The Great 2019 NBA Summer League Analysis Manifesto

Everything you need to know from all 95 NBA Summer League games on Zion, R.J., Carsen, Jaxson, NAW, and everyone else

THE 2019 NBA SUMMER LEAGUE IS NEARLY A WRAP, with only a championship game between the Grizzlies and Timberwolves remaining. There were 95 Summer League (SL) games across Las Vegas, Utah, and Sacramento, and I should know, because I watched every one of them.

I have grown to love Summer League with all its weird quirks and oddities. It might be NBA Comic-Con in person, but it’s just hoops on my TV, a chance to see real, live NBA prospects compete against equivalent talents… even if they’re playing a sport that isn’t totally basketball much of the time. It’s fun watching these guys develop each summer, a chance to see the future of the NBA unfold right before your eyes. And I watched all of it for you, dear reader.

Below, you’ll find over 20,000 words about every team in the NBA and my analysis of every key player from all three Summer Leagues. So sit back, grab some Preparation H, and dig in. Oh, and if all you have time for are a few quick hitters, here’s one key takeaway for each Summer League team…

How to Read This Thing

Just take in the overviews, if you want. Read a few teams or sections at a time. Cherry pick your favorite players (Ctrl + F). Scroll through to guys you never got to see in March Madness. Take an hour-long dump with a full battery and read it straight through. It’s a choose your own adventure, really!

Thank you for reading. I’d sincerely appreciate it if you took a minute to share with others who might like it, too.

By all means, please CLAP and SHARE and HIGHLIGHT away!! This is my biggest project of the year.

Some Notes on Methodology

Skip ahead to the good stuff if you don’t care to see how the sausage was made. Just a few notes behind the scenes if you’re interested…

• This is not meant to be awesome writing. Think of it as a written podcast. I’m not going to spend much time editing and didn’t focus on writing style. It’s informational. It takes me 80 minutes to watch one game. You get all 95 games in the same amount of time.
• I really did watch all 95. Not always the entire thing, and not closely at every moment, but enough to get a sense of each key player.
• These are my opinions and mine alone. Of course I have plenty of Draft and NBA Twitter influence that help set a basis for many of these players, but everything here is my own observations. Nobody needs a parrot, and I don’t mind being proven wrong. This is just what I am seeing, and I am growing in my ability just like these players grow in theirs.
• I focus on what I see, not what I don’t. Summer League is about skill set flashes, moments more than the outcome, process over results. I care more that you made a good pass than that your teammate fumbled it, more that your shot looks crisp and confident than that it rimmed out, etc.
• This isn’t always real or team basketball. These guys are competing for each other’s jobs; hero ball often prevails. Team defense is not worth evaluating at SL. True player value comes in a team context, but we can mostly only evaluate individually here.
• Age matters, a lot. I’m pretty forgiving with rookies, who got a couple days of practice and got thrown into the fire. Sophomores should stand out. Rookies that are 22 get less leeway. They better stand out, or they’re already behind. Rookies that flash at age 19 are really worth noticing. Athleticism and big man skills translate quickly. IQ, handling, and shooting can be more acquired skills.
• Beware gunners and runners, who always look better in Summer League. Energetic big men play hard and rack up rebounds and easy points. Scoring guards take a ton of shots and put up 20 points like it’s nothing, but any of these guys can score if they shoot a bunch. Gunners and runners post faux SL numbers. Josh Hart, Kobi Simmons, Bryn Forbes, Wayne Selden, and Cheick Diallo come to mind from past summers, posting huge SL numbers that didn’t mean much when the real ball started.
• Stats can matter — a little. Some stats translate better to the NBA. Steals, blocks, and rebounds translate best, along with turnovers and fouls for big men. So do free-throw and three-point attempts — less that they make them and more that they take them. Stats don’t tell all, especially on a small sample, but they can help point us in the right direction.
• This is not science. Some opinions will be wrong. Some we won’t know about for years. Heck some opinions may be right in theory but a player will get injured or get traded or have personal issues and we’ll never know. Basketball is complicated. I’m doing my best, and you’re welcome to disagree. I welcome your questions and criticisms in the comments.
• I’m blunt. There’s not room to sugar coat after 20,000 words. I want all these guys to succeed, but some are better than others. I tell it like I see it.
• One last time: process over results. A good reminder because last year’s manifesto process was better than some of its results. Alright, let’s do this.

We’ll start with some All-Summer teams and a re-ranking of the last 3 drafts. Then it’s each team alphabetically with thoughts on everything about the notable players.

The All Too-Good-to-Be-Here Team

G Anfernee Simons, Portland G Lonnie Walker, San Antonio G Bruce Brown, Detroit **MVP** F Kenrich Williams, New Orleans C Zion Williamson, New Orleans

This is a Summer League staple, the upperclassmen who show up, flash their skills a couple games, remind everyone how much growth they’ve had as a real NBA player, then watch the rest of the games from the stands.

Just one problem: this year’s team is awful. We were missing so many SL players, both rookies and upperclassmen, that there really wasn’t anyone too good to be there. These guys were as close as it gets, including Zion, who played nine minutes, caused an earthquake, and still did enough to get everyone buzzing and shut it down for the summer.

Hopefully this isn’t a sign of Summer Leagues to come. NBA teams, play your young guys! We were missing a ton of rookies thanks to nagging injuries and dumb trade rules, but we were also missing way too many upperclassmen that could’ve badly used the playing time. In their honor, for the first time:

The All Wait-Why-Aren’t-They-Here Team

G Dennis Smith Jr., New York G Collin Sexton, Cleveland G Donte DiVincenzo, Milwaukee G Malik Monk, Charlotte C Harry Giles, Sacramento

Bench

Kevin Huerter ATL, Frank Ntilikina NYK, Thon Maker DET, Skal Labissiere POR, Terance Ferguson OKC, Jack Cooley EVERYONE

I don’t see any reason why these guys weren’t playing in Vegas. Monk apparently was asked to play but said no. Yikes. Sexton and DSJ need the young PG reps. The raw big men need to play against other raw bigs to get some confidence. Fultz might need SL more than anyone, but he, Lonzo Ball, and OG Anunoby are injured so they get the benefit of the doubt. And SL needed Jack Cooley, who finally retired from summer ball at age 87. RIP Jack.

The All Make-It-Stop-Already Team

G Grayson Allen, Memphis **MVP** G Carsen Edwards, Boston G Jevon Carter, Memphis F Henry Ellenson, New York C Caleb Swanigan, Sacramento

Watching 95 Summer League games is a labor of love, and some players are more labor than love. Guys like Jack Cooley could come back every year and I’d root them on. But I’ve seen enough Grayson Allen to last an eternity. Seriously, get that guy out of my NBA. He’s a goon.

Carsen Edwards is very good at what he does, but it is not basketball and I do not enjoy it. Jevon Carter and Caleb Swanigan suck, and I don’t need to see any more of them to find out.

Henry Ellenson was on the Knicks roster but didn’t end up playing for “personal reasons.” The personal reasons are me. I am the person. Hate you forever, Henry.

The All Steals-of-the-Draft Team

G Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans F Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia F Grant Williams, Boston F Brandon Clarke, Memphis **MVP** C Tacko Fall, Boston

Maybe it’s because I spent a thousand more hours scouting for the 2019 NBA Draft, or maybe we just didn’t have enough rookies playing. Twelve first-round picks never played a minute. Out of the first 18 picks, 10 sat out the summer entirely, while Zion and De’Andre Hunter played brief minutes in one game. R.J. Barrett was the only one of the top six picks to play real minutes, and he probably wishes he hadn’t.

But two of the guys that did play were my favorites to watch all year long. Both ended up top-5 on my Big Board, and after watching them dominate instantly in Summer League, I’m more convinced than ever that NBA teams totally whiffed evaluating Brandon Clarke and Grant Williams. And I whiffed on Tacko Fall. He can actually play.

The All-Most-Improved Team

G Lonnie Walker, San Antonio F Bruce Brown, Detroit **MVP** F Troy Brown, Washington C Tony Bradley, Utah C Omari Spellman, Atlanta (Golden State)

These five surprised me and looked a lot better this summer than I’d ever seen them before. Lonnie Walker was a walking bucket. Troy Brown learned how to dribble. Tony Bradley bulked up. Omari Spellman slimmed down. But Bruce Brown looked like a star for the Pistons, and I did not see that coming at all.

The All-Disappointing Team

G Jerome Robinson, Los Angeles Clippers G Zhaire Smith, Philadelphia F R.J. Barrett, New York F Chandler Hutchison, Chicago C Jarrett Allen, Brooklyn **MVP**

Unlike Most Improved, I could’ve gone five or ten more names deep here. So it went this summer. I normally don’t put rookies on this list since everything is new, but if R.J. Barrett can’t succeed on an open stage like this with so little talent against him… yikes. We’ll get back to him. Zhaire is more of a personal disappointment, but we’ll cut him some slack as he’s still getting back to full health. So too Mo Bamba, who only played one game. Hutchison doesn’t look like an NBA player. He reps Michigan teammates D.J. Wilson and Moe Wagner on the list. I was also super underwhelmed by point guards Aaron Holiday and Jacob Evans, despite putting up numbers.

But the weirdest, most underwhelming player had to be Jarrett Allen, who somehow went from starting Brooklyn center to meaningless summer minutes behind DeAndre Jordan in a few weeks. Why was Allen playing SL? And better yet, why didn’t he stand out? Allen was just another rim runner at Summer League. He should’ve gone out and dominated for one game and headlined the Too-Good-to-Be-Here crew. But he really just didn’t.

The 2019 All-Summer-League Teams

First Team

G Bruce Brown, Detroit G Nickeil Alexander-Walker, New Orleans G Kendrick Nunn, Miami G Anfernee Simons, Portland F Brandon Clarke, Memphis **MVP**

Second Team

G Tyler Herro, Miami G Carsen Edwards, Boston F Grant Williams, Boston F Chris Boucher, Toronto C Tony Bradley, Utah

Third Team

G Lonnie Walker, San Antonio G Chris Clemons, Houston F Terance Mann, Los Angeles Clippers C Jaxson Hayes, New Orleans C Mitchell Robinson, New York

These are not the most impressive players or the guys with the most potential. This treats Summer League like a real season and awards guys that put in the time and earned it. And it was pretty tough to do this year with so much load management. I feel pretty good about most of the guys on this list but could shake them all up snow-globe style and put most on any of the three teams.

MVP was down to Brown and Simons for me after the regular season, two guys that seemed to most elevate their team before being sidelined toward the end of the week. NAW might have won it if not for his tough finale. But in the end, I figured you can’t go wrong with the best player in Brandon Clarke. When you carry your 8-seed to back-to-back playoff wins and dominate against Grant Williams and Jaxson Hayes along the way, you get my vote.

The All-Summer-Crush Team

G John Konchar, Memphis G Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia F Dylan Windler, Cleveland F DaQuan Jeffries, Orlando F Grant Williams, Boston

When you watch 95 summer games, you need some players to hang your hat on, guys that get you excited to come back game after game. These are my guys, and I’m feeling nerdy. These are five guys you’ve got to really watch and study to appreciate. They’re the ones that do all the little things that help teams win. They’re smart, instinctive ball players that play hard all game, make good decisions, and make their teammates better. These are the guys I’ll be rooting for to get a real opportunity in the NBA. Of course players like Jaxson, NAW, and Clarke would make the crush list too, but they get enough shine elsewhere in this piece. And shouts of course to Summer League crush emeritus Zhou Qi on the bench.

Way-Too-Early 2019 Redraft

Normally I do a redraft here, but I’m going to do a whole piece on this in the next few weeks, so you’ll have to stay tuned.

