1) Houston received the draft
By the point draft night time arrived, it was fairly broadly understood that the Atlanta Hawks, in possession of the No 1 decide for the primary time since 1975, have been going to pick Zaccharie Risacher, anointing him because the second annual French Beanpole King of the Draft. Risacher, although, isn’t any Victor Wembanyama. And simply because the decide was broadly predicted doesn’t imply that it was broadly agreed upon. A number of draft boards (together with that of Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer) had Kentucky’s Reed Sheppard, a guard who ended up in Houston with the third total decide, as their alternative for finest prospect, and his time in Vegas showcased why they seem to have been appropriate. Sheppard, whereas barely undersized at 6ft 3in, was damned spectacular in his minutes in Sin Metropolis: a sharpshooter with a particularly excessive basketball IQ for his age, he regarded positively comfortable in his first NBA minutes. By the top of the week, execs from the Wizards (who chosen Alex Sarr at No 2) and Hawks have been quietly doing a little damage-control-explaining behind the scenes for passing him over.
2) The Nuggets are in bother
One of many tales of the summer time to date has been much less of a narrative and extra of a query: “What the hell are the Denver Nuggets doing?” Piece by piece, they’ve been passively dismantling their championship roster, dropping Bruce Brown in free company final offseason and doing the identical this summer time with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, each key items in what was a world-beating rotation. That’s to say nothing of the head-scratching resolution to herald the downward-trending Russell Westbrook to exchange Reggie Jackson as a backup level guard. A vivid spot had been their resolution to commerce up on this yr’s draft for flex-big Daron Holmes II out of Dayton, the inheritor obvious to the backup 5 function presently occupied by NBA-elderly DeAndre Jordan, a spot in determined want of a youthful improve. Holmes regarded extraordinarily promising within the quick time he was capable of play in Las Vegas, however he tragically tore his achilles tendon within the second half of his first ever outing as an NBA participant, and he’s now out for the yr. It is perhaps time to panic within the Rockies.
3) Bronny James has potential
One of many different huge tales of the summer time has contained, by far, its most unbearable discourse. It appears everybody and their father, because it have been, has a powerful opinion in regards to the Los Angeles Lakers’ late second-round acquisition (and subsequent assured contract signing) of Bronny James, the eldest son of Lakers ahead and arguable-best-player-of-all-time LeBron James. The youthful James was a McDonald’s All-American and was talked about as a possible lottery decide after displaying indicators of excellence in highschool, however a harrowing on-court cardiac arrest simply previous to his first (and solely) yr at USC each truncated his season and put a damper on his output, and the skepticism has been loud as to what his NBA outlook could possibly be. To place it bluntly, James Jr had a tough begin to his Summer time League outing. However the guard made nice strides by his final sport in Vegas, placing up back-to-back double-digit level video games and showcasing his nostril for the defensive finish of the ball. He’s seemingly headed for prolonged time within the developmental G-league, however the youthful James confirmed sufficient indicators of promise to silence no less than a few of his detractors final week.
4) Not all tall guys will be Kevin Durant
The aforementioned Alex Sarr, the second total decide on this yr’s NBA draft to the Washington Wizards, realized a lesson that many 7ft Gen-Z hoopers come to search out: Not all tall, lanky basketball gamers are created equal; and never all tall, lanky basketball gamers are Kevin Durant. Sarr clearly derives inspiration, as many in his technology do, from the two-time NBA finals MVP, however he doesn’t seem to have both the taking pictures prowess or the drive on the rim that has confirmed so profitable for Durant. In equity, Sarr did present flashes of defensive greatness, which can all the time be useful within the NBA, particularly at his top. However, offensively, he struggled mightily–to the tune of averaging 5.5 factors per sport and even going 0-for-15 from the sphere in a single contest. Had the participant picked immediately after him within the draft, Reed Sheppard, not had such a sensational Vegas outing, Sarr’s disappointing displaying may not sting as a lot for long-suffering Wizards followers. However, alas …
5) Steals of the second spherical
Whereas this yr’s draft class was famously underwhelming so far as celebrity expertise, it actually seems to have contained its justifiable share of gems. For one, after experiencing death-by-TJ McConnell within the second spherical of this yr’s playoffs, it seems the New York Knicks may’ve discovered their very own facsimile in Marquette guard Tyler Kolek. Kolek himself doesn’t recognize the McConnell comparisons, likening himself extra to his personal team-mate, Jalen Brunson. However we actually noticed flashes of the Indiana guard in Kolek’s sport – his fast twitch, craftiness and facilitation abilities – and that’s a praise. And whereas Minnesota had their highest-profile second of draft night time after they traded up with San Antonio to amass the rights to draft undersized guard Rob Dillingham, it appears their precise ready-to-contribute draft decide could have come later within the type of Terrence Shannon Jr: He’s huge, robust, and already appears to be like to be an amazing defender. He additionally occurred to have, arguably, the dunk of the event.
6) The sophomores confirmed out once more
Yearly in Vegas, there are some perfunctory appearances by sophomore stars who’ve clearly outgrown the exhibition video games of Summer time League however take part in a sport or two as an act of humility and good sportsmanship. This yr was no totally different, as sophomore standouts proved their mettle and confirmed why they’ve already earned their spots in NBA rotations. This included just a few Rookie of the Yr finalists in Jaime Jacquez Jr and Brandon Miller. Jacquez Jr appeared in solely two contests however averaged 26 factors, and Miller competed in only one sport in Las Vegas this yr however exhibited a transparent command of the ground together with his 23 factors. Final yr’s Vegas Summer time League MVP, Cam Whitmore, regarded athletically head and shoulders above principally all of his competitors, and Memphis’ sophomore GG Jackson, together with juniors Jake LaRavia and Scottie Pippen Jr (the latter of which clocked simply the sixth triple-double in Vegas Summer time League historical past) all regarded extraordinarily snug and succesful with the Grizzlies on their technique to their Summer time League ultimate, the place Miami finally hoisted the trophy in time beyond regulation.
