Now that the NBA summer league is over, I am officially bored out of my mind. There's another month and a half until college football starts (which I am incredibly excited for), and there will be no basketball for another few months. I have resorted to watching whatever re-runs I can find on ESPN and youtube. Because of my boredom, I've decided to take some time to talk a little bit more about the summer league and some of the top performers.
I've already shared my thoughts on the top draft picks, so I'm going to focus on some of the mid to late first rounders and a couple second rounders that stood out to me towards the end of the summer league.
The first guy that I want to recognize is the Nuggets second round draft pick, Hunter Tyson. Over five games, he averaged 20 points and 6 rebounds. These stats by themselves are impressive, but what is truly remarkable is that he shot 54% from the field and an incredible 50% from three over those five games. He was consistent and, most importantly, he was efficient. It looks like the Nuggets might have added another contributor to their roster. I wouldn't be surprised to see him get some minutes this year.
Marcus Sasser was another guy that had an explosive conclusion to his summer league stint. The Houston product struggled in his early games, but poured in 40 points in his final game, with 31 of those points coming in the second half. Unfortunately for Sasser, he will probably receive very limited minutes this season due to the Pistons being very guard heavy. However, I think he has potential to make an impact in the league in the future if he can consistently shoot.
Cam Whitmore of the Houston Rockets won the summer league MVP. He averaged almost 20 points and 5 rebounds while shooting 44% from the field. He had some great defensive performances as well. Whitmore adds to the Rocket's loaded young core that could potentially make some noise in the West in a few years. Like Sasser, Whitmore will probably see limited minutes in the NBA this year, but he is a very valuable prospect. I think the Rockets got a steal with him at the 20th pick.
Jalen Wilson, the Brooklyn Nets second round draft pick out of Kansas, had a promising summer. After watching him at Kansas, I was a bit surprised to see him fall to the second round in the draft. He has a playing style that I think fits well in the NBA. On top of that, he is 6'8" and a stout 225 pounds. I think he has the tools to be a very solid player in the league.
Emoni Bates finished the summer league just as strong as he started. He showed why he was viewed as a top prospect out of high school. If he can improve his efficiency and defensive ability, he can make some serious noise. He certainly has the raw talent. Another Cavalier that looked promising was Sam Merrill, a 2020 draft prospect. He shot the ball very well from deep, showcasing a quick release and an ability to knock down some tough shots.
The last guy that I want to recognize is the Raptor's first round pick, Gradey Dick. He was an elite shooter at Kansas, and he has some sneaky athleticism. I expected him to mostly be a catch-and-shoot guy in the NBA, but he showed off an ability to create his own shot off the dribble during the summer league. Granted, it was the summer league, so take it with a grain of salt. I still expect him to be a catch-and-shoot guy for the Raptors until he gets more comfortable with his game.
I normally pride myself on being able to look at a player and determine if they will translate to the next level, whether they are high school prospects, college prospects, or even G-league prospects. However, this is particularly difficult in the summer league, since the majority of guys participating are either rookies stepping into a brand new environment or other young players that are experimenting with their game. The players that I have mentioned in my posts put up solid stats and look like true "hoopers" in my opinion, and I am anxious to see how they pan out.
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