Top 25 NBA Prospects from the Last 3 Drafts

1. Luka Doncic (Last Year: 2) 2. Zion Williamson

3. Trae Young (6) 4. Jaren Jackson, Jr. (8) 5. Jayson Tatum (3) 6. De’Aaron Fox (NR) 7. Donovan Mitchell (4)

8. Brandon Clarke 9. Jonathan Isaac (7) 10. Ja Morant 11. Jarrett Culver 12. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (13)

13. Wendell Carter, Jr. (14) 14. Grant Williams 15. Lonzo Ball (11) 16. Zhaire Smith (12) 17. Marvin Bagley (15) 18. De’Andre Hunter 19. Cam Reddish

20. R.J. Barrett 21. Deandre Ayton (19) 22. Mitchell Robinson (23) 23. John Collins (21) 24. Lauri Markkanen (NR) 25. Nickeil Alexander-Walker

The last two drafts were absolutely loaded. This year’s draft lacked any Tier II stars (notice the lack of rookies in the Trae-to-Spida tier) but still added a lot of talent. Remember the awful 2015 and 2016 drafts? They’re history now. There’s a huge influx of young talent ready to grab the next NBA mantle.

Pay more attention to the tiers than the order within. We’re ranking on what we know right now, and that means age factors in a lot here. Guys like Derrick White and Josh Hart are clearly better than the entire bottom tier of players right now, but White is also 25 and the NBA is about upside and stars. The numbers in parentheses represent where I ranked these guys when I did this a year ago. Somehow I didn’t rank Fox at all. I honestly wonder if I forgot him.

There are nine rookies in the top 25, which is about a third. Still, that’s probably silly and a bit of recency bias and excitement about the unknown. I’d rather wonder if a player can be a star than be pretty sure he can’t.

Like last year, the cut off at 25 was pretty tough. I realllly wanted to sneak Jaxson Hayes in there. Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby just missed my list. Michael Porter Jr. probably deserves to be in there somewhere, if he ever plays. I mentioned White and Hart. Bam Adebayo has a case. All of those guys would go in that same tier. And that’s not even including stud defenders like Matisse Thybulle or De’Anthony Melton, dynamic young big men like Goga Bitadze and Mo Bamba, useful Laker Kyle Kuzma, or the enigmatic but probably dead Markelle Fultz. Two years ago, the top 25 included Thon Maker, Dragan Bender, Skal Labissiere, Frank Ntilikina, Patrick McCaw, Jonah Bolden, and Jordan Bell. The NBA is getting younger. We’re in a good place.

2019 NBA Draft Review

If you missed any of my 2019 NBA Draft coverage and need to catch up these players before diving in, here’s everything you need to know:

• My final 2019 Big Board rankings
• Ranking the draft outcomes for every team from 1 to 30
• Why Zion Williamson is already a top-10 NBA asset
• Why Brandon Clarke was the second best prospect in the draft
• Why Ja Morant is worth the early hype
• Why Jarrett Culver is already good with the potential to be great
• Why I’m out on R.J. Barrett as an elite prospect
• Why I’m out on Jaxson Hayes and rim runners as elite prospects
• Point guard rankings and scouting profiles
• Shooting guard rankings and scouting profiles
• Small forward rankings and scouting profiles
• Power forward rankings and scouting profiles
• Center rankings and scouting profiles
• Final 2018 NBA Draft Big Board, for older prospects

Alright, 3000 words of previews and All-Something-or-Other Teams is enough preamble. Let’s get to the teams…

Atlanta Hawks

De’Andre Hunter

Hunter played one game against Minnesota, then hyper-extended his knee and sat out. He was pretty underwhelming in his one appearance and didn’t look very comfortable. I only saw the negatives: a lack of burst and explosion and not the greatest spacial awareness, plus a distinct lack of freelancing ability. I think I finally understand the Kawhi Leonard comp though — both of them play the game like robots, like they’ve learned the rules in one giant book and follow everything to a T. So it makes sense Hunter wouldn’t be ready yet on a couple days of practice, but it also makes me further concerned for Hunter’s upside — the lack of creativity, not the terrible Kawhi comp. We got only the one Hunter game and no Cam Reddish, thanks to injury rehab.

Bruno Fernando

Fernando looked slimmer and quicker than at Maryland, and he can certainly protect the rim. He was one of the best shot blockers and has good timing protecting the rim and coming over on help defense. I wanted to see more offensively from Fernando, especially shooting from distance, but he didn’t do much and wasn’t super involved, averaging 4 points and 4 boards on 31% shooting. Atlanta must have seen enough because they dumped sophomore Omari Spellman to turn over the backup center job to Fernando. Spellman actually looked good for Atlanta, but we’ll cover him in the Warriors section since he got traded there.

Boston Celtics

Grant Williams

You’ll never believe this, but Grant Williams is pretty good at basketball! I had Williams #5 on my final big board, and I’m only more confident after watching him show up at Summer League and do pretty much all the same great stuff he did all year long. It’s the little things with Grant. All the little things. He sets great screens and takes charges. He makes smart passes. He defends hard and rotates right almost every time. He talks a lot and leads the team. He has timing and instincts. None of those things are supposed to matter in Summer League, but Williams did all of them, and if you just watch him for a few minutes, it’s a sight to behold. It’s the fundamentals, stupid.

Williams has voracious effort on the glass. He’s an excellent defender, despite his obvious physical limitations. He talks a lot and organizes the team and constantly makes smart rotations, tagging the roll man and blowing up the screener. Williams can grab and go like Draymond off the rebound, running the offense, and he makes smart passes from the high post and is a good interior passer. Williams is so, so smart. You hear it in his interviews. It’s like having another coach on the court, and Brad Stevens is going to love him. Williams has outstanding instincts nad great timing, and he’s very coachable.

Oh and remember how Grant Williams can’t shoot? That was always laughable and already looks downright stupid. Williams attempted at least three 3s every game and made seven this summer, and he’s already adjusted his game to the more perimeter-oriented NBA. He made 7-of-19 threes for 37%, and the 19 there is the most important number because he was clearly given a mandate to shoot and was firing away, and the shots look good.

Williams can shoot. He can pass. He can score in the post and rebound. He can defend. Remind me again why he was not a top-10 pick? Williams led the Celtics with a +20 on-court rating in 20 minutes against Cleveland. He was +21 in 20 minutes against Philly, +16 in 29 minutes against Denver, and +25 in 21 minutes against Memphis. Add those four games up and Williams is an absurd +82 in 90 minutes of game play. Summer League on/off metrics could not be more useless, but if that doesn’t show you the impact Grant Williams has on winning, I don’t know what to tell you. His team was almost a point better than the opponent every minute he was on the floor. Are you still worried that Boston lost Al Horford? Because I think they have a ready-made replacement. Williams will be in closing lineups this spring. Mark my words.

Carsen Edwards

Look, I don’t know what to tell you with Carsen Edwards. He had a fantastic summer and picked up right where March Madness left off, a Summer League chucker extraordinaire with outstanding numbers. Edwards surely must have averaged under one second before getting a shot up. When he was on the court, he was taking every shot, and the ball was going up quickly and usually going in. I guess you can’t argue with results? It didn’t really matter if the defender was draped all over him. Edwards cuts violently and gets downhill quickly, and he can stop on a dime and get that quick release off. He looks destined for a long career as a microwave bench scorer. Before a disappointing finale, Edwards averaged 23ppg on 52% shooting and 69% true shooting. I thought he had horrifying shot selection and played with no conscience at times, but does it really matter if you’re making that many?

Edwards looks really small and plays small too, with sort of a hunched over build. He’s super strong for his size, so he doesn’t exactly get pushed around, but I wonder if he’ll still be able to get those shots off against bigger NBA defenders. But I would’ve guessed that heading into SL too. On defense, Carsen’s lack of size kills him. He contests hard on shots but is pretty useless at anything else and has just zero shot defensively after a switch puts him onto anyone that’s not a guard. Guys were just scoring right over him, and it feels like he’ll get hunted in any real NBA spot, one of those guys that puts up 14 quick points and gives 12 right back. Edwards is more a scorer than a point guard. He makes quick decisions but doesn’t create much for others, with only seven assists in five games.

But again, why bother creating for anyone else when you are the physical manifestation of boiling lava on a basketball court? I’m sorry, but I just don’t enjoy watching Carsen Edwards shot after shot with no conscience. That’s not basketball, and I’m not sure what the point is. There are going to be precious few real NBA moments when it makes sense to bring Edwards in and let him shoot every time he touches the ball. He’s clearly awesome at what he does, but I’m not convinced it’s winning team ball, and I just don’t like it.

Tremont Waters

I honestly think I’d rather have Waters than Edwards. Tremont is even smaller, but he actually does a great job overcoming his size and plays a wonderful all-around team game and makes his teammates better. Waters has an awesome handle and is a true point guard. He runs the offense and plays under control, and he sees things most players don’t, which is especially impressive for how diminutive he is. Waters has a knack for sticking with a play a split second longer than you expect and finding a passing window most won’t see. He’s unselfish and sees stuff a half-step ahead of others, and he makes terrific pick-and-roll decisions.

I don’t have on/off numbers with Edwards versus Waters, but instinctively, I feel like they must play so much better with Waters on the court. He’s certainly a point guard I’d want to play with. Edwards is clearly far better at scoring and a much better shooter, but I feel like Waters is better at almost everything else. He’s the better defender too. His instincts are good and he has such quick hands and gets a heap of steals. And despite his small size, Waters contorts and controls his body well and finishes pretty well at the rim. The problem is Waters can’t really shoot. He was only 5-of-28 from deep (18%) and under 38% from the field. If he’s too small and can’t shoot, it’s going to be really tough to stay on the court and do all those other things he does so well, and that would be a real shame. I just felt like the Celtics were a much more enjoyable team with Waters on the court. He makes his teammates better, and the team seems better with him out there, numbers or not.

Tacko Fall

With no Zion to entertain, Tacko Fall became the summer’s marquee name. He played only 13 minutes a game, but crowds went nuts when he even got up to head to the check-in table and booed when he left the floor. Before Summer League, I called Fall a novelty, but I was wrong… he can really play!

It’s really impossible to overstate how large a human Tacko Fall is. I mean he’s 7'7" with a 10'2" standing reach. The rim is at 10 feet, which means Tacko can literally dunk without leaving the ground, and he did so at last once a game. He racks up rebounds because he’s literally reaching like a foot higher than everyone else, and he does a good job keeping the ball high and just slamming it home if it’s an offensive rebound, a la Boban. Fall actually moves decently for such a giant human. He can dribble a little and has a little jump hook he can hit. A lot of times when you see a guy this big, like Kenny George, it’s just a giant human that has no coordination that’s only playing basketball because he’s huge. Fall is not that. He’s just a bigger version of Roy Hibbert. He’s tall and skinny and blocks a lot of shots with his verticality.

And whew, does he block a lot of shots. Fall had an absolutely absurd 19% block rate, meaning he blocked almost 1-in-5 two-pointers while on the court. That is just silly. Guys just have no idea what to do with Fall on the court. The entire paint is a no-zone. Fall understands what he is and uses his size well. He averaged 20 points, 12 boards, and 4 blocks per 36 minutes, and his advanced metrics were off the charts. I think there’s a Boban NBA role there for Fall, an occasional 15-minute bench role that can’t be used against some teams but absolutely devastates others. We need more Tacko Fall!

Robert Williams

Williams, of course, is the more important Celtics big man, expected to have a bigger role. He was one of the many Summer League rim runners, and athletically, he stacks up with any of them, like a bigger, springier version of Daniel Gafford. Williams is all effort. He goes hard after rebounds and dives all over the place, and he has a crazy athleticism and size combination. Timelord got a ton of rebounds, hitting double digits in under 20 minutes a game, and racked up a lot of easy points on lobs and put-backs.

