The NBA Summer League continues this weekend, but at this point most of the players who will be on NBA rosters next season – not to mention most of the media (myself included) – have pulled out of Las Vegas.
Who stood out? Who should we keep an eye on at the start of the season? Here are 10 players to watch, from the obvious big names to a few under-the-radar guys.
(This is not a complete list and only includes players I’ve seen in person, so not Keegan Murray of the Kings, who dominated the California Classic. These are just guys who impressed me .)
SECOND YEAR PLAYERS TOO GOOD FOR SUMMER LEAGUE
1). Jabari Smith Jr. (Houston Rockets)
Jabari Smith Jr. was the best player in Las Vegas. Fingers in the nose.
He’s played eight quarters in the Summer League and we’re going to knock out the first two. After that he was a dominant force scoring 71 points in two games. His shooting was effective, he defended well, was strong on the glass and found open teammates. Perhaps most impressive were its improved grips and ability to create shots.
“I think it’s just confidence, you know,” Smith said of his upgraded grips. “I feel like I spent a lot of time there, just trying to take bumps and being able to be decisive with your movements. Not just necessarily having a range of movement, but just being able to handle the ball , take bumps and have some must-have moves.
“I liked his competitiveness. I liked his maturity,” Rockets Summer League coach Ben Sulivan said. “I liked the dynamic skill set he brought on offense – he’s posted, he handles pick-and-rolls, he sets screens, he picks and jumps. We kind of moved them all over the place. on different areas of the floor and he showed he was able to handle it all.”
Smith also had the best shot in the Summer League.
2) Max Christie (Los Angeles Lakers)
The Lakers are deep with solid role players around their stars this season, but Darvin Ham is going to have to get Christie a few minutes. The Michigan State sophomore had a limited run as a rookie but looks set for more averaging 19 points per game, hitting half of his three and grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game at Vegas. He was the Lakers’ best player in the Summer League and earned a few points.
Christie played three games, then was retired for a “minor hip injury”. Anyway, he didn’t need to play in the Summer League anymore, he didn’t learn anything from this level of play.
RECRUITS WHO SHOW PROMISES
3) Scoot Henderson (Portland Trail Blazers)
It was an obvious inclusion, even though he only played a little more than half of Summer League basketball before Portland pulled him with a shoulder injury (sources tell NBC Sports that his absence is more preventative than an actual injury).
Henderson didn’t just look “If Charlotte had taken him to No. 2” good, he was “Could be better than…no…probably not” good. Yes, the otherworldly athleticism and NBA building are there, but for the most part, Henderson knew how to lead a team – he was in no rush, he used his grips and his creativity to make instead, then he made the right decision to shoot or find the open man. He just does all the right readings.
He finished with 15 points (not bad for basically half of basketball), and while the jumper needed to become more stable, Henderson was as good as a rookie in Las Vegas could be.
4) Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)
Of course, he had to be on the list.
The ups and downs we saw from Wembanyama’s offense in Las Vegas may be a preview of what we’ll see throughout the season in San Antonio. Along those same lines, the impressive defensive impact we saw in Vegas’ two games will follow him into the NBA season.
What impressed me most about Wembanyama himself was his maturity and composure. He manipulated the strange incident of britney spears like a 10-year veteran and wasn’t fazed by a tough first outing. He can handle the roller coaster that is the NBA.
5) Keynote George (Utah Jazz)
Going into the NBA draft, the question was “Can he score consistently at the NBA level?” George’s 59 points in his first two games in Vegas suggest he can. Doing it in the Summer League where the style of play suits him is different from doing it in the NBA season, but George has impressed. It is worth watching.
6) Anthony Black (Orlando Magic)
Teams loved Black before the draft because of his size for a head guard – 6’6” – and his defense, and both were on display in Las Vegas. However, what impressed me most was this are his game management skills and decision-making in what can be a chaotic Summer League environment.
“Really calm and collected,” Orlando Summer League coach Dylan Murphy said of Black. “I think he’s not easily shaken, he’s very easy to play with, guys love to play with him. That’s just a great way to describe him. I think it will serve him well in this league for a long time.”
Black needs to develop consistent shooting to maximize those skills at the NBA level, but he’s shown enough in Las Vegas to impress with the potential for what he could become.
7) Jarace Walker (Indiana Pacers)
To say that Walker has an NBA-ready body sells him short – he has an NFL-ready body at 6’8″ and 240. He’s not only strong but mobile, made disruptive defensive plays and ran for the edge in transition.However, what stood out was how he could make a bit of play – he got the ball in a few times for the Pacers.
“The guy is very versatile,” Pacers coach Jannero Pargo said. “He can manage the ball and make attacking plays. So sometimes we put the ball in his hands and he makes great plays.”
Like most Summer League rookies (and on this list), he needs to develop a more consistent shot. But it’s easy to imagine Walker getting a little run behind Obi Toppin (one of the best picks of the offseason) for Rick Carlisle.
8) Cam Whitmore (Houston Rockets)
Regardless of the red flags — medical or concerns about his conduct — that landed him on the draft boards, watching him in Las Vegas, it was hard to believe a team hadn’t taken a flyer on him earlier. He fits in well with the talented sophomores in Houston — Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason — and looks like a player.
“He’s got a really unique game, he plays really hard,” Smith said of his teammate. “He’s young, he’s really explosive. So I just tried to tell him to keep it simple and let the game come to him.”
GUYS UNDER THE RADAR
9) Orlando Robinson (Miami Heat)
Robinson played 31 games for the Heat last season, but on a roster with Bam Adebayo at center backed by Cody Zeller (then Kevin Love came in and took minutes to five), the Fresno State rookie was an afterthought .
He shouldn’t be anymore – his play in Las Vegas caught the eye. In two games in Sin City, he averaged 25.5 points on 59.4 percent shooting with 10 rebounds per night — and he was 4 of 7-for-3 in those games. The two-game average at the California Classic and Robinson is 17.8 points per game on 51% shooting and is still well above 50% from beyond the arc.
There aren’t many minutes on the court before Miami, with Adebayo, Love and now Thomas Bryant in the mix, but if Robinson plays like that – and hits from 3 like that – Erik Spoelstra is going to have to get him. in the field.
10) Dominick Barlow (San Antonio Spurs)
Everyone came to Spurs games to watch Wembanyama, but plenty of people were also left in awe of Barlow.
Barlow had a two-way deal with Spurs last season after being dropped from Overtime Elite, but he looks like someone Spurs don’t need to lock down with a roster spot contract (at a minimum). or close, but still) before another team catches it. Barlow had 17 points and six rebounds against the Trail Blazers, comes with an NBA body and could be another achievement for the Spurs development program.