LAS VEGAS \u2014 They say America is the land of opportunity, but in the NBA world, that place can be narrowed down to Las Vegas in July.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the Lakers were shorthanded against the Mavericks with Cameron Carr ruled out shortly before tip. Arthur Kaluma took advantage of the opportunity.<\/p>\n
He was magnificent in LA\u2019s 91-70 win over Dallas<\/a>, scoring 34 points on 11-16 shooting from the field, including six of his 10 3-pointers.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just his confidence,\u201d Lakers coach Ty Abbott said about Kaluma\u2019s game after the win. \u201cAnd understanding of how to play without the ball in your hand. Last night was a situation where he\u2019s just finding windows, he\u2019s crashing, he\u2019s creating extra possessions, getting putbacks, tip-ins, and he\u2019s getting fouls, and he\u2019s taking advantage of smaller defenders. Today, he had some actions run for him and he was ready.\u201d<\/p>\n A performance like this puts a spotlight on a player and left many wondering if the Lakers should make him a permanent member of the roster.<\/p>\n LA has all three two-way spots by Chris Ma\u00f1on, AK Okereke and Peter Suder, so Kaluma would have to unseat one of those players. However, just because someone is signed to a two-way contract today doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019ll be that way tomorrow.<\/p>\n While Ma\u00f1on has had some quality games, Okereke and Suder have struggled during Summer League. And with a performance like this, Kaluma is making a compelling case for LA to figure out how to give him a two-way contract before someone else does.<\/p>\n In LA\u2019s first game in Las Vegas on Friday<\/a>, he was literally perfect from the field, knocking down all five of his shots and scoring 18 points. Saturday was more of the same.<\/p>\n Kaluma wasted no time getting to work. He scored the team\u2019s second basket with a nice pump fake and then a drive inside. Kaluma absorbed the contact and finished in the paint.<\/p>\n He repeated this process throughout the first half, and then, when the opportunity to hit a three presented itself, he took advantage with a pair of makes from beyond the arc.<\/p>\n During the second half, Kaluma stayed hot. Whenever the Mavericks were threatening a comeback, he seemed to hit a timely three to keep them at bay.<\/p>\n Kaluma has been part of the Lakers ecosystem before. He played with South Bay last year and was also on the Summer League roster. With a year of professional development under his belt, he\u2019s been able to showcase it in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a certain hunger that you have to have in order to be successful in the G [League],\u201d Kaluma said. \u201cAnd I feel like that drive that I had my first year in it pushed me into this summer to really get better and work on my game and come here and have the opportunity to perform at Summer League.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s the thing about a player like Kaluma: he\u2019s trying to carve out a role, so he\u2019ll be hungry and ready for any chance he gets. The moments have arrived for him during Summer League and he\u2019s delivered.<\/p>\n Everyone at Summer League has something to prove. The top draft picks want to prove they are worth the hype. The second-year players are trying to prove they don\u2019t need to be here and the two-way guys want to keep their spots or earn standard deals.<\/p>\n Kaluma fits outside of this box. He is an Exhibit 10 player trying to keep his career going and find a role at a higher level. Thanks to his play this weekend, that moment could happen sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n You can follow Edwin on Twitter at @ECreates88<\/a> or on Bluesky at @ecreates88.bsky.social<\/a>.<\/p>\n