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The NBA Summer League is the best teaser on what to expect from the incoming rookie class. As expected, the top lottery picks didn’t disappoint, while others have obvious weaknesses that need to be corrected.
The California Classic in San Francisco and Sacramento kicked off the summer league season, with games at Chase Center and Golden 1 Center. As usual, the crown jewel of the summer hoops season was the Las Vegas Summer League. All 30 teams, armed with their first-round picks from the 2024 NBA draft, showed up to The Strip to showcase the potential stars of tomorrow.
Here are the studs — and duds — from the full NBA summer league slate.
STUDS: Donovan Clingan, Kel’el Ware, Dalton Knecht, Bub Carrington, Zach Edey, Stephon Castle, Reed Sheppard, Matas Buzelis
Donovan Clingan, center, Portland Trail Blazers — Clingan’s high-profile matchup against No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr turned out to be a one-sided affair. Clingan thoroughly outplayed Sarr, helping hold him down to an embarrassing 0-for-15 shooting from the field. The national champ from UConn came in with a reputation as a defensive stalwart and he has certainly lived up to the billing, leading all players at the Vegas summer league in rebounds (12.3) and blocked shots (4.3). Clingan’s mere presence (7-2, 285 pounds) on the court should greatly improve a Blazers squad that ranked in the bottom 10 in terms of defensive rating last season. He is far from a finished product offensively, but with the help of dynamic young point guard Scoot Henderson, Clingan could be on the receiving end of lobs and put-backs. The Blazers didn’t select Clingan with the No. 7 overall pick in the draft for his offense. They drafted him to be their defensive anchor, and he should fill that role immediately.
Kel’el Ware, center, Miami Heat — Last year, the Heat found a gem in 18th overall first-round pick Jaime Jaquez. The Heat may have struck gold again this year in 15th overall first-round pick Kel’el Ware. After a shaky debut, the former Indiana product rebounded with a 26-point, 11-rebound performance in his second game at the California Classic. Ware flashed all the skills that made him an exciting prospect: rim running, lob threat, soft touch around the basket, rim protector. Ware did miss all his shots from behind the 3-point line, so he’ll need to improve that aspect of his game to be a more well-rounded big man. But his ceiling is high and he could play an immediate role on the Heat, much like how Dereck Lively did his rookie season with the Mavericks. Ware and Lively not only have similar body types but they also mirror each other on the court in terms of skill set. Ware capped off an outstanding summer by leading the Heat to the championship game of the Vegas summer league. In the final against the Memphis Grizzlies, Ware had 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and 10 rebounds in helping Miami take home the trophy with a 120-118 victory in overtime.
Dalton Knecht, guard, L.A. Lakers — Knecht was one of the few bright spots for an otherwise challenging summer season for the Lakers. The former Tennessee Volunteer’s shot-making ability in college has translated well into the pro game. He averaged 21.3 points per game in three games, shooting 41.8% from the field and 39.1% from 3-point range. He showed an ability to put the ball on the deck and create offense not only for himself but for his teammates. Defensively, Knecht is still a work in progress. He tends to straighten up too much when he gets in his defensive stance, allowing quicker players to get by him. His weakness on the defensive end might have been the reason why he dropped to the 17th spot in the first round of the draft. But the Lakers won’t be asking Knecht to be a defensive stopper. As long as he can get buckets on the other end, head coach JJ Redick will have a spot for him in the rotation.
Carlton “Bub” Carrington, guard, Washington Wizards — Not many experts had Bub Carrington on their tarot cards to make the all-summer league team in Las Vegas. Carrington was one of the biggest surprises of the summer season with an impressive showing in Vegas. The 14th overall pick averaged 15.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists in 32.6 minutes. While at Pitt he was known for a lethal midrange shot, but he showed he can extend his range by knocking down 35.9% of his 3-point shots in summer league. He had an outstanding debut in a win over Zaccharie Risacher’s Atlanta Hawks, scoring 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds. The Wizards are planning to put Bub at point. It’s not his natural position, but he seems to be a quick learner. He should get plenty of run on a Wizards squad that isn’t expected to make the playoffs any time soon.
