5 players to watch at NBA Summer League

This isn’t the NBA Finals, but it’s still a good way to kill a couple of hours

PublishedJuly 8, 2022

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Image for article titled 5 players to watch at NBA Summer League — Image: AP

Players who were added to NBA rosters two weeks ago take the court to play against young NBA talent, and people who are still desperately clutching their professional basketball dreams. There were a handful of teams in San Francisco and Utah earlier in the week, but the big show is in Vegas for 10 days.

Summer League is like an extra helping of dessert for NBA fans. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying that extra slice of pie—just don’t act like it’s a meal. The season ended the moment that the Golden State Warriors celebrated the franchise’s fifth championship on the TD Garden floor. The meal is finished, and people are already packing to-go plates and saying their goodbyes. There is nothing necessary for you in dessert No. 2, but that’s okay. It tastes good and it’s there for you to eat.

There’s not much to gain about how good these players will be come October, but it is a chance to get a brief look at some of the best players who have never played in the NBA. Sometimes, Jonathan Kuminga puts on a show and he ends up starting in a playoff game 10 months later.

While summer league isn’t true NBA competition, it’s still a good show and worth your time if you like basketball. If you’ve got some free summer nights ahead of you here are some players to pay attention to for the next week and change.

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Jose Alvarado

Jamie Foxx’s pickup game buddy blasted onto the scene during the NBA playoffs. During his minutes off of the bench he hovered around Chris Paul like a horsefly during the first round. Alvarado’s role will be different in summer league for the New Orleans Pelicans. His energy will be welcome, but his main job will be directing the offense.

It’s the area in which he needs the most work. His shooting came around during the playoffs, but he was turnover-prone. As he comes off the bench for Pelicans, if he can keep that same defensive energy, but also run a smooth offense for a couple stretches every night, that roster becomes quite sound with a returning Zion Williamson. Performing well in that role will also earn him a healthy pay day.

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Chet Holmgren

His debut was great in Utah, but Kenny Lofton Jr.—no relation to the former all-star center fielder and former guest star on “The Wayans Bros.”—gave the thin youngster a hard time in his next game.

Holmgren has had more hype than any of the players who will be taking the floor in Las Vegas. He also has a unique game. Think of a young, skinny Dirk Nowitski, but taller and an excellent shot blocker. Holmgren is worth a watch every time the Oklahoma City Thunder take the floor during this Summer League. However, hold off on the hype. There is no way to judge if he’s going to be the next NBA superstar when it’s only July.

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Paolo Banchero

The No. 1 overall pick made his debut on Thursday night, and his game looked exactly as advertised. Banchero has a strong jump shot from conventional and unconventional angles, good court vision, and he is strong. At 250 pounds as a 19-year-old he’s going to be able to put up a fight when bodied up against NBA forwards.

Now the questions about his defense aren’t going to be answered in Las Vegas. Even if he does fall asleep too many times, he hasn’t been on his current team for an entire month. There’s a lot of NBA practice to go through to start the process of learning how to play defense. It’s more than effort; it’s awareness and instinct. The Duke product has plenty of time to grow in that area, but it would be nice to see him at least play hard, consistently, on that side of the floor.

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Max Christie

Coming out of high school, Christie was a five-star recruit and the No. 2 ranked shooting guard in the 2021 class. He ended up as

the Los Angeles Lakers’ only selection in the 2022 NBA Draft— the fifth pick of the second round. He is 6-foot-6 and, coming out of suburban Chicago, was advertised as a knockdown shooter.

Unfortunately for him, he was not one at Michigan State. He shot 38.2 percent from the field and 31.7 percent from three while leading the team in minutes per game. Christie did have a solid performance in the Spartans’ second-round NCAA Tournament loss against Duke, where he shot 50 percent from the field. But he only took eight shots. He’s going to have the green light for the Lakers in summer league and needs to work on his confidence to be the long perimeter shooter that they need. He shot over 80 percent from the free-throw line at MSU, so the talent is there.

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James Wiseman

He has not played in an NBA game since April of 2021, but he will be on the floor at some point for the Golden State Warriors in the next nine days. Their summer league coach said that Wiseman has participated in full contact five on five and will play in Las Vegas.

This is a player who people can really get a feel for by watching him for a few games. Wiseman’s strength is athleticism. It’s what he came into the league with. It’s why, along with his size, he was once the No. 1 boys basketball recruit in the nation. However, Wiseman needs to add a lot to his game. The former Memphis Tiger needs to block more shots, rebound better, become a better overall defender, and make more positive plays when on the floor. The Warriors were empirically a better team when he was off of the floor.

Still, in only 21.4 minutes per game as a rookie during the 2020-21 season he averaged 11.5 points per game on 51.9 percent shooting. There is plenty of time for him to become the player the Warriors hope he can be, but in Las Vegas they need the old Wiseman. The rim runner and the finisher. If that guy is on the court, there’s a good chance that the rest will work itself out.