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The Vegas Summer League, which was canceled last year due to COVID-19 and the NBA schedule change, is back with games set to start on Sunday. It’s an opportunity for teams to evaluate their new draft picks, invite some young returnees and players looking to earn a training camp. In the absence of so many veterans, it can be difficult to judge first-round picks from a fantasy standpoint. The role many of these players will take on in Las Vegas may not be in keeping with their duties once the regular season begins. With that in mind, below are seven questions I have about the Vegas Summer League.
Detroit picked a primary playmaker in each of the last two lotteries: Killian Hayes was the seventh overall pick last year, and Cade Cunningham was the best overall pick in the this year’s draft. Dwane Casey has already said that Hayes and Cunningham will be « 1A » and « 1B » playmakers, so there is already clarity on that. The question worth asking yourself now is how soon will the two be able to find the chemistry needed to be effective in these roles?
Hayes who died due to a hip injury missed a significant portion of last season, seldom shared the pitch with any other point guard. According to Cleaning the Glass, the highest number of possessions for any lineup, including Hayes and Joseph, was 27, up to 33 when Hayes and Lee were paired. At 6-foot-8, Cunningham adds another dimension to the point guard position, and that size combined with his athleticism makes him a better fit for sharing the back space with another lead guard.
With the New signing of Jarrett Allen by the Cavaliers, as expected before the start of the Free Agency, the team has its starting place. Mobley, who was selected with the third overall pick, demonstrated the ability to play outside the basket in bursts during the USC. But as we all know, the college and NBA games are completely different offerings. Playing time shouldn’t be a huge issue for Mobley in his rookie season, especially if Cleveland can move a few of their seasoned front court players, but will he be able to play at the four minutes?
The Cavs are located in the middle of a renovation that will take some time, so the 7-footer should be allowed to play through mistakes in the coming season. Las Vegas represents a good opportunity for Cleveland to get Mobley extensive work in the power forward position despite being the biggest player on the team’s summer league roster. He has the potential to extend his reach beyond the 3-point line, and Mobley has also been solid at moving sideways in ball-screen situations on the other end. If he can get off to a flying start in Vegas, that would work wonders for Mobley’s value for the Cavs front court (and his fantasy value too).
The Rockets wing is the second overall pick in last month’s draft and is well positioned to to be an important building block for this franchise. While the team hasn’t released their summer league roster just yet, Green should take center stage in Las Vegas. There are some who believe he has the potential to become an NBA scoring champion across the board, and Green won’t be short of opportunities to score in the Summer League or when the games really matter. He scored on all three levels with G League Ignite, but the NBA can be a different beast. Turning the lights out in Las Vegas would not only increase Green’s chances in the Rookie of the Year bets, it would also make him one of the best fantasy rookies.
In total, Houston has four first-round picks, with the striker Alperen Sengun and Usman Garuba and wing Josh Christopher join Green. Garuba played with Spain in the Tokyo Olympics and although the Spanish were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the United States, it remains to be seen if he will be with the Rockets in Las Vegas (and how much he will play).
There has been no shortage of examples in recent years of how beneficial it can be for returning players to tap into a season of NBA experience. While the lottery tips may be the ones that make the first headlines, it’s the second (and maybe even third) year players who really shine in Las Vegas. Who has a good chance of meeting the bill this summer? Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (more on him below), one of the league’s top rookies last season, and the Warriors’ holdover Jordan Poole and Mychal Mulder all fit in with this. That being said, it is worth asking if there would be a point where their respective teams would close these three. Quickley will again be a rotation player for the Knicks, and so will Poole.
Timberwolves striker Jaden McDaniels, who made 27 starts as a rookie, is another name to remember. After the All-Star Break, he averaged 8.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.9 blocks and 1.3 3-pointers per game. And in those 33 games, McDaniels shot 49.1% out of the field and 38.3% out of three. With Rookie of the Year runner-up Anthony Edwards out of Las Vegas, McDaniels and Jaylen Nowell shouldn’t be short of opportunities as two of the Timberwolves’ more seasoned options. Raptors guard Malachi Flynn, Grizzlies returnees Desmond Bane and Xavier Tillman and Bulls striker Patrick Williams are four other players who should stand out in the desert.
While the Knicks guard certainly has the ability to lead the point, he didn’t do much of it during his lonely season in Kentucky. And as a rookie, Quickley did best when paired with Derrick Rose. With Rose re-signing and the Knicks adding Kemba Walker, the point guard’s position is better than last season. Where is Quickley? Probably in a similar role, although in Las Vegas it would be a good approach to give him more time as the lead playmaker.
New York will also be evaluating second-round picks Miles McBride and Luca Vildoza, who was signed in the late season , is also on the team’s summer league list. Rokas Jokubaitis, also a second-round pick, is also on the squad but will play for Barcelona next season. These players can be expected to have Quickley priority as he has already earned a spot in the Knicks rotation.
Since Kevin Knox has been banned due to health and safety protocols, there must be one person in this area to be mentioned less. Pistons forward Sekou Doumbouya, the 15th overall selection in the 2019 NBA draft, would certainly qualify. He hasn’t had much of an impact in his first two seasons in Detroit, and the appearance of Saddiq Bey last season drove him down the pecking order even further. Detroit took Doumbouya’s option for the next season back in December, but that doesn’t guarantee it any rotation minutes. A good performance in Vegas could give Doumbouya’s career a welcome boost ahead of his third NBA season.
Another player who needs a good performance is Sun’s striker / center Jalen Smith, a lottery pick that won in just 27 Playing as a rookie. He has to start at training camp to have a chance to break the rotation, and work starts in the summer league. And it won’t be easy, even if Dario Saric misses a significant part of the 2021/22 season due to a ruptured cruciate ligament. Frank Kaminsky is expected to return on a one-year contract, and the Suns have reportedly signed JaVale McGee as well. Where is Smith? While the ability to play the four in larger lineups might come in handy, he has some room to grow to earn minutes over the next season.
New Orleans has seen a number of changes this offseason, starting with the head coach. Stan Van Gundy is out and Willie Green replaces him. Also noteworthy: Lonzo Ball moves on, as he has joined the Bulls through a sign-and-trade. New Orleans filled the void by acquiring Devonte ‘Graham from the Hornets, but it’s also worth asking where Lewis Jr., the Pelicans’ top pick last season, fits into the equation. Over the past season there has been more emphasis on using Zion Williamson on the ball and the approach worked.
Will Green stick with that? Or will he appoint Graham as the team’s main playmaker? The answers to these questions will also affect Lewis, as he sits (on paper) behind Graham in the pecking order. Lewis and Naji Marshall, who managed to break the rotation last season, are the only two players on the Pelicans Summer League list to play for the team last season so one can hope they will Can take on « leading roles ». A good performance would go a long way in helping Lewis play a bigger role in the Pelicans’ plans this season.
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