When Devin Ebanks met with Los Angeles media last week, one reporter asked the former WVU forward if he thought he had a real chance at making the roster on a team that is set to return many key components of a world championship lineup.

“I feel I have a good shot,” he replied, confidently. “I put in a lot of hard work, so we’ll see how summer league goes and then once training camp starts, I feel that I’ll be good enough to make the team.”

In his first two summer league games, he is certainly backing up his own assessment of his chances. Against both the Detroit Pistons and the Denver Nuggets, Ebanks led the Lakers in points, scoring 21 and 24 respectively.

Ebanks has been focusing his attention on improving his offensive production, especially as a jump shooter, ever since he left WVU following his sophomore season. He had a reputation with the Mountaineers as one of the top defenders in the BIG EAST, blessed with the athleticism to drive to the basket for dunks and lay-ups and get to the glass for loose balls. Never did anyone accuse him of being a terrific shooter.

“I had a role to play at West Virginia that really didn’t call for me to score and now I get a chance to show that here,” Ebanks said after his second game in Las Vegas. “It was fun. I was having fun out there, showcasing my talent.”

Don’t look now, but Ebanks is currently shooting 50 percent from behind the three-point circle. In his two years at West Virginia, he made just 11 percent of his threes. So either the added attention to his jump shot is paying off or there is something he finds more appealing about scoring from three feet farther back in the NBA.

Whatever the case, the Lakers brass must be excited by what they see from player who is quickly looking to be one of the steals of the draft after falling all the way to the No. 43 pick.

“We did project him higher in the draft,” says Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak. “Our personal rankings, we thought he’d be drafted much higher than he was. We were surprised that he was there at 43, so we were pleased.”

On a team already deep into the luxury tax with five players left to sign for the coming season, Ebanks is looking like an attractive candidate for one of the final pieces to the puzzle. Both he and fellow rookie Derrick Caracter would carry the rookie minimum salary of just over $473,000.

Caracter has also performed well through his first two outings, and Ebanks says the two of them have a history together, which is helping them shine on the professional courts.
 

“We have good chemistry,” he says. “I’ve played with ‘D.C.’ since we were about 14 in AAU circuits and also high school level, so it’s a big advantage. We played together and we hung out, so we have a good relationship together on and off the court and I think it shows.”

NBA.com keeps an updated list called the Rookie Ladder, which grades out league newcomers based on their success – or lack thereof – this summer. As of Sunday, Ebanks was the top performer in the rankings, with Caracter coming in at No. 3.

In just about every assessment of his talents, NBA writers compare Ebanks to former Lakers forward Trevor Ariza. Besides their skill sets, the two have very similar builds, and the sight of Ebanks wearing Ariza’s old No. 3 jersey just adds to the comparisons.

Ebanks, however, hopes to create his own path and establish his own name in Los Angeles.

“I’m just trying to play like Devin Ebanks,” he says.

He acknowledges that his fall into the second round will serve as some sort of motivation throughout the summer as he works to make the team and make a mark alongside the NBA champions.

“It’s just a tremendous opportunity for me,” he said. “Coming from a great program like West Virginia, I’m used to winning, so I just hope to continue that.”

Ebanks will have his next opportunity to get closer to a roster spot Monday evening against the New York Knicks.