But all of that is commonplace for a player of this type at Summer League. Beyond the obvious rim runner stats, I was not impressed with the finesse level. Williams picked up a lot of fouls defending and doesn’t feel like he has a lot of natural instincts. His decision making is very uneven, and he doesn’t show much touch or look like he’ll develop much shooting. He probably is what he is, another JaVale McGee type, a role any team is happy to add.

Other Celtics

We didn’t get to see any Romeo Langford, who sat out with an injury he conveniently claims to have played through all season as a reason for why he can’t shoot or use both hands or stay engaged or try on defense. Guerschon Yabusele played 33 minutes in two games and made one shot. He didn’t look like he belonged out there, and Boston apparently agreed and cut him.

Brooklyn Nets

Jarrett Allen

Why was Jarrett Allen playing Summer League? That’s the question I was wondering as SL began, and it’s the question everyone was asking as Allen put up 30 points in the quarters and then again as he left the semis with a hip injury. But by the that time, I was asking a new question: why didn’t Allen stand out at Summer League? Or better yet, why did it look like he belonged?

Allen was fine, mostly. He certainly wasn’t bad, and he’s obviously an NBA player, in case that wasn’t clear by his starting role on an actual playoff team this season. It’s not that Allen was bad at all. It’s that Summer League was full of rim runners and Allen didn’t really stand out from them. Mitchell Robinson was more physically imposing. Jaxson Hayes flashed a lot more potential and athleticism. Daniel Gafford was worse, but like, not that much worse.

Allen did the usual rim runner stuff and got a lot of dunks by virtue of being taller than his opponent and getting the ball a lot near the hoop. He tallied a lot of boards but got pushed off his spot plenty and didn’t have the strength to dominate physically. Brooklyn ran the offense through Allen and got him a lot of easy looks at the rim, but that also meant he had the ball often in the post and clearly isn’t comfortable there. He can dribble a bit without doing much and has a spin move he likes but poor footwork overall. He’s not going to be a post option, so I’m not sure what the point is, and he fades away from contact. As a lob threat, Allen really underwhelmed. He didn’t have an explosive leap without stepping into it, and his catch radius seems pretty small. I expected more athleticism on finishes and didn’t see it. Allen shot 7 threes. He missed them all, most of them badly. If the point of SL was for him to stretch his game out, fine, but he didn’t try to do that and didn’t have any success.

Allen didn’t impress as a passer, panicking when a double team came. He doesn’t set strong screens, and guys just go through them. He didn’t seem physical on the boards, despite racking up plenty with his size advantage. Defensively, Allen was… fine. He has good body control and does a nice job staying vertical, and he blocks well when the shot is right there in front of him but otherwise doesn’t feel super impactful. I dunno, I don’t get it. Yeah Allen scored 30 easy points against Matt Costello and Jarrod Uthoff, but he also got out-dueled by Naz Reid and then put up 4 points and 7 boards in 27 minutes against Team Freaking Croatia.

I guess I hope Allen just wasn’t trying most of the summer and was annoyed to be there (and perhaps by the DeAndre Jordan signing). What was the point of this for Brooklyn? Are they showcasing him for a trade? Cuz it didn’t work. Allen feels like a solid rim runner and a low-end starter. I’d call him around the 25th most enticing center in the league right now. He’s fine.

Rodions Kurucs

This was not really the setting for a role player like Kurucs, but he impressed nonetheless. He just does a bit of everything. He’s a smart passer that moves the ball along quickly to keep the offense flowing. He’s a smart defender that doesn’t go for pump fakes. He just makes a lot of smart plays and does his job, playing with good energy. He’ll be a nice role player next to KD and Kyrie.

Dzanan Musa

Last year’s first-round pick probably doesn’t have a Brooklyn role anymore now that the team is in win-now mode, but he had a nice audition if he’s to be trade bait. Musa was aggressive as a scorer and can really get buckets. He has great feel for the game and especially nice finishing touch around the basket. He puts up points quickly and flashed a little point forward creation, and he does a nice job catching squared up to shoot with a good looking shot. He also had a game-winning block. There’s a lot to like here, and Musa is just 20.

Other Nets

Nic Claxton didn’t get to play a whole lot with Allen doing his thing, but he was fine when he did play. Claxton played with high energy and went after it in defense and on the boards. He mirrors well on defense and plays good D without fouling. There’s definitely no need for all three of Claxton, Allen, and DJ. Theo Pinson is turning into a solid role player option. He’s developed a smooth shot and can make some passing reads, and we already know he can play defense.

Charlotte Hornets

Miles Bridges

With so few star rookies and sophomores in Vegas, Miles Bridges had the opportunity to really stand out. And he really didn’t. Oh sure, the athleticism pops now and then on a huge highlight dunk, like the Euro-step-into-a-windmill he had in his summer finale. Whew. But at age 21 with multiple college seasons and a year in the pros, I expect more of an all-around game and haven’t seen it yet.

Bridges is dribbling better now, much more comfortably. That’s the biggest improvement I saw in him. He’s gotten more patient now and the three is looking a bit smoother. He made only 4-of-16, but I’m encouraged by the volume, and the shot looks good, and comfortable. Bridges is always the best athlete on the court but a sophomore lottery pick should be the best player on the court. There’s still too much Bridges standing around the perimeter. He’s at his best in space or with an advantage, but I need to see more in half court.

Cody Martin

Martin got a lot of Draft Twitter hype, but I never saw it and certainly didn’t at SL. He’s supposed to be a good passer but I don’t really see him making many plays for himself or teammates, and he had an abysmal 0.4 A/T ratio with a ton of turnovers. Lots of questionable decisions. I don’t see much here.

Josh Perkins

Perkins has been a draft sleeper of mine all year, the older veteran from Gonzaga that hopes to catch on as a backup PG. His three is wet, and I like the decision making. He has good off ball movement and is going to bring value off ball with his shooting and feel. His passing is smart but not always accurate, and he posted pretty underwhelming numbers and didn’t look dynamic, usually succeeding most off the bench. If you can’t perform as a near-28-year-old against summer starters, it’s probably not a good sign.

Other Hornets

I soured more and more on Jalen McDaniels in the draft process, and he continued that trend. He’s comfortable with the ball in open space attacking one-on-one, but he was invisible in the flow of the game. I’m not sure what he does that translates to the NBA. Dwayne Bacon can certainly score points, though I think he’s mostly a summer chucker. He can score at all three levels and looks like a viable bench scoring forward in the T.J. Warren mold. I saw very little from Devonte’ Graham. He shot a ton of threes with inconsistent results and awful shooting numbers and didn’t do much else. Arnoldas Kulboka is a sweet-shooting small forward to keep an eye on as he develops. Lottery pick P.J. Washington sat out rehabbing his season injuries.

Chicago Bulls

Coby White

I’m not sure we learned a lot from White’s summer, which is neither good nor bad, just a lot more of the same from UNC. We already knew White loves his step-back jumper. He can get it off anytime he wants, though he went there a little too often, especially considering the results. White was an abysmal 3-for-30 on threes, just 10%, and I’m not sure he totally has NBA range yet, especially because he has a low shot that starts from the hip. It’s actually a little worrisome to make 10% on that many attempts, since 30 is a significant number. Binomial probability tells us that if White were a 40% shooter, he’s have about a 1-in-3200 chance of going 3-for-30 or worse. Even if he’s an NBA-average 35% shooter, there’s still around a 1-in-525 chance of that cold a streak. The math says White is not a good shooter right now, and that’s a problem since that’s one of his calling cards. Part of the problem is that he’s settling for too many step-backs and long twos.

We also know White is terrific in transition. He always looks at his best on the run. He does a nice job passing out ahead in transition creating half-advantages like Lonzo Ball, and he’s quick enough that he can turn even a possession after a made basket into semi-transition. White feels like more of a scoring guard right now than a point guard. He played off the ball a bunch, which is interesting and will be necessary with Zach LaVine around. His passing is just fine, usually accurate but not super impressive reads or passing guys open, just sort of taking what the play gives. I’m not sold on his creation in half-court or on his finishing at the basket. His passing feels like mostly quick dump-offs than reads or decisions, and he had a lot of turnovers. Defensively, White has quick, active hands and tries hard, but that’s about it.

The thing I like most about Coby White is his infectious personality. He looks like a face of the franchise and a culture changer, and boy do the Bulls need both of those things. I love what his intangibles will bring this team and think he could have a De’Aaron Fox-like culture change on the team in time. But I also won’t be surprised if it’s a slow, painful start and if there’s some struggles between Jim Boylen’s playing style and the faster pace White’s best at. I’m not sure White will ever be the player Fox is, but if he can get the shot to fall, he should be a nice rotation guard at least.

Daniel Gafford

There were a lot of rim runners at SL, and Gafford felt middle-of-the-road. Think Mitchell Robinson or JaVale McGee, just like 20% worse at everything. Like those two, Gafford is a ball of energy that tries hard, runs a lot in transition, and tries to volleyball swat any shot in his zip code. Everything is full speed ahead with Gafford. He runs hard, rebounds hard, dunks hard. He rolls hard to the hoop on screens and knows to look for the lob.

Physically, Gafford isn’t ready for the big show yet. He needs to add bulk so he doesn’t get pushed off rebounds so easily, and he got rocked a couple times taking an elbow trying to set a screen. He also needs to work on his feel defensively. He always goes for the block, and while he gets a bunch of them, he also loses his guy on the rest and gets out of rebounding position too. His hand placement and timing are really good on blocks. Gafford is a cookie cutter rim runner. That’s his precise and narrow skill set right now, and that alone will get him 15 minutes a game in the NBA for the next decade.

Chandler Hutchison

Last year’s high first-round pick Wendell Carter Jr. didn’t play this summer after having surgery. You’re forgiven if you forgot to notice that the other first rounder actually played. Hutchison looks like Paul George, right up until he steps onto a basketball court. He has an NBA body with very few NBA skills. He gets pushed around physically and has a really loose dribble, and he missed a ton of shots near the rim, shooting 29% for the summer. The worst part? Hutch is 23. If anyone should stand out in a setting like this, it should be an older sophomore, like Derrick White or Josh Hart last summer. Chandler Hutchison doesn’t look like an NBA player to me.

Other Bulls

I’m still waiting for Shaq Harrison to catch on for some NBA team. He’s super fast and has lightning quick hands, always a pest on defense. He reminds me so much of Leandro Barbosa and I can’t figure out why he’s not at least a useful regular season player. Adam Mokoka is all energy and athleticism. His shot is all over the place, but he looks worth a developmental shot.

Team China

The single best moment of SL came when Team China shocked the Charlotte Hornets. China got blown out in their opener against Miami, trailing by as many as 51 and losing by a whopping 41 points. The line on their next game doubled from -14 to -28.5, and they entered the Charlotte game 0–2 and down for the count. But then they unleashed my longtime SL crush Zhou Qi. Zhou took over with 17 points, 9 boards, and 4 blocks, dominating the game as China led by double digits most of the way before faltering late. Charlotte had a shot to win in the final minute, but China held on an threw the ball into the rafters in celebration, a 23-to-1 underdog. Zhou Qi may never make it in the NBA, but he’ll always be a Chinese hero.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Dylan Windler

Windler was one of my favorite late sleepers in the draft. I think I was higher on him than anyone I saw and badly wanted the Warriors to take him at pick #28, but the Cavs sniped him two picks before. It looks like they’ll be really happy with their investment.

Windler looks like the quintessential NBA role player. He has long arms and uses his size well, and he has a high level of awareness. Windler makes quick, smart decisions, and he’s a really nice passer. He moves the ball along quickly and keeps the offensive machine whirring, tallying a lot of hockey assists. Windler moves well off the ball and stays involved even when he’s not scoring. The shot is a bit of a slow gather and release, a long looping motion on both that and the pass, but he sets his feet well and is going to be open a lot, so that shouldn’t be a huge deal. Windler just makes so many right plays. He’s going to be in the NBA a long time.