Zach Edey, center, Memphis Grizzlies — The 7-foot-4 big man out of Purdue was the most polarizing prospect in the 2024 draft. Nearly all of the mock drafts — except for OMFB — had Edey going mid- to late-first round and some mocks (we know who they are) even had him slotted in the early second round. OMFB ranked Edey as the top prospect in the draft and graded him very high going in. Edey fired his first shot at his doubters with a strong performance in his debut for the Grizzlies in Salt Lake City. The ninth overall pick in the draft put up 14 points, grabbed 15 rebounds and blocked four shots in 33 minutes against a stacked Utah summer squad led by second-year pros Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, and Walker Kessler. Edey won his spicy matchup with Kessler, and delivered two eye-popping moments against the Jazz center. Edey sent shockwaves online when he dunked on Kessler and made a watch-your-head gesture as he ran back down the court. Then, he made up for missing an easy tip dunk when he muscled past Kessler and Kyle Filipowski and tipped in a shot following an intentionally missed free throw to send the game into overtime. Edey suffered an ankle injury at SLC, which caused him to miss nearly all the games in Vegas. He played for about a half in his only Vegas appearance before leaving with another ankle injury. The Grizzlies had seen enough at that point and decided to shut down their prized rookie for the remainder of the summer.
It’s too early to make a proper evaluation on Edey as we’re only given a small sample size. But based on what transpired in Salt Lake City, it’s safe to say Edey will prove his critics wrong and the Grizzlies may have found their starting center for years to come.
Stephon Castle, guard, San Antonio Spurs — Castle told people at the NBA draft combine that he preferred to play point guard instead of off-ball shooting guard, the position he mostly played in his lone season for national champion UConn. The fourth overall pick in the NBA draft has shown the maturity and the control to handle point duties and even Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is impressed. “I love his seriousness for such a young kid,” Popovich told ESPN. “I love his pace. You’ll see his expression never changes. He doesn’t go too fast, he doesn’t go too slow, he reads the situation. The more minutes he gets, the better he will be.” Castle got better each time he took the court in summer league, averaging 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the California Classic and dropped 22 points in his Vegas summer league debut. If there was a hole in his game it’s 3-point shooting as he made just 20%. A wrist injury forced Castle to miss the remaining of summer league, disappointing some fans. But the Spurs were protecting their investment and there was no need for him to make the injury worse.
Reed Sheppard, guard, Houston Rockets — After a solid 23-point debut at the Vegas summer league against Bronny James and the L.A. Lakers, the No. 3 overall selection in the draft put together an outstanding all-around game against the Washington Wizards, teaming up with second-year pro and 2023 Vegas Summer League MVP Cam Whitmore on a couple of dazzling plays. Sheppard struggled from 3-point range (1 for 5) but still finished with 22 points, using an array of shots around the paint. He also filled up the stat sheet with six rebounds, seven assists and impressive five steals. Sheppard could be more than just a high-level role player for Houston. He’ll play behind veteran Fred VanVleet, but could eventually become the team’s point guard of the future.
Matas Buzelis, forward, Chicago Bulls — Buzelis said he was disappointed in his first game at the Vegas summer league despite a solid stat line (15 points, seven rebounds, two blocks). “Honestly, I was very sloppy,” the 11th overall pick told NBC Sports Chicago. “I can play a lot better.” And he did play better. In his second game, the Lithuanian-American teenager dropped 28 points on the Golden State Warriors, including a social-media-busting dunk on a fastbreak. The dunk itself was spectacular, but what made it a meme was Buzelis staring down his opponent as he completed the dunk.
When Buzelis wasn’t dunking on people’s heads, he was draining shots from long range as he rattled home four of his eight 3-point attempts, the last one coming on a step-back corner 3-ball with a heavy contest. He took on the difficult defensive assignment of guarding Warriors second-year pro and All-Rookie team selection Brandon Podziemski. There is a lot to like about Buzelis’ game, and once his body fills out he could turn out to be one of the best players in the 2024 draft class.
