Robert Sacre is known for having a personality as large
as his giant 7 foot frame; he is often seen as the jokester of the Gonzaga family – jesting
with officials, playing pranks on his teammates, and being a genuinely happy-go-lucky
guy. But many questioned if he had the
talent to be successful in the NBA.
He quietly passed the first test, getting picked as
the 60th draft pick to the Los Angeles Lakers. The second test will come in Summer League
Play. Summer League typically gives
players a chance to prove their worth against other top rookies, and younger
NBA bench players. If a player performs well,
he can hopefully garner a spot in the regular season line-up.
Game 1 (Friday, July 13):
Robert Sacre’s first game in Summer League Play was
against Golden State. He received a
substantial amount of playing time with 27 minutes on the floor where he scored
4 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, and had a blocked shot.
Chuck Person, the Laker’s Summer League Coach had
this to say about Robert, “He did some good things. He guarded the post well, and he did a good
job of getting position. He needs to
rebound a little better, but that will come.
We drafted him because we like his size.
He’s a big guy who’s not afraid to get in there and mix it up. He’s also a smart player, and in the short
time he’s been with us, I’d say he’s ahead of the curve when it comes to
learning what it’s all about at this level.”
Game 2 (Saturday, July 14):
Saturday night against the Sacramento Kings, Sacre
took heed to his coach’s critique and stepped up his rebounding game. In 33 minutes of action, Sacre scored 11
points and posted a team-high of 10 rebounds.
“I’m trying to know my role and figure out what my
teammates need me to do. That’s my main
focus. Everybody’s got to find their
niche. We have to learn to work with one
another and fit in together”, said Robert following the loss to Sacramento.
From a fan perspective viewing his second game, I
felt Sacre’s size translated well to the NBA.
For the most part, he was the largest body on the floor and he had
confidence to use it as he was consistently banging around the paint. The announcers seemed intrigued by him as
well and commented that he seemed to really enjoy pushing others around the
court. He also maintained his endearing
demeanor, as every time the camera panned to his face, you could see that
slightly devilish ear-to-ear grin.
My biggest criticism of Big Rob has always been his
rebounding, or lack of it in most cases.
He was always the biggest player on the court, and he often struggled to
grab more than 6 rebounds. Having said
that, I was pleasantly surprised to see this game. Robert was making it his mission to go after
every missed shot and to block out. If
he continues to improve his rebounding, he could be a viable bench player for
the LA Lakers this upcoming season.
What do you think of Sacre’s chances in the NBA? Will he be successful with the Lakers?
