The Lakers' third opponent in the summer league was the Golden State Warriors.
The core of the Warriors was last year's top draft pick, power forward Joe Smith!
Yes, this Joe Smith is the protagonist of the future Timberwolves' dual contract scandal! The culprit who caused the Timberwolves to be stripped of five years of first-round draft picks by the league (actually three, with the 2003 and 2005 picks later restored)...
Joe Smith's dual contract led to the Timberwolves' lack of depth. During Garnett's peak, they even reached the top spot in the Western Conference regular season but could not win a championship, ultimately leading Garnett to leave for Boston to fulfill his championship dream...
If one were to discuss the root cause of the Timberwolves' "big but not strong" status, Joe Smith's dual contract is hard to escape blame.
However, in the summer of 1996, Joe Smith was still enjoying the treatment of a future star with the Golden State Warriors! In the just-concluded 1995-1996 season, Joe Smith contributed 15 points and 8.7 rebounds, making him the Warriors' second-leading scorer, second only to Sprewell!
By rights, Joe Smith could have skipped this year's summer league, but Joe Smith remained diligent, actively leading the team out, wanting to find his competitive rhythm early... As a result, he ran into a brick wall against the Lakers!
Although Joe Smith tried his best, scoring 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, he was still no match for Kobe and He Ximeng. The Lakers' consistent barrage of long-range fire turned Joe Smith's inside advantage into nothing...
The Lakers never engaged the Warriors in an inside battle. The Warriors, despite their inside advantage, could only watch helplessly!
In his rookie season, Kobe was very fond of driving to the basket. Now, under He Ximeng's influence, Kobe has gradually placed his back-to-the-basket jump shot at the most important position in his arsenal. Especially when facing opponents with strong interior players, Kobe has also begun to judge the situation and no longer force his way through.
In He Ximeng's view, this is an excellent change for Kobe...
In the final game of the summer league, the Lakers' opponent was the Suns!
The Suns' leaders this year were Finley, the 21st pick in 1995, and Nash, the 15th pick this year!
This backcourt duo was also the strongest backcourt combination the Lakers had faced so far!
Finley, in his first professional season, contributed 15 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists, emerging as the league's newest all-around scorer!
The Finley-Nash combination was by no means weaker than the Kobe-He Ximeng duo. For most of the game, the Lakers were trailing, being dominated by the Suns!
It wasn't until the last three minutes of the final quarter that He Ximeng broke through and passed to Kobe, who, with Finley in his face, hit a top-of-the-key three-pointer. The Lakers took the lead for the first time!
Kobe was forced to rely on three-pointers to score, which shows how fierce and exciting the game must have been!
On the final possession, Nash used a screen to drive hard against He Ximeng. He Ximeng and Kobe switched defenders immediately. He Ximeng anticipated Nash's intention to pass to Finley on the wing and stepped up to block Finley's catch, forcing Nash to take a contested shot under Kobe's tight defense...
In the end, the ball bounced off the rim, and Nash missed the opportunity to hit a game-winner against the Lakers. The Suns lost to their opponents by one point, 94:95!
The summer league, led by Kobe and He Ximeng, saw the Lakers go 4-0, achieving a great omen for the new season!
By the time He Ximeng and Kobe returned to the team, the core players had assembled and undergone several training sessions.
Upon joining the practice with He Ximeng and Kobe, it was clear that the team atmosphere was not entirely harmonious!
Last season, the Lakers' leading scorer was small forward Ceballos!
During the offseason, the Lakers traded Divac and signed O'Neal!
Ceballos was confused about his role, thinking the team signed O'Neal to be his assistant. He intended to use his seniority to put O'Neal in his place, making O'Neal accept the role of the team's second option...
O'Neal, though appearing slow-witted, was actually very shrewd! He knew very well what he could concede and what he couldn't!
Facing Ceballos's provocation, O'Neal directly confronted him, ready to fight if necessary! He had a direct confrontation with Ceballos during practice.
Ceballos, along with Van Exel and Campbell, put pressure on O'Neal. Eddie Jones, the cunning one, chose to remain neutral!
Veteran Scott chose to mediate, Kobe chose to watch from the sidelines, focusing on honing his individual skills, while He Ximeng...
He Ximeng chose to step forward and firmly support O'Neal!
Van Exel wouldn't pass to O'Neal, but He Ximeng did!
"Little brother, you've got vision! If you want to play here, I'll look out for you..."
As O'Neal's first supporter on the Lakers, and with He Ximeng's natural point guard instincts, O'Neal volunteered to leave the starting lineup, with whom he didn't get along, and join the reserve team, partnering with rookie point guard He Ximeng...
Campbell couldn't handle O'Neal. Coupled with He Ximeng constantly feeding O'Neal with perfect passes, the Lakers' reserve lineup, led by O'Neal, completely dominated the starting lineup!
After the game, O'Neal left the locker room in high spirits, humming a little tune happily.
Ceballos dared not confront O'Neal directly, but he cornered He Ximeng in the locker room, intending to teach him a lesson...
Although Kobe had been observing O'Neal from the sidelines, he couldn't stand by when He Ximeng was cornered!
Therefore, Kobe immediately notified O'Neal to come to the rescue, successfully preventing He Ximeng from being bullied by the veteran players.
Afterward, Kobe advised He Ximeng not to get involved in the power struggle between the team's star players, stating it was very brutal. As a rookie, he should focus on playing his best game.
He Ximeng listened and then advised Kobe: "During a regime change, no one can remain impartial! Trying to play both sides might seem like a way to get along, but in reality, you won't earn trust from either side... If you can identify the right side, the best choice is to pick a side early! I'm a point guard, and I'll definitely choose the powerful inside player O'Neal as my partner, not the small forward Ceballos who competes for my ball possession! Your position, however, overlaps with Ceballos's, making compatibility even more difficult... Choosing O'Neal is a choice you have no option but to make..."
"Do you really think so?" Kobe asked back with a serious expression.
Because He Ximeng's logic had a fatal flaw! Kobe's position essentially overlapped with Ceballos's. What if, one day in the future, O'Neal and Kobe had a conflict? On whose side would He Ximeng stand?