Lakers Must Act Fast to Keep Summer League Breakout Arthur Kaluma

The Los Angeles Lakers have seen their scouting pay off in a big way again, this time, on a player that they know plenty of.

Arthur Kaluma went undrafted in the 2025 NBA Draft, eventually signing a deal with the Lakers, allowing him to play in Summer League in 2025 and join the Lakers for training camp.

The Lakers ended up waiving him before the season started, though they picked him up for their G-League team.

A year later, Kaluma is shining for the Lakers. He is averaging 20.3 points in four games of action for the Lakers in Summer League on 22.7 minutes per game off the bench as a sixth man.

Kaluma is hitting 63.9% of his shots from the field, along with 54.5 from deep on 5.5 attempts per game.

Additionally, he has pulled down 3.5 rebounds and dished out 2.0 assists, but it has been his scoring that has shone the most.

Not only has Kaluma been one of the best players on the Lakers in Summer League, but he is also ranking among the best in the whole tournament, even ahead of other players with more experience or pedigree.

Arthur Kaluma’s journey to Summer League Star

Kaluma started his college career at Creighton before bouncing around to Kansas State and eventually Texas. He actually declared for the 2023 NBA Draft, but he pulled out to join Kansas State.

Measuring at six-foot-eight with a seven-foot wingspan, Kaluma was not deemed to have much of an NBA future, but he averaged 13.8 points down in the G-League last year, adding 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.

He had a 34-point game explosion against the Mavericks on Saturday, where he shot the lights out from deep, putting him on the radar of the wider NBA landscape.

Now, in all four games, Kaluma has been efficient and contributed well in terms of rebounds and assists, while his defense has not looked too shabby either.

“(I can play) wherever you need me,” Kaluma said. “I’m not going to lie to you. I pride myself on the defensive end. I know I got hot offensively, but the shot was just falling (Saturday), you know what I’m saying? My game is 3-and-D. I lock up on defense and I know I can hit open shots. I just got hot … and I’m not going to try to let it get to my head.”

He does not have a guaranteed contract at the NBA level next year, setting the opportunity for the Lakers or another team to add him as a two-way player.

The Lakers have all three two-way spots filled, but if they were to upgrade Chris Manon to a regular contract or waive Pete Suder, who has struggled in Vegas, they can easily add Kaluma.

Considering how well he has played, it is quite imperative that they act now before losing him to another team, especially since forwards and wings are always highly valued.

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