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Quincy Olivari emphasizes his desire to stay in the NBA

Quincy Olivari emphasizes his desire to stay in the NBA

The Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason finale didn’t go according to plan as they were outrebounded by the Golden State Warriors by 58 points.

Head coach JJ Redick decided to give his starters and starters a rest, so it fell to the end of the bench to carry the load against the Warriors. However, with the Warriors playing most of their starters and backups on the bench, the young Lakers had no chance of catching up.

The only bright spot in the disastrous defeat was Quincy Olivari, who continued to show Los Angeles that he could turn heads at the drop of a hat. With the Lakers’ offense struggling to score, Olivari took over and did his best to keep the game somewhat competitive.

In the end, Olivari led all scorers with 22 points, but after the game he acknowledged the harsh reality of his situation, via Dan Woike of the LA Times:

Olivari signed an exhibition 10 contract with the Lakers, meaning he would likely be released and play for the South Bay Lakers of the G League. This is usually the standard for players on exhibition 10 contracts, so Olivari seems to understand that he has to make an effort to stay in the league.

Luckily, his play on the field and positive attitude endeared him to the coaching staff and his teammates. Redick previously said he was excited to have Olivari in the organization and that he would have the chance to continue to stick around next season and possibly beyond.

With the current CBA restricting trades, targeting draft picks and undrafted free agents is as important as ever. While the odds against players like Olivari succeeding are still high, it’s enough to change the fortunes of a franchise.

Quincy Olivari is aiming for a similar career to Gabe Vincent

Undrafted free agents have the most difficult path to the NBA because they have to really stand out with their limited opportunities to prove that they deserve a spot on the roster. However, there are currently several players like Olivari who have been able to overcome all the obstacles that stood in their way.

Gabe Vincent, for example, went undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft but found a way to stay with the Miami Heat. Olivari said that was his goal is to carve out a role in the league like Vincent did.