Other Cavs

We unfortunately didn’t get any Darius Garland or Kevin Porter Jr., two primary handler options that should’ve showed out at Summer League. John Beilein was one of two new NBA head coaches making his debut at SL, and I liked what I saw. Lots of motion and movement on offense. Not like it’s a real surprise that Beilein can coach, but I’m impressed how obvious his stamp was right off the bat. I liked Yovel Zoosman as a role player before he went undrafted, and I can see why now. He’s not ready. He can dribble and shoot a little but isn’t physical enough and turns it over too much. Maybe next year.

Team Croatia

I don’t have any notes for Team Croatia, but it could’ve been worse. We could’ve been watching Dragan Bender.

Dallas Mavericks

Isaiah Roby

I was one of Roby’s biggest fans at Nebraska and watched a ton of his games. This was a lot more of what I’ve seen. Roby is so inconsistent, energized and active one moment and totally disengaged the next. He is a good athlete and runs well in transition with nice hands and a good touch around the rim, and I was impressed how he held up physically as he continues to play mostly center, which I think is out of position. Like Miles Bridges, Roby’s at his best in space or with an advantage, where he can flash his skills and athleticism, but he often gets lost in the flow otherwise. Roby was fine. He was also playing with staples in his hand after an injury, so take his play with a grain of salt.

Josh Reaves

Reaves just makes plays. He consistently played well game after game and looks athletic and ready to play some real minutes. Reaves is engaged both on- and off-ball in defense, and he has active hands and makes smart plays. One thing you always notice about Reaves is how hard he plays. He really gets after it every play, and he makes comfortable reads and good decisions. I’m not sold on the shot, but if he can find one, he looks like an NBA player.

Other Mavs

Wait, is that Cameron Payne’s music?! Payne was actually really good for Dallas, just like a better version of all the stuff we used to see. He’s passing better and turning it over less, and most importantly, he was hitting a ton of shots, including seven 3s in one game. Payne feels like an AAAA player at this point, but he’s still only 24 so maybe he’ll get another shot. Point guards often take until around 25 to hit their stride. I didn’t see a lot that stood out about Kostas Antetokounmpo other than his surname. He’s long and athletic and looks like a developmental project, or maybe just a bit signal for Giannis 2021.

Denver Nuggets

Jarred Vanderbilt

I was really bummed to miss out on the chance to see Michael Porter Jr. play real live basketball after a late injury scratch, but I think I had just as much fun watching Vanderbilt. I think Vando has a little Amare’ in him, right down to the long injury history. He is an absolute joy to watch on the boards. Vanderbilt attacks every rebound and does a great job snaring them at their peaks, and he does a good job getting into rebounding position too. Who knew it was fun to watch rebounding? He’s also really slimmed down and surprised me with his athleticism and a really quick and springy jump.

I knew Vanderbilt was a good rebounder, but the extraneous skills really surprised me too. He has soft hands and a nice finishing touch near the rim, and I was shocked to see him hit a three at one point too. He also looks really smooth dribbling, with some serious grab-and-go potential, and he can catch at the top of the key and attack to the rim. I even saw him go behind his back at one point. There’s a lot of skill here, and I can smell some faint whiffs of Siakam here if Vanderbilt stays healthy and continues to develop.

Vlatko Cancar

We finally got to see some Cancar in the NBA after coming over from Slovenia, though I’ve seen him play plenty of international ball (thanks Luka!). Cancar is a springy combo forward, a surprising athlete that can come out of nowhere for a big block or dunk. But, despite being 22 and a seasoned international, he’s extremely raw and unpolished and really seems to lack game awareness and feel for the game. Lots of poor decisions both in the flow and game decisions, and his shot selection leaves much to be desired. There’s an athlete here but I’m not sure there’s an NBA player. Teammates seemed to like him, though. That’s good news for someone I thought might be a team Cancar.

Detroit Pistons

Bruce Brown

No player more consistently dominated SL games than Bruce Brown. Brown had his fingerprints all over every facet of the game for Detroit, averaging 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists. He became only the second player in Summer League history to record a triple-double, joining Lonzo Ball, and he made his mark on the game even without putting up big scoring numbers.

Brown is a wing, Detroit’s best one, but he was playing SL ball so he could get reps running the offense. Turns out he might be the Pistons best point guard too. Brown ran the offense smoothly with an impressive 3.7 A/T ratio, not really passing guys open but constantly finding them in winning spots. He ran the pick-and-roll almost to perfection, making the right decision every time. Brown has a powerful, low center of gravity and barrels to the rim, and he’s strong on the glass and an excellent rebounder for his position. And of course he’s an excellent defender with terrific on-ball defense. All that’s missing now is the shot — Brown shot 2-for-10 behind the arc in Summer League and made only 24 threes as a rookie at 26%. Even without a shot, Brown is clearly the Pistons best young asset right now.

Sekou Doumbouya

We finally got one game from Doumbouya in the Pistons finale after he sat early with a hamstring injury. It’s only one game, but I’m underwhelmed. Sekou looks super raw, like an international player that’s only played ball for three years (which, to be clear, is what he is). I don’t see any game instincts. He’s supposed to be this great defensive prospect but he’s mostly standing there ball watching on D. Off-ball he gets lost or turned around, and on-ball he just sorta gets big rather than really pressuring the opponent.

Doumbouya has a big long frame and is already getting the Siakam comparison, and it does both players a disservice. Siakam is really, really good, and Sekou is a long ways from anything resembling him. His body looks similar but he’s nowhere near as functionally athletic, with poor hips and a slow change of direction. He also looks uncomfortable with the ball for long and needs to work on his handle, and the huge moon shot we saw in France is still there. He went 1-for-3 on threes and all three of them went through the rafters. The free throw stroke is much better, and probably the best thing I saw was a natural touch around the basket. It’s only 13 meaningless summer minutes, but Sekou looks years away from contributing in the NBA.

Other Pistons

Khyri Thomas was the other Pistons second-round pick last year, and he did not turn out. He has a decent handle and got buckets in a volume chucker role but didn’t score efficiently or draw free throws. This year’s second rounder Jordan Bone showed off his impressive burst and change in gears. He can get to the rim and has a nice short mid-range pull-up, pretty much what we saw at Tennessee. Svi Mykhailiuk is thicker than I remember, and slower too. There are some bread crumbs of passing and playmaking there, and obviously he can still shoot the lights out. I never bought the Louis King hype at Oregon and he didn’t do much here, missed opportunity for a team that needs wings.

Golden State Warriors

Jacob Evans

The point of Evans in the 2018 draft is that he was supposed to be NBA-ready, but he was so unready that he couldn’t even buy minutes when the Warriors were throwing Jonas Jerebko and Alfonzo McKinnie out there. Apparently now the Warriors have moved Evans to point guard. That’s weird. He was supposed to be a 3-and-D wing. Weirdly enough, he looks like a point guard size-wise, a bigger one, but he plays a bit small. The on-ball defense looks physical impactful but not enough to keep him on the court.

As a point guard, Evans, well, isn’t one. He can’t really dribble much, especially in congestion, and doesn’t ever look very comfortable with the ball. He doesn’t keep his eyes up and makes a lot of poor decisions. At times he ran the offense well enough, more of a keeping it whirring thing than actually showing any real creation. He improved over seven SL games but still never looked like a point guard. His passes are inaccurate and inconsistent. The Warriors supposedly want Evans to be their new Shaun Livingston. He looks about as good as Livingston did this season. I don’t think he’s an NBA player.

Jordan Poole

Poole looked mostly like he did at Michigan. He’s a confident attacker that can always get a shot off, and there’s value for that in the NBA — just ask these Warriors, who sorely lacked it by the end of the playoffs. Poole is a Swaggy P clone. He’s a confident but streaky shooter with a quick trigger. He’s got big range and did show some dribble attacking and creation I hadn’t seen at Michigan. Defensively, he mostly gambles for steals but isn’t a great team defender overall. Poole is what he is. Not an archetype I love, but he should contribute right away.

Eric Paschall

I was never much of a Paschall believer at Villanova, despite many people putting him in their first round. I saw more of the same this summer. Paschall can leap out of the building but doesn’t really have functional athleticism. He plays slow and has no real step to get to the rim, and he often gets his shot blocked. The leap only works off two feet in space for a highlight. Otherwise his lack of lateral quickness is exposed. He’s got a long windup shot with a kick I don’t care much for either. I could see Paschall as a homeless man’s Draymond Green for a few minutes off the bench, but that’s about it.

Alen Smailagic

Smailagic is a Draft Twitter favorite, and it’s easy to see why now that I got some real time watching him. Despite being super young, Smiley has really solid fundamentals and great instincts and feel for the game. He’s good in the post with an impressive variety of moves for his age, and though he doesn’t look too athletic, he can get up quickly near the rim and may still grow into his body some. Smailagic committed a bunch of fouls on technicalities he’s still learning and doesn’t look ready on defense yet, but you can see the developmental upside here. Everything about Smailagic looks good “for his age” to me, which is nice enough, but I don’t see him getting there in time to contribute to this Steph-Klay-Dray window.

Omari Spellman

Like the Hawks, I had already counted Spellman as a bust after one NBA season, but he surprised me. Omari began the summer on Atlanta’s roster before the Warriors traded the awful Damian Jones and a second round pick for him. It’s only a faint whiff, but there’s a little smell of Al Horford in his game. He still looks thick and out of shape but has gotten a bit leaner and more athletic. He has a comfortable three and can face up and hit the shot, but what impressed me was his defense. Spellman can get out and contest, and he’s decent in help defense and protecting the rim. He’s a very good Warriors fit if they can get him in shape and find value here.

Other Warriors

I don’t think he’ll end up on their roster, but Davon Reed still looks like an NBA rotation wing to me. He has 3-and-D skills and at times played center on offense and picked up the point guard on defense. Damian Jones played early and didn’t stand out, posting typical I’m-big numbers with a bunch of turnovers and poor decisions. I noted that it was time to cut bait, and the Warriors did. Dedric Lawson was awful. He looked so slow and unathletic. He got a steal and a 1-on-0 breakaway and still struggled to dunk the ball, looking like a 55-year-old dude at the Y. He looked so old I wonder if he was around Kansas when Perry Jones was playing.

Houston Rockets

Chris Clemons

College fans know Clemons since he led the nation in scoring as a Campbell Camel, scoring 30ppg as a senior and finishing as the all time leading NCAA scorer with 3,225 points. And he picked up right where he left off in Summer League. Clemons came out chucking, taking the most threes of any player, and he made plenty of them, hitting 4.8 per game at an impressive 42%. Like another Houston Rocket, many of these threes are well beyond the arc too.

And though it seems blasphemous, Clemons did remind me some of James Harden the way he dominates the ball and hunts his shot. He’s a volume chucker all the way but also a relatively efficient one. He shot 39% from the field but also scored 101 points on 80 shots, the effects of taking and making so many threes and free throws. Clemons can really score and has good awareness. I’m not comparing him to Harden by any stretch, but I do think he’s a nice facsimile that could plug in well for 15 games during the regular season to keep the Beard healthy and rested for April and May.

Other Rockets

Clemons impressed me far more than Draft Twitter favorite Shamorie Ponds. I’ve never been in on Ponds and didn’t see much at SL to change that. He’s fine. He scores in the flow of the game and doesn’t stand out much, and he shot only 30% this summer. Isaiah Hartenstein is better than he used to be and has developed nice touch, but I still don’t buy his body or his defense. He apparently won G League Finals MVP, but I still don’t see an NBA role.

