The Lakers announced late Saturday that former training camp roster invitees Robert Upshaw and Michael Frazier had made the D-Fenders training camp roster.
Both Upshaw and Frazier were waived on October 20 after appearing in four preseason games. Fans were a bit surprised that Upshaw, a 7-0 center, did not make the team but now the undrafted rookie out of Washington will have a chance to develop and refine his skills in the D-League.
Training camp for the D-Fenders opens on Wednesday.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Toronto Raptors on Thursday, October 8, 2015 at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Ca. (Micah Escamilla/Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)
ONTARIO — He spoke in an excited tone, Robert Upshaw experiencing the initial wave of euphoria surrounding his first NBA exhibition appearance. The Lakers’ reserve center just posted six points on three-of-four shooting, three rebounds, two blocks, one assist and one turnover in 25 minutes in the team’s 105-97 preseason loss to the Toronto Raptors on Thursday at Citizens Business Bank Arena. That left Upshaw appearing on cloud nine as he sat by his locker.
“It was really good,” Upshaw said. “I finally got to get my feet wet, go out there and play some good basketball and just keep up the energy.”
Outside of the locker room, Lakers coach Byron Scott spoke in a more solemn tone about Upshaw’s performance.
“He was okay,” Scott said. “He made a ton of mistakes on both ends of the floor. That’s probably to be expected in his first game.”
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The Lakers have signed Robert Upshaw after five games of summer-league play to a multi-year contract. (Photo by Getty Images)
General Manager Mitch Kupchak announced the deal Monday in a press release, but terms of the deal were not revealed.
The 7-foot Upshaw played five games for the Lakers’ summer-league team, averaging 1.4 points, 2.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks in 11.5 minutes per game.
Upshaw, 21, entered the NBA draft after stints at Fresno State and Washington but went undrafted. He was dismissed from both schools for violating team rules.
As a sophomore last season at Washington, Upshaw led the nation with 4.5 blocks per game in just 24.9 minutes in 19 appearances. He averaged 10.9 points on 59.3 percent shooting and 8.2 rebounds.
The Upshaw signing comes five days after the Lakers signed 32-year-old Brazilian guard Marcelo Huertas to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal. Huertas averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 assists last season for FC Barcelona in Spain, where he has played in the past four years.
The Lakers have 18 players under contract, including non-guaranteed deals to Tarik Black and Jabari Brown. They can have up to 20 players during training camp before trimming to a league-maximum 15 to open the 2015-16 season in late October.