Quincy Olivari was the unlikely star for the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night, as he led them to a stunning comeback win over the Milwaukee Bucks in their third preseason game. Following Olivari's heroics in that game, LeBron James' friend Cuffs The Legend felt he had to get a roster spot and sent a warning to GM Rob Pelinka.
"I think the Lakers may have found themselves a hidden gem with Chris Olivari," Cuffs The Legend said. "... This is how you make an NBA roster. Look at this guy competing, moving the puppies. 94 feet. Rob Pelinka, JJ Redick pay that man. Pay that man. Hurry up and pay this man before the rest of the league finds out."
"This is the definition of making the most of your opportunity," Cuffs The Legend continued. "Just look at this kid hustling. Just look at the energy he bringing to the team. We gotta have him on the final roster Rob Pelinka. Don't mess this one up, Rob. ... Just look at the toolbox. Just look at the skill set. Chris Olivari. The real question is, how did this type of talent go undrafted?"
In case you're wondering, Cuffs The Legend did eventually realize he got the name wrong and apologized for it. As for why Olivari went undrafted, the fact that he's 23 years old might well have played a part in that. He played four seasons at Rice and then one at Xavier before entering the 2024 NBA Draft.
Olivari averaged 19.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.1 blocks per game in his final season in college and shot 40.9% from beyond the arc. Had he been a couple of years younger, you'd think he'd have garnered a fair bit of interest with those numbers.
While the Lakers also passed on the opportunity to draft Olivari, they were impressed by what they saw in college and added him to their Summer League roster. They then signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract afterward and that certainly looked like a good decision on Thursday.
Olivari entered that game against the Bucks in the fourth quarter and recorded 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists in just over nine minutes as the Lakers won 107-102. He was quite efficient too, going 4-6 from the field and 3-4 from beyond the arc. He made a strong impression on head coach JJ Redick, who spoke glowingly of the rookie postgame.
"I thought, in particular, Quincy just completely changed the game," Redick said postgame. "To me, and I told our guys this after, what he did is the blueprint for what we're asking for a few of our players in terms of just picking up full court, being disruptive, taking time off the shot clock.
"I thought he just executed exactly what we want from someone in his position," Redick continued. "We’ve challenged a number of guys and they've done it well to varying degrees but I haven't seen it executed that well until tonight with Quincy.”
That's some high praise for Olivari from Redick. The question now, though, is will the Lakers add him to their roster?
Currently, there are no open spots and the three two-way spots are occupied too. Someone on the roster or one of those players on two-way deals will have to move out for Olivari to get in, or he'll be headed to the South Bay Lakers in the G League.
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