Indiana Pacers

Aaron Holiday

Holiday really surprised me last summer. I hadn’t graded him as a first-round prospect but thought he looked ready after an impressive SL performance. I was much less impressed this time around, despite a deceptively nice 22 points a game. He did that on an awful 21-of-69 shooting, hitting 30% from the field and a worrisome 33% on twos. Holiday is small and plays smaller, and he’s never been able to finish well. He can dribble and hit open threes but the rest was just volume, taking more shots per minute than anyone at Summer League. Indiana lost Darren Collison and Cory Joseph this offseason but still went out and added Malcolm Brogdon and T.J. McConnell, even after drafting an older point guard in the first round last year. Now I see why.

Other Pacers

If you’re here for Pacers coverage, sorry. Not much caught my eye. Goga Bitadze never got his visa issues sorted out, so we didn’t get to see him. Alize Johnson is developing well and has functional athleticism. I don’t see anything too special, but he looks ready for some minutes in a deep front court. Brian Bowen is interesting. He can score the ball and has a rounded game after spending a year in Australia. He could catch on somewhere.

Los Angeles Clippers

Jerome Robinson

The Clippers had back-to-back lottery picks last summer. With one of them, they took a franchise point guard that turned into the centerpiece of the Paul George trade. With the other, they took Robinson. I think Robinson is supposed to be the eventual Lou Williams replacement as the bench scoring guard, but I’m not seeing it. Robinson can create a little space and get his jumper off, but I don’t see much sizzle. There’s not much burst or pop here, no elite dribble, no outstanding finishing. Mostly he just gets shots up, and honestly, I thought he’d score more as a SL chucker. I would expect Robinson to finish this season on another roster as a Clippers trade piece.

Mfiondu Kabengele

Kabengele looks as advertised, a 3-and-D big man that looks like he can play a Brook Lopez role in the NBA, bombing threes and sagging back to protect the rim. He was a bit more athletic than I remember, not super springy but quick enough to move a little on defense and run in transition. The shot certainly looks comfortable, and his feet and form are good. I like the three and the shot blocking; just not sure there’s much else there. Kabengele is a willing driver but doesn’t have much burst or stride, and he doesn’t move instinctively on offense. It’s tough to see him developing in time to contribute to this core.

Terance Mann

I’m a little more optimistic about Kab’s Florida State teammate, who looks like he could be a nice glue guy. Mann played something of a point forward role and racked up a lot of numbers. He averaged 9 points, 11 boards, and 6 dimes for the summer on 60% shooting and was one assist short of becoming the second player to ever post a SL triple-double. Mann is an NBA athlete and an outstanding rebounder for his position. He’s a physical finisher and can drive to the rim and finish or draw free throws. I’m not so sold on his ability to run the point. Mann’s passes are more hopeful into space than precise, and his decision making is lacking. He had a ton of turnovers. All of that is fine, though, because he won’t be running the offense in the NBA. But he might be a nice bench jackknife option.

Los Angeles Lakers

The summer Lakers were pretty pointless, especially since Talen Horton-Tucker didn’t play. I always thought Zach Norvell reminded me of Klay Thompson at Gonzaga. He has a quick release and catches ready to shoot, and the shot always looks good. But the results say otherwise, and he can’t really dribble or do much else. Jordan Caroline had moments, scoring 20+ ppg on a sore groin and leading a big comeback for the Lakers only win in the finale. I like him more than his twin Nevada teammates, for whatever that’s worth.

Memphis Grizzlies

Brandon Clarke

It’s me, Brandon Clarke’s #1 fan. I had Clarke #2 on my final draft board, and only because Zion is a superhuman sent from space to destroy basketball as we know it. Clarke isn’t exactly about to overtake Zion after Summer League, but he’s solidified his spot as my #2 more than ever.

There’s just so much to love about Clarke. His timing and instincts absolutely leap off the screen. He has great balance and body control and outstanding touch in the paint and near the rim. Clarke is an immense defender. He mirrors the opponent so well and always gets himself in good position so he can defend without fouling. Clarke’s instincts and quickness double up to put him in the right spot defensively, and he has such a quick leap. Against Boston, Clarke had a block, a steal, two contests, and a three… all in the first minute. He is just all over the place on defense, constantly affecting the play. He just about murdered a couple guys swatting them, and you notice Clarke almost as much when he’s not on the court as when he’s on with how noticeably worse the defense is without him. He was a little worse defensively as a center playing against rim runners because of his instinct to help off them and leave the lob threat open, but he won’t have that role much in the NBA.

On offense, Clarke is so much better than people give him credit for. He is incredibly gifted finishing around the basket with a preternatural touch, and he scores so many points within the flow of the offense. Clarke is a huge lob threat vertically, and he’s quick enough to give traditional big men nightmares on the perimeter with his quick first step and burst driving to the rim. Clarke can dribble and attack in transition, though you don’t want him doing a ton of dribbling or decision making in the half court offense. He needs to set more physical screens, but he’s a smart passer and has great body control. And remember how Clarke can’t shoot? He hit 4-of-8 threes this summer with a confident form and led Summer League in PER. I’d like to see more volume there, but 50% is a nice start. He also moves constantly off the ball, sliding naturally into space and stretching the defense vertically.

Brandon Clarke does a bit of everything and a lot of some really good things. He’s going to be a terrific NBA player from the get-go, and I still can’t believe Memphis passed on him at #2 and then got him 19 picks later anyway. Clarke knocked out fellow stud rookies Grant Williams and Jaxson Hayes in the SL playoffs, dominating each matchup individually, to lead a mostly no-name Grizzlies team to the brink of a Vegas title. He’s gonna be really good.

John Konchar

I love John Konchar so much. I mean where else can you find a guy to average a 2/8/4/3/1 like Konchar did in Vegas? That’s 2 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and a block, and that’s how you play winning team basketball despite your shot not falling at 23% from the field. Konchar led the Summer League in defensive win shares as a scrappy, unathletic guard. He is the epitome of a glue guy that will do whatever the team needs. Konchar’s instincts and feel for the game are out of this world. He has great natural movement on defense and is a terrific help defender with quick hands that create defensive events. On offense, he’s always moving into space, finding angles, cutting. He makes quick decisions and moves the ball along quickly, the opposite of a record scratch guy, a smart and patient passer.

Konchar was one of my favorite draft sleepers. As a senior for the IPFW Mastodons, he averaged 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and a block, and he shot 42% behind the arc for his career. He’s older and not an NBA athlete, but he’s definitely going to be playing professional ball somewhere.

Grayson Allen

Allen joined the Grizzlies late after a trade and made an instant impression when he managed to get three flagrant fouls in one Summer League game, including two in eight seconds when he tried to take Grant Williams’s head off and subsequently got booed every time he touched the ball the next game. I mean, honestly, get this goon outta here. Grayson Allen is a thug, and not even an enforcer either, just a cheapskate that stands around the perimeter and then takes a cheap shot when he feels like it. He gets lost on defense, jogs back in transition, and just stands there off off the ball waiting to shoot. Allen is the epitome of Duke privilege. He wouldn’t have been a first round pick and wouldn’t still be in the league if he weren’t from Duke. If you watch Grayson Allen and still think he’s a real NBA player, I’m sorry but you’re trippin’.

Other Grizzlies

Ivan Rabb has a pretty similar build to Clarke, which was really frustrating because he’s so much worse at everything that I kept getting shook when Clarke would be badly out of position or make a terrible play only to breathe a sigh of relief when I realized it was just Rabb again. Yuta Watanabe has nice scoring instincts and a sweet shot with natural offensive movement. He could get some run this year. Tyler Harvey can really shoot the rock. He’s a big time scorer. Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. didn’t play summer ball nursing injuries, which makes it all the more impressive that these Grizz made the SL finals without them. With those two and Clarke, the Grizz have 3 of my top 10 draft picks from the last three years and are building something special. It was an impressive debut for Taylor Jenkins, who is apparently the new Memphis head coach, a Mike Budenholzer disciple from the Pop tree.

Miami Heat

Tyler Herro

Miami always does a great job building their summer around developing one key young prospect, and this summer it was Tyler Herro. Herro had the eternal green light. He fired off a three about a second after his first touch of the summer and never really stopped shooting. Dude can really shoot the ball. His jumper is easy with clear NBA range, and his pull-up looks good. He has a very quick trigger and release and nice touch on his runner, important because he’s not so great finishing at the rim. Herro doesn’t really create much space to get his jumper off and didn’t shoot much off motion this summer, so we’ll see how the shot translates against bigger, more athletic players.

Herro has a comfortable handle and took over in close games, using the dribble to create for both himself and others in ways that similar archetypes like J.J. Redick and Luke Kennard really can’t do. He can just get buckets, though there’s definitely some summer chucker volume in there. Herro ran point some, and on defense he was mostly hiding. He was one of the more impressive SL players but this is a good setting for him. I’m not sure I buy that he was a steal in the draft at #13, but he at least looks worth the pick.

Kendrick Nunn

I wasn’t really scouting Nunn but obviously should have been since he made my SL First Team. Nunn was terrific, leading all players in win shares with an impressive 21 points, 5 boards, and 6 assists a game on 55% shooting. He led the Sacramento league in scoring by over 4ppg and had a huge late steal and dunk to tie Minnesota in a matchup of unbeatens. Nunn is aggressive but calm and has a well-rounded game. He looks like the latest Miami find and has a real chance to stick on the roster.

Milwaukee Bucks

Sterling Brown hasn’t been this disappointing since leaving his wife behind to run for mayor last season on This Is Us. Brown was starting down the stretch for a 60-win Bucks team but lost his rotation spot in the playoffs and did not look good here. He shot an abysmal 11-of-46 for the summer and missed a lot of open layups and twos. There were some nice move-along passes and catch-and-shoot threes, so he should stick to that stuff. D.J. Wilson was also pretty invisible for a guy that was playing rotation minutes at one point this season. He made four shots all summer despite playing real minutes and just didn’t do anything to stand out. Jock Landale was typically the best Bucks player on the court. And while he could have some potential as a stretch big in their system, that tells you about all you need to know here.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota gets a prelude because they’re an odd team. We didn’t get any Jarrett Culver or Jaylen Nowell, and they sat Josh Okogie in the semis, but they kept getting better the further down the bench they went. The hero here might be new assistant coach Pablo Prigioni, who has the team sharing the ball and playing tough defense with names like Jordan McLaughlin, Kelan Martin, and Mitch Creek headlining a team playing in the Summer League final. This was about a culture change in Minnesota, and some of us Wolves fans are starting to believe a little.

Josh Okogie

Okogie is all energy all the time. He is so aggressive on both ends and was especially so this summer attacking the rim, constantly driving and drawing free throws. Okogie plays hard on defense with tenacious on-ball D, and his handle looked much improved this summer. Still, the shot is not really falling and his passing doesn’t stand out, so for now, he’s a good defender and energy guy that may not develop a big offensive role.

Keita Bates-Diop

KBD makes everything look so easy. He’s comfortable attacking off the bounce and has an easy pull-up or catch-and-shoot jumper. His game is just so smooth, and it looks like he can get a bucket when he wants, even though he took more of backseat in this offense. Bates-Diop isn’t particularly explosive but looks like a playable combo forward. He also set the tone on defense playing really good team and on-ball defense. KBD looked like a steal last summer too but never really got a shot with the Wolves. Maybe this year.

Naz Reid

Everyone raved about Reid as a steal of a UDFA pickup, and there’s no doubting his natural abilities. Naz was a five-star recruit but one of my least favorite prospects to scout because he has every physical tool in the toolbox but is so frustrating mentally. Think Boogie, but with all the bad stuff amplified. Only this summer, it was more muted as Reid played with better teammates and a real coaching staff, staying engaged with fewer mental mistakes. He’s a really terrific passer for a big man and has a sweet shot. I still think Reid looks slow on his feet and slower processing the game with pretty rough awareness, but he looked much better than I expected in this setting and has all the talent in the world if he develops the mental side.