DUDS: Alex Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, Rob Dillingham, Tidjane Salaun, Kyle Filipowski, Isaiah Collier
Alex Sarr, forward/center, Washington Wizards — The No. 2 overall pick in the draft had a historically bad night in his third game in Las Vegas. He went an abysmal 0-for-15 from the field and missed all seven of his 3-point attempts against his highly anticipated matchup with No. 7 pick Donovan Clingan. Sarr did have nine rebounds and three blocks, but few will remember that. The Wizards big man have a ton of work to do between now and the start of training camp. His shot mechanics is not terrible, but his shot selection has to improve. He has been consistently bad with this shot attempts throughout his time in Vegas, and he seems to settle instead of working to get a better look. In a game against the Houston Rockets, Sarr put up eight points, four rebounds and two blocks. Not awful numbers, but those are the kind of numbers you’d expect from a second-round pick.
Zaccharie Risacher, guard-forward, Atlanta Hawks — The 6-9 swingman had a solid outing in Vegas. He had a smooth stroke from 3-point range. He showed that he can create his own shot off the bounce, and even threw down a left-handed dunk on a break that got fans and NBA personnel all excited. He showed a willingness to defend multiple positions, and he also didn’t appear overwhelmed by the NBA experience. In three games, he averaged 14.5 points and 5.0 rebounds. If he was a mid-round draft pick those numbers would be sufficient. But Risacher was the No. 1 overall selection in the draft. There’s a level of expectation that come with being the top pick, and Risacher didn’t meet those expectations. He shot just 39.3% from the field and was even worse from 3-point range at 25.0%. Luckily for the Hawks, he’s only 19 and has plenty of time to grow and mature into his leading role.
Rob Dillingham, guard, Minnesota Timberwolves — While at Kentucky, Dillingham served as a primary scorer off the bench, a role in which he thrived in. But in summer league, he’s been tasked with running the show for the Timberwolves at point. The No. 8 overall pick seems capable of playing point guard, but it’s quite obvious it’s not his natural position. Against the 76ers in Vegas, Dillingham posted a decent stat line (10 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists), but he had seven turnovers and shot just 3-for-10 from the field. It also doesn’t help his cause that his former Kentucky teammate Reed Sheppard has been lights out in Vegas. Dillingham finally found his footing in his final summer league game in Vegas with 25 points and 12 assists against the Orlando Magic, flashing all the skills that the T-Wolves loved about him. He could eventually be the stud most projected him to be, but it’ll take some time.
Tidjane Salaun, forward, Charlotte Hornets — Salaun was part of the impressive French talent surge in the 2024 draft, rocketing all the up to No. 6 overall. His 6-9 frame and 7-2 wingspan to go along with his age (he won’t turn 19 until Aug. 10) made him an extremely enticing prospect. So far, he looks like he’ll need time to develop and would benefit greatly from more reps. There were times on the court in Vegas where he looked impressive while there were other times where he looked lost. He had a double-double in his Vegas summer debut, but he took a step with a 3-for-7 shooting performance in just 14 minutes in his second game. It didn’t help that he missed the Hornets minicamp due to a minor laceration near his knee. The Hornets will need to be patient with Salaun as he’s far from a finished product.
Kyle Filipowski, forward, Utah Jazz — Many basketball experts were quite surprised that Filipowski dropped to the second round in the draft. The former Duke product didn’t do much to completely prove his naysayers wrong that he was worthy of a first-round pick, but he did show enough promise. He scored a grand total of four points (went scoreless in his debut) in two games at the Salt Lake City summer league. He finally broke loose in his fourth game with a 20-point game on 9-of-16 shooting from the field against the Toronto Raptors. The Jazz are hoping Filipowski can play the stretch-4 role next to Walker Kessler. That plan might eventually play out, but it’ll require a bit more lab work for Flip because he seems to be struggling with the speed and physicality of the pro game.
Isaiah Collier, guard, Utah Jazz — Collier was rated as one of the top high school prospects when he came to USC and appeared to be a lock to a surefire NBA standout. But finding success at the pro level is not easy, and Collier is struggling to find his footing. The concerns scouts had about him came to fruition in Vegas. He turned the ball over too many times (4.3) and he was one of the worst shooters from 3-point range, making just a shockingly bad 9% of his 3-pointers. When defenders are not respecting Collier’s 3-ball, they tend to go under the screens making it difficult for Collier to get downhill. Collier’s story is a common narrative in the world of basketball. Let’s just hope he’ll be able to bust through his early struggles and be a rotational player for the Jazz.