I have gone to the Las Vegas summer league for a while now, but this is the first time I’ve gone since I started writing these sports blogs. I want to take advantage of the time there to try to network and meet other aspiring or professional writers, but my writing and website are pretty tough so far so I’m a little nervous about how that will go. Much like these summer prospects, I too need reps to develop and work on my game. Right now, it’s about going through the motions and putting out posts, the same way a rookie is learning the NBA schedule and putting in work every day. The same way that a 2nd year player might come in and surprise you, maybe that is where I will be a year from now. Adding 5 syllable words and shit. Maybe I will start throwing in more semicolons and southern metaphors. Or maybe I’ll be that guy who was once a top prospect, but now is showing up to their 6th summer league in a row and hasn’t added anything to their game. I don’t anticipate that will be me, but I bet that those guys didn’t anticipate that for themselves either. My point in all of this is that sometimes it’s less about the result, but how you get there. If I become a better writer slowly each time I write, I consider that a win, even if I never make this into a career. Because if I only judge success on my ability to get to the end goal, then there is a high likelihood that I will view myself as a failure, which I don’t think is accurate. I think going out and doing, trying new things, and testing your limits is success. So whether you are the new hotshot number 1 pick or a player fighting to get a two-way, as long as you put in the work, give it your all, have fun and be creative in your efforts to improve, you will find success. Whether that is being a multi time all-star or someone who has a 10-year career overseas. Whether you are a writer for a major sports publication, or a writer for your own word press. As long as you are satisfied with the journey in those principles, you are successful. Please enjoy my summer league watchlist!

Atlanta Hawks

All eyes will be on Zaccharie Risacher, the number 1 overall pick out of France from club JL Bourg-en-Bresse. He is probably the least known number 1 overall pick since Anthony Bennett, so this will be most of America’s introduction to him. Risacher has shown flashes of being a great 3 and D wing, but not much of a playmaker. Historically, the guards who handle the ball tend to be the ones that put up the most stats, so I’ll be curious to see how much he plays on the ball. Kobe Bufkin could be the point guard of the future if the Hawks decide to get rid of Trae Young, so I’m very interested to see what he does this summer. He struggled in his little bit of NBA action last year but played pretty well in the G league. I’m looking for him to be able to command an offense and find ways to set up his teammates for easy looks. He can score, but for him to be a starting point guard he will need to be better and create for others. Nikola Djurisic was the 2nd round pick for Atlanta, a young player who shows good ball handling and a real scorer’s mentality.  I think he will be the leading scorer for this Hawks team this summer over Risacher and Bufkin, look for him to put up lots of points.

Boston Celtics

As I talked about in my lingering questions article, I am really excited to see Scheierman and Walsh play. 2nd year players usually look better and more comfortable in the flow of the game, and I fully expect to see that from Jordan Walsh.  Walsh shot the ball better than expected in the G league and has a defensive ferocity that would fit perfectly with this Celtics roster. I would love to see Walsh try to play more on the ball this summer, despite the Celtics having Jaden Springer on the roster, who is a capable point guard. For Scheierman, I am looking to see how he looks defensively and what he can do off the ball. If Scheierman can hold his own on defense, he may get an opportunity this year to crack the rotation. Regardless, these two will put up numbers this summer and give Celtics fans something to distract them from Jaylen Brown’s twitter.

Brooklyn Nets

With no picks in this year’s draft, the Brooklyn Nets don’t have much to watch for this summer. That being said, I think Dariq Whitehead will be an absolute bucket and should get an opportunity to carry that momentum into the season, as the Nets have a super depleted roster.  Also, shoutout short king Jacob Gilyard.

Charlotte Hornets

I absolutely LOVE that Brandon Miller is playing this summer for the Hornets. He is coming fresh off being picked for the USA Select Team, the team that practices against our Olympic squad. Sometimes a player is said to be “too good for summer league,” and they usually get shut down after a game or two to save them for the season. I think Brandon Miller will drop 30 in the first game and we won’t see him again this summer. Miller is an excellent scorer capable of playing on or off the ball, and I think he will be a 20-point scorer this year for the Hornets. Other than Miller, the Hornets player I’m most excited about isn’t 6th overall pick Tidjane Salaun.. It’s KJ Simpson. The junior guard out of Colorado is a little small for the position as a 6-footer but is super active on defense and is aggressive in getting to his spots on offense. He can create the others and played with 2 first round picks in college, so I expect him to set up Miller, Salaun, and Leaky Black really well. He’ll fire a few transition three’s, maybe a few too many, but should be one of the better rookies this summer.