New Orleans Pelicans

Zion Williamson

There was a moment watching the Pels and Grizz semifinal when I was having so much fun watching Jaxson, NAW, Didi, and Kenrich that I somehow forgot this team was supposed to have Zion too. What an insane draft!

Zion played only nine minutes in the opener but made so much noise he literally (fine, figuratively) caused an earthquake. He had a rough start, forcing a few shots and blocked three times by Mitchell Robinson, then somehow put up 10 first-quarter points anyway with three dunks and a monster steal. In those few minutes before the knee bruise, Zion drew at least five fouls and showed off his great instincts and superhuman athleticism. We didn’t learn much in nine minutes, but that’s alright. Zion was too good for Summer League anyway, and he’s already a top 10 NBA asset.

Jaxson Hayes

I never quite got there with Jaxson Hayes all season at Texas. Whew boy did I get there in a hurry this summer. Summer League is definitely the setting for Hayes, a rim runner extraordinaire who put up highlight after highlight. Suddenly everything about Hayes clicked once he played in a system that showcased his abilities and with real talent around him. The tempo helped, and it should help Hayes long-term since New Orleans hopes to play at the fastest pace in the league. Jaxson runs so well in transition and gets into position for so many easy buckets that way. He is a massive lob threat, with a ginormous catch radius, and he’s constantly pointing up for lobs, half of which never came with teammates that didn’t recognize he was open. Let’s just say Lonzo Ball and Jrue Holiday won’t have that problem. Hayes was terrific on the offensive glass and got a lot of easy put-backs and tip-ins. He’s also confidently shooting from 8 to 10 feet out and even made his only three, so maybe the shooting will develop in time. And of course, Hayes had the dunk of the summer, absolutely ending this poor Bulls defender.

Defensively, Hayes is more highlights than consistent dominance right now. He’s added some strength and just erases some opponents, swallowing them whole with his length, but he had only five blocks in four games and struggled against stronger, more physical players. He also continued to have the same problems we saw in Texas on the defensive glass, constantly pushed out of position, and he racked up a ton of fouls. Hayes is a natural blocking shots but the rest of his defensive recognition needs a lot of work, especially making decisions switching and in the pick-and-roll. He gets lost at times, and while his natural abilities were enough to dominate Summer League, he’s doing to look silly at times against a real NBA teams. Expect a mostly red shirt year as a rookie while he gets stronger and grows his understanding of the game.

Still, Hayes posted dominant numbers early and played like he knew he was better than his opponent, and in a summer with so many rim runners, it really stood out how much more naturally gifted Jaxson Hayes is than his peers. I still think it’s a long road ahead with him, but it’s clear the upside is immense.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker

If there was one player at all of Summer League that really flashed star NBA ability, it was Nickeil Alexander-Walker. He was the player that had crowds buzzing in ways that reminded me some of Donovan Mitchell, when it was immediately apparent that Spida was a draft steal with star potential. I really liked NAW at Virginia Tech and had him rated as a lottery pick all year, but I never saw him look quite this good with this kind of star potential. NAW looks like he could have a claim as the best guard in the entire draft.

Alexander-Walker lit up Summer League averaging 24 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block per game, adding 13 threes in four games. He really filled it up and flashed a ton of skill on both ends. NAW’s creation was what really popped. He loves that lefty zip pass and he can really make some unique passes, types and angles that other guys just can’t do. He had a stint playing point guard for Virginia Tech this year and struggled a bit running the offense, but it looks like that time on the ball really expanded his confidence and his game. It’s more dazzling, showtime passes than excellent reads at times, but there’s some real passing cache there. NAW is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s cousin and has similar length, using it well to get to the rim. He can finish there with either hand and showed a lot of body control and nice touch near the basket. And of course, he can really shoot. Coming into this season, that was the one thing we knew. He got a ton of threes up and hit 13-of-32 for 41%, including impressive step-back and side-step threes.

Defensively, Alexander-Walker has a lot of skills and upside but was inconsistent at VT. He averaged 3 steals and a block this summer and showed super quick hands and great defensive anticipation, picking just the right moment to gamble a split second early and sneak in for the defensive event. I remember at least four steals in the final minute of a close game. He’s also long enough to really bother guards like Coby White defensively, though I wish he’d keep his hands up and use his length more. He’s also quick, so he can make a quick recovery from being out of the play, though he gets some bad fouls at times trying to do a little too much.

No one played with as much confidence as Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who looked like the best guy at Summer League and played like it. He made big time plays in big time moments, though he got a bit starry-eyed in the Pels finale and tried to do a little too much. Alas. Nickeil Alexander-Walker looks like a potential star, and I think he’d go about 10 picks higher if the draft were held again today.

Didi Louzada

I’ll be honest — even after 1000+ hours of NBA Draft scouting and preparation, I had literally never heard of Didi Louzada Silva when the Pelicans drafted him out of Brazil with the 35th pick. I shrugged the pick off then, but Didi has my attention now.

Louzada is a versatile wing type that just consistently seems to make the right play. He makes good reads and decisions and plays with energy and a high motor. Louzada has a strong build and can finish powerfully through contact at the rim, and he has a really nice touch around the basket. He can surprise you with his passing ability, and he has a nifty handle and can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. Louzada made 8-of-18 threes and looks comfortable from range. The instincts are also there on defense, where he broke well on the ball for game-clinching steal in the quarters.

Louzada will spend this season in Australia playing for the Sydney Kings but has an all-around game and looks like a real find by the Pelicans. For now, he’ll have to settle on being the sixth guy in the Anthony Davis trade, along with Jaxson, NAW, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, and Josh Hart, plus three Lakers picks to boot. Whew, what a trade.

Kenrich Williams

Grandpa Kenrich was the veteran on the Pels and played like it. He effectively played point in a few games and consistently makes smart easy passes that put teammates in positions to succeed. Williams has great, natural instincts and looks like a clear NBA role player. He makes smart reads and put up surprisingly big rebounding numbers for his position this summer. There’s not much wiggle or dynamism with the ball, but Kenrich Williams can really play.

Other Pelicans

We got one Frank Jackson game, and technically he didn’t play at all since the record books wiped his appearance after the in-game earthquake. Still, he looked really good. He flashed surprising athleticism, a confident, sweet shot, and a really good handle and was the best player in a game featuring Zion and R.J. Next step: stay healthy for more than a game. Zylan Cheatham is a monster athlete and a huge one-on-one defender, but his awareness and recognition need a ton of work and he had a horrible summer shooting.

New York Knicks

R.J. Barrett

A lot has already been said about R.J. Barrett, and that’s bound to happen when you’re the only top-6 pick to play real minutes and are as hot and cold a player as Barrett. R.J.’s numbers were horrid out of the gates but improved steadily, and he finished with a near triple-double in the finale. He certainly got more comfortable as the week progressed, but I’m not sure his game improved as much as the numbers would suggest.

I’ve written a lot about Barrett already, and we saw a lot of his strengths and foibles from Duke on the Vegas stage. Barrett was awful in the opener, going 4-of-18 from the field. He got to the rim some but was unable to finish, and he wasn’t looking to pass much, forcing shot after contested shot that wasn’t falling. In game two against Phoenix, he was really bad again. He constantly tried to go left, even with the opponent fading him heavily in that direction. The Knicks ran an alley oop on the opening play to get him some confidence, but you really saw his lack of explosive athleticism there, and that lack of burst was apparent throughout the summer. Barrett doesn’t have a first step to get by defenders, so he often turns his back to the basket and has to go to his physicality trying to create for himself. Barrett was so bad the first two games that I wondered in my notes if he was sick or injured.

What changed in game three against Toronto is that Barrett started running point, and he was immediately more confident with the ball in his hands. Finally we got to see Barrett’s playmaking for teammates, one of his best qualities. He’s a good passer and uses his height to find unique passing angles others don’t see. He was still pounding the dribble with way too much time on the ball, still taking too many pull-up Js, but he started to use his strength and herky-jerky stride to get to the rim and finish through contact more. We saw more of that from Barrett the last few games, where he succeeded more with the ball in his hands, much like at Duke, putting up some nice assist numbers and making generally solid decisions when he was looking to pass.

Still there are too many times when Barrett just decides to take the shot or where he puts his head down to drive, then makes poor decisions or panic passes when the lane is cut off. When Barrett doesn’t have the ball, he looks lost, just standing at the arc waiting to shoot. None of this is new, and it’s one of my biggest fears with Barrett — that he might be a point guard really, a guy who needs to run the offense to succeed, but one that can’t shoot and doesn’t defend, like a much worse version of Ben Simmons, without the big strengths to offset the clear flaws. Barrett is far better attacking off the catch than in iso, but he only stays engaged and involved with the ball in his hands.

Defensively, there’s just not much effort there. Barrett doesn’t get back in transition and doesn’t show a ton of effort, and he gets beat too easily laterally with little recovery ability. Even in close late-game situations, he doesn’t show a ton of awareness or interest. And sure, it’s Summer League, but other guys are trying, and it’s a problem if you can’t stay in front of anyone on defense.

I worry that Barrett’s numbers improved mostly because he spent a lot more time on the ball and because he played against worse teams with no one to defend him, sagging back on D and letting him get a head of steam to the rim. I worry that the shot won’t come and that he won’t develop much use off the ball and won’t try on defense. I worry that even with his ability to make good decisions, the negative instincts will continue to prevail. None of these things are new this summer, but they haven’t gone away either, and the team the Knicks have put around him will not exactly put him in a position to succeed. Barrett is going to put up numbers. He is a terrific rebounder, a good scorer, and a nice passer when he’s looking for it. We’ll have to see if he can play winning team basketball along with those numbers. I remain unconvinced.

Mitchell Robinson

Mitch is so much fun to watch. He is just an absolute freak athlete with absurd body skills. If you were going to build a rim runner body in a lab, you would create Mitchell Robinson. He tries to swat absolutely everything, and he often succeeds. Robinson has a massive leap and fantastic timing. He gets rebounds at their peak and has great balance in the air to get up and control his body going for a block. Robinson doesn’t just block shots at the rim. He blocked a bunch of jump shots too, and that could be an increasingly valuable skill with the influx of step-back jumpers. The problem is Mitch literally tries to block everything. And while he gets a bunch, he also misses often. He is a walking foul, averaging over 5 fouls in 26 minutes per game, and he gets out of position on defense trying to swat everything. He also goal tends a lot, including four times in one game against Phoenix. All that raw ability is great, but it would be even more valuable if he had any real feel for the game.

Offensively, Robinson is a rim runner and a rim wrecker. He is a massive lob threat with a huge catch radius, and he really naturally rolls to the rim and always looks like a threat. That’s the sort of vertical spacing that can open an offense up much like a three pointer, and teammates know they can throw it up to him any time. Robinson shot an absurd 26-of-30 for the summer, a ridiculous 87% from the field. He actually managed to have a higher field-goal percentage than true shooting (82%) somehow.

The physical tools are immense and unquestionable. Now he just needs to figure out the mental side of the game. His instincts and feel for the game are questionable at best. He needs to learn when to go for the block and when to use verticality, and he needs to get a better feel on offense too. Right now he’s like a supercharged JaVale McGee, but with his physical tools, he should develop into much more than someone like Clint Capela or Jarrett Allen, maybe even DeAndre Jordan range.

