples in 27 minutes. He then landed in the G League where he averaged over 15 points per game and hit 3.0 triples on a 39% clip, so among the new guards in Golden State (they also signed Juan Toscano-Anderson and Jeremy Pargo) he’s probably the most exciting of the bunch. He’s on a 10-day contract though, so he’s just someone to monitor in deeper leagues.

Norvell was signed to a two-way deal with the Lakers to start the season and played in two NBA games before being waived in December. The Warriors have a bunch of open roster spots to fill and need guards, so Norvell could see some playing time. He averaged 16 points per game in the G League this season.

He’s played just 4.8 minutes this season with the big club, but Norvell Jr. did show some promise in Vegas with a 29-point game in July. Another team may try to ad him.

There will be an asterisk by this stat line because the Lakers rested the majority of the rotation, but Norvell has stood out in the preseason and that includes a 22-point gem earlier this week. The Lakers have had a lot of success unearthing cheap rookies in the last few years and may have another promising one on their hands. He’ll be buried in the rotation to begin the year, but might get a shot if guys like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope or Avery Bradley stumble out of the gate.

The Lakers were without at least five players who will be a part of the rotation when the regular season begins, which opened things up for Norvell. The rookie out of Gonzaga, who’s on a two-way contract, made the most of his opportunity by leading the Lakers in scoring with a combination of jump shots and tough finishes around the basket. And Norvell wasn’t the only guard to do a good job of filling in for the team’s veterans, as David Stockton (seven assists, one rebound and one steal) and Demetrius Jackson (seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block) scored ten and 11 points, respectively, off the bench.

Norvell played well as a sophomore at Gonzaga last season, averaging 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He was projected to land in the second round, so this is a solid addition for the Lakers, who will need players able to contribute on affordable contracts. We’ll get a good look at him in the Las Vegas Summer League.