Lakers' Josh Hart, who set out to dominate, named summer league MVP
Los Angeles Lakers guard Josh Hart has been named the Las Vegas Summer League MVP, marking the second straight summer that a Lakers guard has earned the honor.
Fresh off his 37-point, nine-rebound performance in a double-overtime semifinal win over Cleveland, Hart was voted MVP by a media panel. Last summer, Hart's teammate Lonzo Ball was named the MVP after leading the Lakers to the summer league championship.
In his second season with the Lakers, Hart went into the summer wanting to "dominate" summer league with a well-rounded game. He went into Tuesday night's championship game against Portland averaging 24.2 points, 47.1 percent shooting, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 steals in six games.
He had a team-high 12 points in the Lakers' 91-73 loss to the Trail Blazers in the summer league final on Tuesday night but got a double technical for arguing a call with an official and was ejected with 4:45 left.
Hart played so well during the summer league that it opened Magic Johnson's eyes. The Lakers' president of basketball operations gushed about Hart last week and said that the Villanova product could be forcing his way into the conversation for a starting spot this fall.
On Tuesday night, his new teammate, LeBron James, gave Hart a shoutout.
The Lakers were already high on Hart's defensive and rebounding abilities, but Hart feels that he has shown some of the other things he has worked hard on this offseason with assistant coach Miles Simon.
"Probably my handle," Hart said by phone when asked what he feels he has put on display this summer. "My ability to shoot off the dribble. Those are the two main things that I have really been working on the last several months. Hopefully guys see that and say, 'Oh man, J-Hart is really working.'"
After adding James, Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and JaVale McGee in free agency, the Lakers are counting on Hart to be one of the young prospects to provide perimeter shooting.
Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka identified Hart, who hit 6 of 15 3-pointers in the win over Cleveland, as one of the reasons the Lakers did not pursue a shooting specialist in free agency.
"I think I can knock down shots," said Hart, who shot 39.6 percent from behind the arc during his rookie season. "And when those guys find me when I am open, I know we have unselfish guys, my job is to knock them down."
Hart headlines the MGM Resorts All-NBA Summer League first team that includes Chicago's Wendell Carter Jr., New York's Kevin Knox, Cleveland's Collin Sexton and Milwaukee's Christian Wood.
Hart's teammate and Lakers second-round pick Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk earned second-team honors along with No. 1 overall draft pick Deandre Aytonof Phoenix, Portland's Wade Baldwin IV, Memphis' Jaren Jackson Jr. and Atlanta's Trae Young.