Kevin Knox

Knox can certainly shoot. The three looks pretty out of his hand, and he loves to wait around the perimeter for a catch-and-shoot three and came out of the gates with three in the first few minutes of the opener. He loves to get that jump shot up. Knox wears #20 and looks and plays a lot like Allan Houston, a much more perimeter-oriented role than I’d have expected. He doesn’t seem to like getting physical or doing much in the flow of the game. That said, he also drew a ton of free throws, 36 in four games. I could never figure out exactly what he was doing to get there so much, but the high FTr is a good sign. Knox didn’t ball out as much as last summer with Barrett dominating the ball, but he did a lot more of the same — for better and for worse.

Iggy Brazdeikis

Iggy is destined to become a Knicks fan favorite. He’s just a perfect energy glue guy for Madison Square Garden, playing with moxie and bravado. Brazdeikis was really good at Summer League, in part because he couldn’t miss, going 11-of-19 (58%) from deep. The three looks good but usually does when it’s going in. Iggy had a 30-point game when everything was falling, but what was most impressive and surprising was some wing creation and passing ability we hadn’t seen at Michigan. We’ll see if that continues to develop, and his dribble still isn’t much. But with Iggy’s smart defense, swag, and role player value, if he can find any offense at all, he will certainly stick in the NBA. He’s going to be over-hyped coming out of the Summer League, as per longstanding New York Knicks contractual rules, but he looked really good.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Darius Bazley

I was excited to get my first real look at Bazley, a skinny, athletic dude who looks about small forward sized and is being used in that role. Bazley looked exactly like what he is — an unpolished high school kid that’s never been coached up in college or in the pros, after taking a year off to do a New Balance internship and skipping out on Syracuse and the G League.

There are hints of Skal Labissiere, which is both good and bad. Bazley is really naturally gifted at a lot of basketball stuff for a 6'9" dude. He’s very comfortable with the ball in his hands dribbling or creating. He can pass a bit and is very comfortable shooting, and he can block some shots. But there’s really no instincts or feel for the game right now. Bazley looks good in isolation but not so much as part of the team. I was not impressed with his decision making when he tried to create, and his defense is pretty much trying to swat everything. He’s not physical enough on the boards and, while athletic enough, isn’t a nuclear athlete by any stretch.

Everything for Bazley is effortless — in both good and bad ways. He looks like a player that’s always been the most talented player on the court, and he plays like it. It feels like he gives 75% effort on everything, rebounding, driving, passing, etc because normally his natural ability is enough. It’s not anymore, and he’s going to really have to be coached up to cut out the mistakes and refine his game. There’s clearly a lot here to work with, but it’s a very long ways away, and I don’t see one go-to strength that should have made Bazley worth a first-round investment with where he’s at right now.

Other Thunder

Hamidou Diallo flashed his nuclear athleticism, but more importantly, he’s looking a lot more confident shooting the jumper now. Maybe OKC finally found a decent two now that they no longer need one. It’s not going to be Luguentz Dort, who I’m still not seeing much from. He’s really slow and doesn’t have much functional athleticism. It looks like he’s totally reworked his shot, and it’s a little better but a long ways off still.

Orlando Magic

Mo Bamba

We only got one Bamba game, and I was pretty underwhelmed. Bamba hit a couple of threes comfortably, so I suppose that’s good, but do we really want our 7-footer standing out on the perimeter? Bamba recorded only 2 rebounds in 25 minutes, and he didn’t have a single block, steal, or assist. He doesn’t look very explosive and didn’t look comfortable with the ball in his hands for long, getting a panic turnover when a double team came. I wasn’t impressed with the defense either. Bamba gets lost in space, dropping way too far on defense because he doesn’t have the foot speed to stay with guards, and he kind of gets into no man’s land, where his length isn’t as useful. I liked the idea of Bamba a year ago, but between the lack of development and the early injuries, I have jumped ship quickly.

DaQuan Jeffries

Jeffries was one of my favorite draft sleepers, grading out as a first-round prospect, but he went undrafted. As disappointing as that was, it was even more disappointing to see him get signed immediately by the Magic, a team that always seems to scoop up guys I like (Bamba, Isaac, Frazier, Gordon) and has shown no ability to develop guys. I was ready to give up on Jeffries.

I’m back in after Summer League. Jeffries is a massive athlete, but we already knew that after he won the college dunk contest. It felt like he had at least one highlight dunk every game. He’s a big dude with long arms and broad shoulders, built like a running back, and his athleticism helps him create blocks and steals and get back in transition defense.

But what really impressed me was just watching Jeffries off the ball. He is so instinctive and has such a good feel for the flow of the game. He is always moving and always prepared. On offense it means he’s always sliding into the open space, whether that means moving along the perimeter to keep a passing lane open to hit him for a three or diving into open space near the rim. Guys were constantly losing him. On defense he makes the right rotation every time, stays under screens on bad shooters, just always seems to be in the right spot on both ends. DaQuan’s IQ means he’s always a split second ahead of his teammates reacting and getting to the right spot. He plays physical tough defense and mirrors well without fouling, and he was hot all summer from deep, hitting 12-for-22 threes. Jeffries looks like the ultimate 3-and-D player. Let’s hope he gets a real chance in the NBA. He’ll probably have a similar role to Orlando first-round pick Chuma Okeke, who of course sat out SL rehabbing his knee injuries and won’t play this first NBA season.

Philadelphia 76ers

Zhaire Smith

I’m mostly grading Zhaire Smith as an Incomplete after a lost rookie year, as per ancient 76ers bylaws. Smith was hospitalized a couple months and almost died, and it took all year for him to get healthy. His athleticism certainly appears to be back. Smith makes quick, violent cuts to get open on offense and is constantly moving off-ball. He loves to make a cut and run at the rim with his hand up, and he’s gonna catch a ton of alley oops this year. It felt like about once a quarter, Zhaire had some sort of violently athletic play that just sort of wakes you up from your Summer League slumber. It honestly feels like Zhaire is still on his way up when he dunks. It’s insane.

But we already knew Zhaire is a nuclear athlete. What was disappointing was how little else I saw from Smith. In some ways, that’s because he played a more controlled game, with fewer turnovers and less careening to the rim without any plan or care in the world. But it also felt like there were long stretches where Smith wasn’t super impactful, and he’s small enough that he can’t have a huge impact defensively. He has great defensive instincts and seems to leave a split second early to cut into a passing lane for a steal, but he didn’t rack up many steals or blocks.

The rest of his offensive game is coming around but needs work. He’s much more comfortable dribbling now, and his jumper looks much more crisp and consistent. He made 5-of-16 threes, better, but the range still seems shallow. The problem for me is that Zhaire still feels like a point guard, but the team really struggled to score points or get into an offensive flow with him running the offense this summer. His A/T ratio was barely positive, and he got a lot of fouls. For a sophomore, this was a pretty disappointing SL for Zhaire Smith, especially as much as I loved him a year ago. I’m hoping this was more like a rookie summer with his difficult year now behind him.

Matisse Thybulle

Thybulle was one of my favorite draft sleepers, and I absolutely love watching him play defense. I’ve never seen a player with his combination of defensive instincts and timing plus his ability to close. Thybulle has Defensive Player of the Year potential. He gets his hands on so many balls, and though he gambles a lot, he has the quickness to recover and close out. Thybulle affects a ton of shots. He’s never out of the play, even when you’re certain he is, and he baits guys into shots and swats them from behind. And I love his fit in Philadelphia, where he should be given more license to gamble on D with so much length and help behind him to recover. I think Philly has its new Robert Covington, only Thybulle is much better offensively. He is so aggressive on D when he smells blood, with piranha-esque closing speed. I could watch Matisse Thybulle play defense all day. The one thing I dislike is that, about once a game, he tends to foul a jump shooter going a bit too aggressively for a block.

The offense was more of what we saw at Washington. Thybulle hit 11-of-28 threes for 39%, and both the 28 and 39 are good there. Most of those are rhythm catch-and-shoot threes, and that’s what his NBA offense will look like. Even if he can only do that at an above average level, Thybulle can be a top-50 player. Thybulle’s dribble is comfortable enough in space but problematic and loose in congestion. He makes smart, correct passes but is not particularly accurate with them. You really don’t want the ball in Thybulle’s hands much. Unless of course it’s because he just took the ball off the defender and is streaking 1-on-0 for a freebie at the other end yet again.

Other 76ers

Shake Milton had a rough summer. He couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn with his go-to shot, making a miserable 6-of-36 field goals. That’s bad variance, but it’s a bigger problem that he ironically doesn't have much shake or athleticism to separate or create space. Marial Shayok wore #35 and looked like Kevin Durant in the movie Thunderstruck where he loses all of his basketball abilities. Shayok is a good shooter and scorer but struggled to do much else. Christ Koumadje is tall. He got a ton of blocks and fouls and I don’t see much there besides height. Norvel Pelle was the more exciting big man, a springy rim runner that gets out in transition and makes a big defensive impact. He blocked almost as many shots as Koumadje using good hand placement and timing and offers far more with the rest of his game.

Phoenix Suns

Jalen Lecque

No player would move further up my 2019 draft board after Summer League than Jalen Lecque. Lecque was one of two mostly unknown high school players along with Darius Bazley. I had Bazley as a borderline first-round pick and Lecque around 40 on my board and after the summer, I’d swap them. Lecque is raw but looks really intriguing.

Lecque was advertised as a nuclear athlete and the athleticism pops instantly. He threw down some nasty dunks and has the whole athletic package — speed, quickness, burst, quick twitch, and a huge leap with good timing. Lecque reminded me of a running back; if he sees a crease and even a quarter step, he’s gone. He’s a little twiggy but actually has nice size that should fill out as he ages, and I was pleasantly surprised to see Lecque playing some off ball. His size and athletic profile give him a lot of defensive potential against both guard positions, and he has quick hands and gets a lot of steals and defensive events.

We didn’t get to see a ton of decision making from Lecque, and that will clearly need some work as he learns to play in an offense. Right now he’s more of a one-on-one player than a point guard. The shot looks decent and he can hit an occasional pull-up but he made only 1-of-5 threes. The handle is pretty good. That plus his burst and finishing ability make him a big threat with the ball in his hands, but only if he can develop a shot defenses have to respect. Lecque’s basketball idol is Russell Westbrook, and there are faint shades there that make him worth the developmental time, for better and for worse. He needs to learn how to hit singles instead of swinging for the fence every time. As a developmental stash, Lecque is that home run swing. We’ve learned to give nuclear athlete point guards the time to grow and see what’s there.

Elie Okobo

Phoenix was really only worth watching for their point guards since Cam Johnson and Ty Jerome sat out the summer for no real reason. Okobo played more of a true point guard role than Lecque, but he wasn’t as impressive. Okobo always has the pretty pull-up jumper, but there’s not a lot else there right now. He’s more quick than fast attacking the rim, and he has nice touch on his floater. Despite running point, Okobo had only four assists in three games, and his passes are a little too showtime instead of just hitting guys in the right spot. He could have a potential as a bench scoring guard but feels a ways away. I’d definitely rather invest in Lecque, but Okobo deserves to be on an NBA roster somewhere.

Jevon Carter

Carter actually played for Memphis before getting traded to Phoenix. He was not good. Of course he is still a pit bull on the ball defensively, but I really don’t think there’s anything else there. His shot form is rushed, and he gets overwhelmed by size trying to drive or create. He’s not the answer at PG.

Portland Trail Blazers

Anfernee Simons

Simons was absolutely on fire for his entire stay in Vegas. He scored 22 points a game on a blazing 11-of-17 from downtown, an absurd 65% behind the arc. Simons looks every bit like a Blazers guard. He just gets buckets. He can put the ball on the court and get to the rim, finishing with either hand. He has a confident and crisp pull-up, and he can obviously hit the three, scoring easily at all three levels. Simons lulls defenders to sleep with his dribble and always seems to get to his spot. His 35-point game was the highest scoring summer output by any player, and he honestly looked too good for Summer League.

