It’s sad to hear that the head coach of Los Angles Lakers has signed a monster contract.
Valerio-Bodon (6’9″, 200) last played for Sopron KC of the Hungarian NBIA in 30 games (all starts) in the 2022–2023 season. In 25.7 minutes per game, he averaged 8.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 50.3 percent from the field, 41.2 percent from 3-point range, and 87.9 percent from the free-throw line.
The 22-year-old averaged 5.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 19.3 minutes per game while playing for DEAC of the Hungarian NBIA in 2021–2022. He appeared in 28 games (24 starts) during that time. During the 2023 NBA 2K24 Summer League in Las Vegas, Valerio-Bodon played in one game for the Boston Celtics. In 25 minutes, he scored 13 points (4-8 FG, 2-4 3PT, 3-3 FT), six rebounds, three assists, and one block.
Baugh (6’4″, 194), who played four seasons at TCU (2021–23) and the University of Memphis (2019–21), is entering his first professional season. The Tennessee native played in 117 games during his collegiate career (88 starts), averaging 7.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 steals in 26.8 minutes of action.
Baugh played in 29 games (all starts) during his final season as a Horned Frog, averaging 12.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.8 steals in 35.0 minutes per game. This performance earned him a spot on the All-Big 12 Second Team. At the end of the season, he was 13th in the NCAA in assists per game (5.6) and third in the conference in total assists (169).
As a rookie for the South Bay Lakers last season, Hamilton (6’4″, 205) played in 29 regular season games (27 starts), averaging 14.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 28.2 minutes per game.
During his four years as a student at UNLV (2018–22), the Pasadena, California native averaged 14.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 26.0 minutes per game while playing in 119 games (69 starts). As a senior, he led all conference players with a career-high 21.8 points per game average. Hamilton was selected to three different All-Mountain West conference teams in a row, including the first team in both the 2019–20 and 2021–22 seasons.
In 19 NBA G League regular season games (four starts) as a rookie in 2022–23, Pippen Jr. (6’1”, 185) played for South Bay. In 27.9 minutes per game, he averaged 21.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals. The 22-year-old won NBA G League Player of the Week on December 19 and was chosen to play in the 2023 Jordan Rising Stars Game during NBA All-Star Weekend.
He also played in six games for the Los Angeles Lakers the previous campaign, scoring 2.3 points every 5.3 minutes on average. He played in 90 games (89 starts) over his three collegiate seasons (2019–22) at Vanderbilt University, averaging 17.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.6 steals in 31.6 minutes. All-SEC First Team recognition was awarded to Pippen Jr. after his sophomore and junior seasons.
