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Tonight, the Las Vegas summer league will culminate in a championship game between two 4-0 squads in the Sacramento Kings and the Boston Celtics. But before this game tips off, I want to put a cap on what has been a refreshing return to somewhat normalcy, considering COVID-19 robbed us of this very event last summer.
One thing that was missing last year that will certainly return this year will be the harsh overreactions to big summer league performances, where guys look like All-World players in Las Vegas, just to sit on the bench all year in the regular season. I will attempt to avoid this today, and point out players that stood out to me in summer league, whom I think will be able to make a real impact from day 1 in the NBA. So there will be guys who looked amazing in summer league who likely will get left off of this list for the sheer fact that they probably will not have the same opportunity in the regular season. So who are the players that I think showed the most promise in Las Vegas? Let’s find out!
Davion Mitchell– Sacramento Kings
Mitchell will be playing tonight at 9 pm on ESPN, so if you haven’t gotten a chance to watch him, be sure to do so tonight. Mitchell’s numbers won’t jump off the page at you like some of the other guys on this list will, but if you watch him play, you will immediately see what has many people in NBA circles drooling over the former Baylor national champion. Mitchell averaged a modest 11.3 points per game on 47.5% from the floor and 50% from the three-point line, while dishing out 5.5 assists per game with 1.5 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.5 turnovers per game.
What stood out the most from Mitchell is his unbelievable first step and explosiveness on the offensive end, and his uncanny ability to smother ball handlers on the defensive end. The latter of which can be illustrated in this clip where Mitchell smothered fellow lottery pick James Bouknight of the Charlotte Hornets. Mitchell will likely not start in Sacramento because of their trio of De’Aaron Fox, Tyrese Haliburton, and Buddy Hield. All three seem to be locked into their roles for next season, unless Hield is traded, which at this moment looks unlikely. But Mitchell will certainly find his way onto the floor because of his ability to defend, and given his efficiency and ability to score from anywhere on the court, he will find ways to fill up multiple categories in the box score.
Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Josh Christopher– Houston Rockets
Jalen Green was the No.2 overall pick in the draft, and he as well as many other people legitimately believe he should have been taken No. 1. Green showed why in summer league as he was the only player to average at least 20 points per game while shooting 50% from the floor, 50% from three, and at least 90% from the foul line. Green averaged 20.3 points per game and only attempted 12 field goals per contest, joining Payton Pritchard as the only two to average at least 20 points on less than 13 attempts per game. That type of efficiency can not be overlooked, especially seeing that many of the other players who put up big numbers, did so in extreme volume, which will not translate very well when they return to their regular roles on their rosters and are not given the same offensive freedom.
Alperen Sengun was certainly one of the biggest wild cards entering the NBA draft. His production overseas given his youthful age (he just turned 19 on July 25th) could not be ignored, but questions about his lack of overwhelming size and athleticism at the center position left many people questioning how his skill set would translate to the NBA, given the athleticism and length of many of today’s big men. What stood out the most to me about Sengun was his savviness and IQ playing against bigger players. Sengun even showed off his vision and passing ability on plays like this, where even Jalen Green was caught off guard that he could make such a pass. Sengun’s skillset should mesh well with Christian Wood’s in the frontcourt, and his ability to pass and space the floor should open up Houston’s offense a ton next season.
Christopher was the least talked about of the three Houston rookie’s, but coming out of high school, he was seen as one of the most talented prospects in the entire class, and after a rather pedestrian freshman season at Arizona State, Christopher is again showing flashes of the upside that made so many fall in love with him in high school. Now, though Christopher’s percentages were absolutely awful for the majority of the games that he played, (34.4% from the floor 15.4% from three) in the most high-profile game of the entire summer league against Cade Cunningham and the Detroit Pistons, Christopher came to play. Against the Pistons, Christopher scored 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting (1-of-4 3-pointers) with seven assists, three rebounds, and one steal. The thing that stood out to me the most was the will to compete and take on the challenge, such as guarding Cade Cunningham, even plucking him at half court and drawing a foul. It is plays and games like this, stepping up in the biggest moments, that give you a real reason to be optimistic about what the future could hold.
Houston is a young team that is clearly prioritizing the development of their young pieces, so Green, Sengun, and Christopher, along with Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood will all have ample opportunity this season to play, produce, and start to develop chemistry that could turn into one of the best young cores in the league down the line.
Cade Cunningham, Luka Garza– Detroit Pistons
Cade Cunningham was the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, and many people have called him the highest upside prospect since LeBron James in 2003. Now though I wouldn’t go that far, I do think that this is the deepest draft since that legendary class and Cade was the prized possession which says a lot about his potential as a prospect.
Through three games in Las Vegas, Cunningham averaged 18.7 points on 42.9% shooting from the floor and 50.0% shooting from the three-point line, with 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.7 steals, and 4.0 turnovers per game. Now, the turnovers are definitely an issue, but if you checked out my draft preview, I noted that this would be the case, so it is not too much of a surprise for me. What really stood out to me was Cade’s three-point shooting. He shot the three-ball at a 50.0% clip while making 4.3 of his 8.7 attempts per game. That is a number that should make fantasy managers cry tears of joy, as he could be putting up very similar numbers in the regular season, since he will have the ball in his hands from the moment he steps foot in Little Caesars Arena.
