Former Cal Poly guard David Nwaba has signed another 10-day contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, as confirmed by General Manager Rob Pelinka and team officials on Twitter Saturday.
OFFICIAL: Lakers sign @dnwaba0 to a second 10-Day contract https://t.co/O5Nk12o7pO
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) March 11, 2017
Nwaba signed his first 10-day contract Feb. 28 and became the first Cal Poly alumnus to play in an NBA game when he played five minutes in the Lakers’ 109-104 loss to the Charlotte Hornets that night.
Since signing that contract, Nwaba played in another four games, averaging 11.2 minutes per game over that span. His best game came March 3 against the Boston Celtics, where he scored seven points with two rebounds and a block in 20 minutes of game time.
“The way he competes on defense, honestly, he brings a whole other level we’re looking for,” Lakers head coach Luke Walton said yesterday, according to NBA.com.
Because Nwaba started out in the NBA Development League, he can be signed to two 10-day contracts at most. This means that after his next 10 days are up, the Lakers must decide whether or not to sign him for the rest of the season.
As the Lakers currently sit last in the Western Conference at 20-45, they may keep him around to continue his development or they could use his roster spot to sign other players and see how they fare. Despite the pressure with the second contract, Nwaba remains focused on performing well.
“I still think I have a lot to prove. I don’t feel like I’ve shown everything on defense and on offense,” he said after practice Saturday, according to NBA.com. “The first 10 days was just trying to get used to everything. I feel more comfortable and hopefully I can show that throughout the games.”
The Lakers play six games in the next 10 days: March 12 against the Philadelphia 76ers, March 13 at the Denver Nuggets, March 15 at the Houston Rockets, March 17 against the Milwaukee Bucks; March 19 against the Cleveland Cavaliers and March 21 against their crosstown rival, the Los Angeles Clippers.