The NBA calendar officially entered its silly season last week as Kevin Durant’s trade request became public, and we’re unlikely to see the circus in Brooklyn end anytime soon. But there’s good news for those who’ve had their fill of cryptic tweets and extended monologues: Summer League is officially here.
Mock the celebration if you wish. Yes, Summer League games can feature a competitive spirit akin to a fourth run at LA Fitness, and the unforced turnovers are enough to make a high school coach fume. Yet look past the rough edges and a satisfying product can emerge. Summer League is the launching point for the stars of tomorrow. The right organization can also pluck a rotation player out of relative obscurity. And three weeks removed from the Finals, we’ll frankly take any live basketball we can get.
With 11 days of madness ahead, let’s sort through the top things to watch as Summer League heads to Las Vegas.
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Chet Holmgren hype
We got a brief taste of Holmgren’s potential Tuesday night as the No. 2 pick turned in a sensational performance against the Jazz in Salt Lake City. Holmgren tallied 23 points, banged home four threes, and added six blocks on the other end. But the stat line doesn’t quite do Holmgren justice. He danced on the perimeter with guards like a slimmer Evan Mobley and swatted shots as a weakside defender with ease. Holmgren’s defensive ability should translate immediately, locking in a quality NBA floor.
What he displayed on the other end vs. Utah was downright tantalizing. Holmgren had no trouble with the NBA three-point line Tuesday night as he canned deep threes over 7'6" Tacko Fall, and it was far more than Holmgren’s smooth stroke that jumped off the screen. He calmly attacked closeouts and had no trouble running the fast break. He even threw in a Dirk Nowitzki–esque fadeaway for good measure late in the first half. Yes, it’s just Summer League, and one game at that. But which other players Holmgren’s size can look so smooth hitting off-the-dribble threes? The list may end after Kevin Durant.
I still don’t quite buy Holmgren as the clear Rookie of the Year favorite. The Thunder are unlikely to be competitive this season, and there will be certain behemoths that push the Gonzaga product around. But Tuesday night showed exactly why Oklahoma City invested in Holmgren’s All-NBA (and maybe even MVP) upside. He has a fascinating combination of size and skill, paired with an impressive basketball IQ and a sneaky mean streak. Obsessing over Holmgren’s slim body was always a flawed framing. Perhaps he’ll prove why sooner than later.
Paolo vs. Jabari
There’s plenty of intrigue surrounding Thursday night’s showdown between Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith Jr. after the shakeup at the top of the draft in June. Smith’s standing as the No. 1 pick felt like a guarantee for weeks before Orlando pulled off a shocker and selected Banchero first, with Smith going to Houston at No. 3. It will take years for us to know whether Orlando made the right move, and any conclusions from Thursday will be premature. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy the highlights as the first data point in any extended evaluation.
Holmgren appears to have surged into the top spot in the Rookie of the Year odds after his dynamic debut, though I think Banchero should still be the favorite. He can serve as a primary scorer and playmaker from the outset in Orlando, something we should see early and often in Summer League. Meanwhile, expect Smith to excel as a pick-and-pop option in his first games, though he’ll likely eat up less usage alongside Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and Alperen Sengun. Regardless, Banchero and Smith each enter the league with a reasonable case as the draft’s top player. They’ll look to show flashes of their impressive offensive ceilings Thursday.
Golden State’s youngsters
It’s not just the rookies who provide intrigue to the Summer League action. A smattering of second and third-year players often populate rosters, and in the case of the Warriors, there are at least three players on their Las Vegas roster who expect to contribute in 2022–23. Second-year wing Jonathan Kuminga should run rampant through a smattering of overmatched rosters, while the next two weeks will give Moses Moody a chance to showcase his scoring skill after earning sporadic minutes in his rookie year. Neither Kuminga nor Moody are the most interesting players to watch, however. That designation belongs to James Wiseman.
Wiseman remains a bit of an NBA mystery nearly 19 months after he was selected with the No. 2 pick in the ’20 draft. He’s logged fewer minutes through two NBA campaigns than Greg Oden did from 2007 to ’09, and even if Wiseman is healthy on opening night, he still has a ways to go as he looks to earn Steve Kerr’s trust. Wiseman wasn’t quite comfortable as a 4-on-3 roller as a rookie, and while his athleticism was clear as a weakside shot blocker, his impact as a team defender left plenty to be desired. Golden State can afford to slow-play Wiseman next season thanks to Kevon Looney’s new contract. This summer is Wiseman’s first step in earning minutes at some point next season.
Evaluating Shaedon Sharpe
I remain a bit flummoxed by Portland, which is both a sneaky Durant contender and a possible tank candidate if things turn sour with Damian Lillard. If the franchise is forced into the latter route, its 2022–23 rookie will suddenly be a critical player.
Our expectations for Shaedon Sharpe should be muted during his rookie season. The No. 7 pick didn’t play a single minute for Kentucky last year, with a significant portion of his predraft exposure stemming from a 12-game EYBL stint in 2021. There remains a significant learning curve ahead, one that could include heavy G League minutes next season. With Portland attempting another run at the postseason, such a scenario seems likely.
The expected lack of exposure this season makes Summer League a perfect showcase for Sharpe. He’s an immensely talented player—minimal experience be damned—with special athleticism paired with a smooth stroke from beyond the arc. There is the projectable ability of a quality off-the-dribble scorer on hand, one in the mold of Jalen Green, Jaden Ivey, Anthony Edwards and the slew of high-octane young guards and wings to enter the league in recent seasons. Regardless of when Sharpe contributes on the NBA level, he’ll have the opportunity to show his many talents in Vegas.
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Memphis’s odd couple
O.K., enough of the lottery picks. Summer League action is prime time for the league’s diamonds in the rough, the players succeeding despite their presumed limitations. We may have a pair of prime examples in Memphis.
The Grizzlies selected 6'5", 250-pound forward David Roddy with the No. 23 pick in the 2022 draft, a surprise to prognosticators who had the Colorado State product bound for the second round. Roddy isn’t a leaper, nor is he fleet of foot. But his game, a combination of pick-and-pop triples and heady secondary playmaking, could make him a fan favorite in Memphis. Ditto for one of the Grizzlies’ undrafted free-agent signings. Kenneth Lofton Jr. earned a pair of All-Conference USA honors during his college days at Louisiana Tech, bruising his way to baskets like a not-so-miniature Zach Randolph. The trend has continued early in Summer League.
The Port Arthur, Texas, native remains an NBA long shot, though perhaps his game is more translatable than we originally assumed. Lofton posted a 19-point, six-rebound effort in Wednesday’s loss to Oklahoma City, and he downright bullied Holmgren early in the first quarter. Players like Lofton are what Summer League is all about. An extended look in Las Vegas could keep him on teams’ radars for years to come.
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