Garza on the other hand did not have the expectations that Cade did, despite being the unanimous National Player of the Year in college hoops last season. Many people questioned Garza’s ability to defend and move laterally in the NBA, but Garza got to work in the offseason, losing over 20 pounds and improving on his lateral speed. Garza put this on display in Vegas as he looked the part of a lighter, more physically fit NBA big man. Now, he still is nowhere near the fastest or most athletic big man that you will see in today’s NBA, but he is so skilled offensively, and he plays so hard, that I believe he will be able to make up for it at the next level.
Garza averaged 15.0 points on 52.0% shooting from the floor, and 40.0% shooting three, with 9.6 rebounds per game in just 21 minutes. Garza’s ability to finish at the rim and consistently knock down the deep ball will allow him to be playable in today’s NBA. Now with that being said, he will be on a two-way contract, but given Detroit’s lack of depth upfront, I think he could actually see some quality minutes in the frontcourt in the games that he suits up.
Chris Duarte– Indiana Pacers
Duarte was one of the older, and more mature prospects in this year’s draft class as he will enter the league as a rookie at 24 years of age. This will allow him to be one of the most NBA-ready guys to come out as he already has plenty of game experience. What impressed me the most about Duarte was his ability to shoot the three and make it at a high clip from well beyond the three-point line. Exhibit A can be seen in this clip of Duarte’s game against the Atlanta Hawks, specifically, the three that he drilled to beat the buzzer in the third quarter.
Duarte averaged 18.3 points on 45.6% shooting from the floor, and 48.3% from distance with 4.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.5 steals per contest, a mark that was third amongst all players who played at least four games in Las Vegas. To put it simply, Duarte just looked the part of an older, more mature player in the summer league. His pace and poise even when being hounded by ball handlers is extremely impressive, and I think it will earn him some time in Indiana earlier than some might have expected.
Nah’shon “Bones” Hyland- Denver Nuggets
For those who read my draft previews, you know that I have been high on “Bones” Hyland for a while. His ability to flat out score the ball is something that is special to behold and this has been on full display in his last two summer league outings. In those last two contests, Hyland averaged 24.0 points, on 51.6% shooting from the floor, and 47.0% from the three-point line on 17 attempts over two games. Hyland’s ability to score the ball in bunches from the point guard position is similar to that of Lou Williams. Given the fact that Denver’s backcourt should be set with Jamal Murray and Will Barton, although Barton has had injury issues, Hyland could immediately serve as a microwave scorer off of the bench in Denver. His ability to knock down three’s at a high volume should allow him to see some decent playing time early on, and depending on what happens with Jamal Murray, as he recovers from his ACL injury, Hyland should see some decent minutes to begin the season and he could be a sneaky pickup for some fantasy managers.
Payton Pritchard– Boston Celtics
Pritchard, as well as Aaron Nesmith, who also had a stellar summer league, is a second-year guy. Therefore, it is expected to see he and Nesmith excel the way that they did in summer league, seeing that they actually got minutes for Boston in both the regular season and the playoffs. Players with this type of experience always seem to excel in summer league, and for this duo from Boston, this held true. The thing that jumped out to me about Pritchard, and why I am higher on him than Nesmith, was the efficiency and the ability that he showed to not only make plays for himself but also his ability to make plays for others.
Pritchard averaged 20.3 points on 51.4 percent shooting from the floor and 57.7% from three on 8.7 attempts per game. This is to go along with 8.7 assists, which was first among all players in Las Vegas, and just 1.3 turnovers per game with 2.0 steals. This translates to nearly a 7:1 assist to turnover ratio, which is outstanding, no matter where you are playing at. Boston will be itching for someone to step up this season off the bench, and I think Pritchard could be the guy to take the biggest leap in his second season. His ability to be a sniper from deep, be extremely efficient with his touches, and his ability to facilitate and impact the game defensively should all earn him more minutes and opportunities this year in Boston.
Patrick Williams– Chicago Bulls-
Like Pritchard and Nesmith, Williams is a second-year prospect, who saw quality minutes as a rookie, so it is expected that he looked good in the summer league against players who have not yet been established NBA players. With that being said, the reason why Williams made the list, and not other second-year guys who had great days, is because I think Williams could be in for a big second season, especially if Lauri Markkanen decides to depart Chicago, which it looks like he might. Now, Chicago loaded up this offseason and will have a solid “Big 3” with All Stars, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine, but I think the addition that will bode best for Williams is Lonzo Ball. Given the fact that Vucevic, Derozan, and LaVine will draw a lot of offensive attention, Williams will likely get a ton of open shots, and Lonzo Ball, who averages 6.4 assists per game for his career, should see that number increase this season.
Williams, last season, shot 39.1% from three on just under two attempts per game. In Las Vegas, Williams shot 43.8% on over five attempts per game, which I think will be a similar sample size to what he will get this season given the open shots he should get due to his new teammates. It also doesn’t hurt that he averaged 21.0 points and 9.7 rebounds and looked like a more versatile and confident player. All in all, I would buy stock in a second-year jump from Patrick Williams this season.