This sort of setting always flatters guys like Simons, and anyone will look good when they’re hitting two-thirds of their shots from deep, but I don’t think this is a fluke. The shot looks consistent and legit. There’s not much creation for others yet, and he’s pretty useless on defense, but Simons feels like a C.J. McCollum clone and absolutely looks ready to step into the third guard role in Portland this season. I think he’d go in the 2018 lottery in a redraft.

Nassir Little

Little was one of the more frustrating prospects to scout in college because he was so invisible that at times you’d barely even remember he was playing. And so it continued in Summer League. That’s disappointing for a guy who was supposedly shackled by the UNC system and whose athleticism and raw talent should’ve been successful in a setting like this.

I’m just not sure Little knows how to play much basketball right now. He averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds in 18 minutes a game. This is a guy that was a consensus top-5 prospect coming into the league. Even worse, I was really underwhelmed by his lack of standout athleticism and physicality, which are supposed to be his one sure thing. Little gets pushed around and pushed off rebounds, and he got blocked at the rim a few times when I wanted him to just rise up and dunk on a dude. And of course he gets completely lost at both ends, with no natural feel for the game. He loses his guy on defense constantly. He’s a very long way from contributing at an NBA level.

Other Blazers

Gary Trent Jr. consistently posted nice numbers over the summer, which makes sense. It’s a nice setting for him. Trent can really shoot, and he showed some improved drive-and-kick ability. He looks as rotation-ready as he’ll be for his skill set. Jaylen Hoard was kind of a poor man’s Nassir Little for me in the draft, a raw athletic forward. He was far better than Little in Vegas. He’s stronger on the boards and does a lot of the things you want Little to do with many of the same flaws. He too is a ways away.

Sacramento Kings

Kyle Guy

I can’t say I’d have expected Kyle Guy to get his own section a week ago. We all saw plenty of Virginia basketball and I figured I knew what Guy was, a small college scorer whose game should stay in college. I’m not so sure now. All the things he did well at UVA translated to Summer League. He’s comfortable dribbling and good off the ball, and the shot always splashes. Guy plays with a lot of confidence, and he got his shots off just fine despite the lack of size. He’s malleable and makes quick decisions, and he just seems so darn likable with a winning character and mentality. Kyle Guy might actually be one of those guys that hangs around the league for a decade doing Kyle Guy stuff.

Other Kings

Justin James was one of the more shocking picks in the draft. He has an NBA looking body and a smooth game, a nice driving ability with some passing. He had a nice enough summer but really ought to considering how old he is. Wenyen Gabriel is much bigger than I remember and still just as athletic. He’s a good rebounder but still has little to no game awareness. Caleb Swanigan sucks. He is Thomas Robinson all over again. He should’ve stayed in college and enjoyed the production he’ll never find in the NBA.

San Antonio Spurs

Lonnie Walker

Walker was one of the stars of Summer League between his bouncy hair and his equally bouncy game. Walker was a summer chucker extraordinaire. He scored 25ppg and was hot all summer, hitting 55% of his shots and living at the free throw line. I complained last summer that Walker’s pull-up jumper didn’t look very good, and he’s fixed that in a hurry. Walker is a big time athlete with excellent body control. He has real wiggle to the rim and contorts well to finish once he gets there, though his drives can be a bit out of control.

Walker feels like a street baller, which makes him a bit of an odd fit for San Antonio. He only had four assists in four games, so even with all his scoring, he was mostly just a one-on-one machine. I was not impressed with his decision making. The decisions were slow and not always great, and I don’t see a ton of intuition or recognition. I worry that this might just be a summer Mamba Mentality chucker that got really hot. What does any of this look like in a real team setting? I’m not sure it translates.

Keldon Johnson

Much like at Kentucky, Keldon made a big impression out of the gate before disappearing into the background as the games settled in. His first two games at Utah league, Johnson scored 16.5ppg and showed a lot of confidence, scoring aggressively and flashing a quicker release on his shot. Then he disappeared in Vegas, scoring only 28 points in three games without no threes and only two assists. So many games for the the Wildcats and Spurs, I watch a full game and barely take a single Keldon Johnson note. He just doesn’t impact the game for these long, bizarre stretches.

And it’s a shame, because there’s real talent here. Johnson is an active, excellent rebounder for his position. He’s really good in transition and a strong finisher at the basket, and he loves to show up in the game’s biggest moments and can really galvanize his team. He just needs to do it more often.

Luka Samanic

Samanic was the higher Spurs first rounder, and I’m not sure I see it. He’s definitely athletic, especially for a typical Euro player. He loves to come flying in for a put-back or dunk attempt, even though he misses a lot of them. Samanic has a nice handle and some moves, a spin move, a behind-the-back dribble, and some flashes of athleticism. But the usual European gifting isn’t there. He doesn’t show a good feel for the game, and his shot didn’t look consistent and is almost a set shot. Samanic makes a lot of poor decisions and turned the ball over a lot. I don’t get the pick, but I also looked at a list of Spurs draft picks and realized I literally haven’t liked a single one of their picks since Tim Duncan in 1997, so I guess the real lesson here is that San Antonio probably shouldn’t fire R.C. Buford and hire me.

Quinndary Weatherspoon

Weatherspoon is really active and involved. It feels like he’s always around the ball on both ends, always involved in the play. He scored a bunch of points, mostly in the flow of the game plus a ton of free throws drawn, and has an all-around skill set. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that Weatherspoon is mostly just a guy. He was awful in the final seconds of a one-point loss to Phoenix with two straight turnovers in plays drawn up for him, so that sure didn’t help.

Toronto Raptors

Chris Boucher

Boucher is a bit of a known commodity since he was the G League MVP and Defensive Player of the Year this season, and he’s already 26, but the G League is not the NBA, and Boucher is still out here grinding. He was just better than most of the guys at this level, and he ought to be. He averaged 23 easy points and 10 boards with a number of smothering blocks.

You may remember Boucher from Oregon several unlucky injuries ago as he’s continued to fight his way toward the NBA. He’s a long lanky dude that looks and plays a lot like Kevin Durant, with a comfortable dribble and a smooth pull-up J. That jumper is why he was playing summer ball, I think. Boucher hit only 8-of-26 threes for 31%, but it’s the 26 there that I like, getting up 6.5 treys a game as a 6'10" dude. Boucher holds his own on the boards in part by playing down a position — he’s a four, not a center and doesn’t have the bulk to move up — and by getting into good position. He can get the rebound and go all the way up the court. In that and other ways, I can see him developing into a like-for-like Siakam backup as he continues to develop the shot.

Terence Davis

Davis actually started the summer playing for Denver but was so good in one game that the Raptors immediately signed him to a guaranteed two-year deal, and he eventually joined Toronto for two games too. Davis makes quick, violent cuts on offense and constantly loses his defender, and he has terrific touch and finishing ability around the rim. He’s comfortable dribbling and showed a little more playmaking than he had at Ole Miss, and he plays defense with a ton of energy. The shot is inconsistent, but he got a lot of threes up, hitting 10-of-24 in three games. Davis and Boucher both look like guys that could get some run on this year’s Raptors and be part of their future.

Utah Jazz

Tony Bradley

Remember him? Bradley was the #28 pick in 2017, just ahead of Derrick White and Josh Hart. Oops. This is the problem with rim runners. They just take so long to develop and turn a profit, and the payout even if they do hit is low. Bradley is a good reminder to be cautious in a summer full of excitement for Jaxson Hayes, Jarrett Allen, Mitchell Robinson, Daniel Gafford, and others. This will take time.

With Bradley, the time has done him well. He’s added a ton of strength and physicality and looked like a man among boys, with a major body transformation. He’s really active on the boards, especially offensively, and keeps the ball high going back up. Mostly Bradley just dominated with his size and physicality, scoring in the post and rebounding and defending with a quick second jump. He’s not particularly quick and struggled to defend quicker bigs like Rabb that cut and got to the rim. Bradley was a consistent double-double threat. It looks like he’ll get one more year to develop with Ed Davis in tow to back up Rudy Gobert, and he was always going to be a second-contract guy. He looks like he can play 15 useful minutes a game now, but there’s 15 guys on waivers that can do that too.

Other Jazz

I really liked the Justin Wright-Foreman pick for Utah, but the Hofstra product struggled this summer. He has good drive ability with burst and gets into the opponent, and he’s got a super confident pull-up. But he struggled to produce consistently or create separation and his creation is mostly for himself for now. Miye Oni disappointed too. He doesn’t look ready athletically and needs to add strength and work on a weak dribble and a flat shot. Jarrell Brantley was by far the best of the three second rounders. His athleticism pops and he looks thick and strong, a man among boys. He has good instincts and sort of takes what’s there, and he’s really smooth with the ball. At Utah league, Brantley often felt like the best on the court. I’m not sure any of these three will crack the rotation anytime soon.

Washington Wizards

Rui Hachimura

I’m not sure we really learned much about Hachimura at SL. He was fine, doing his usual thing, scoring plenty of points with his usual array of mid-range stuff in the flow of the game. Like usual, it was pretty much just points with Hachimura. He had only 2 assists and 1 steal all summer and feels like he’s mostly just waiting to take shots. I like his movement off ball on offense and he does well diving to the rim and has a soft finishing touch. I just don’t know how any of this translates when he’s no longer the go-to scorer. Hachimura doesn’t have great hands, and he didn’t look comfortable from NBA range on three yet, making only 2-of-6 in three games, and both the 2 and 6 are bad there. Still don’t understand why he was a top-10 pick.

Troy Brown

Brown was the much more impressive Wizards youngster, and remember, he’s a whole year and a half younger than Hachimura. Brown looked much improved from the get-go. His handle is much better, and he’s really improved his body into more of a combo forward size now. There’s still work to do. Brown’s shot mechanics and results are still inconsistent and a ways off, a work in progress. He shows some passing acumen as the point forward prospect he’s supposed to be, but he’s also a bit slow processing decisions with the ball and falls into some bad passes or turnovers. Still, he took significant steps forward this summer and has still yet to turn 20. I’d rate him the better prospect versus Hachimura.

Other Wizards

I’ve never seen Admiral Schofield as a real NBA prospect and SL didn’t change my mind. He can score some but looks slow and struggled to stay in front of guys defensively, drawing a lot of fouls and giving up too many rebounds. I don’t see it. I prefer their undrafted pickup, Justin Robinson. Robinson is solid but unspectacular, an old school point guard that plays hard and runs the offense smoothly. He just does the job. He can hit the three and plays good defense, and he makes solid pick-and-roll decisions and smart passes with few mistakes. He could be in the PG mix.

Moe Wagner and Isaac Bonga got some late run after coming over from the Lakers. Wagner looks slow, both physically and reading the game mentally. He just kind of wanders or retreats on defense, ceding ground and fouling a lot. Let’s just say the Lakers won’t miss him. Bonga has grown a bunch in size, but his game is still in need of a lot of development. He still can’t dribble to save his life and shows little feel for the game. I also got my first in-game look at former Sixers first rounder, Anzejs Pasecniks. He’s a big slow-footed dude and looked lumbering and uncomfortable running the court and in transition. He’s got soft hands and natural big man movement on offense but his skill set will fit better back in Europe. It’s almost impressive to be 7'1" and shoot 29%.

That’s it!! Please comment below with any questions or feedback. Let me know if there’s anyone else you’re wondering about. You’ll never believe this, but this is the somewhat abridged version. 95 games is a lot. ■

If you made it this far, bless you. I recommend Preparation H. This represents about over 200 hours of work. You can find the rest of my work on NBA, NFL, TV, humor, and culture in my writing archives or at my Twitter @wheatonbrando.