Chicago Bulls

Matas Buzelis fell in the draft to 11 after being expected to be picked in top 5, so this will be his first chance to prove people wrong. He should be given a lot of opportunity to prove himself, but I’m not too sure how well he will do. If the three ball is falling for him, he could have a monster summer. However, this past year in the G league he struggled to hit perimeter shots, and with Javonte Smart being the best point guard on the roster, I’m not sure if he will have someone to set him up for easy looks early. I expect him to force some shots early, but for him to play better and better as the games go on. Either way, regardless of how well he does, I do expect the flashes to be there, which has to be exciting for Bulls fans.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs have one of the more fun teams this summer, with players who have a real shot to make the rotation next season if they can play well. But the main player I am excited to watch is DJ Burns. He went on a legendary March Madness run, taking North Carolina State all the way to the Final Four. Particularly, his left hand hook shots and layups combined with his playmaking was like seeing the 2nd coming of Boris Diaw. Burns has dropped 45 pounds since then and is really trying to make an NBA roster. While Bates, Porter, and Tyson are more likely to play real minutes next year, Burns will be the player I will be watching and rooting for the most.

Dallas Mavericks

Melvin Ajinca has a real chance to make an impact this next season for Dallas. I think he has potential to play spot minutes off the bench as a 3 and D guy. He is a lefty who shows flashes of creating his own shot, but we probably won’t see it for at least the first two seasons of his career. I think he will play within his role this summer, maybe having a breakout game towards the end.

Denver Nuggets

If you’re Denver, this has to feel like one of the most important summer league sessions in the history of their franchise. I think they need at least 2 of their young guys to be impact players off the bench this season. The player I think has the highest chance of doing so is Julian Strawther . He struggled last year, but I believe he had to adjust to the NBA level and deal with inconsistent minutes due to Malone’s reluctance to play young players. With the Nuggets trading Reggie Jackson and more importantly letting go of KCP, GM Calvin Booth has essentially forced Malone’s hand to let the young guys play. Strawther has the hypothetical tool set to play alongside Jokic and I expect him to be the best player this summer for Denver (although I love Daron Holmes and want to see him shine).

Detroit Pistons

I would have loved to see Jaden Ivey play this summer, but the Pistons have so many young options that I will still be entertained. Newly acquired Wendell Moore should benefit from a change of scenery, and going to summer league shows that he is still hungry. Marcus Sasser dropped a 40 ball in last year’s summer league and should have plenty of opportunity to cook again. Ron Holland was a surprise at number 5 for Detroit, and fans will certainly be excited to watch him play. But the player I’ll be watching the most is Bobi Klintman. He is a little raw for his age, but shows flashes of elite defensive versatility, sort of like someone else on their roster. If he can learn some offensive game from Tobias Harris, Klintman could be a fringe all-star in the next few years. I really liked his fit for Detroit and could really see him blossoming there. Well, as much as anyone can blossom in Detroit, but maybe J.B. Bickerstaff can change things? (Narrator: J.B. Bickerstaff did not change things).

Golden State Warriors

I swore Kevin Knox was going to be one of the next great forwards after watching his summer league debut for the Knicks live. The shot creation was just so advanced versus the summer league competition. It goes to show that summer league isn’t everything, so don’t invest too much in player performance, whether good or bad. On the real, I think it’s super cool that Podziemski and Jackson-Davis are playing summer league after being a part of the USA Select team. To be in Vegas, with this heat wave, and keep focusing on basketball? It shows to me that these guys want to help Steph not fade into irrelevance during his final few seasons. Other than those two, Reece Beekman should be a fun watch as a pesky defending backcourt partner to Podz. Look for him to play your old school point guard sort of role when he is on the court.

Houston Rockets

Cam Whitmore is about to cook! After slipping in last year’s draft, he was able to make solid contributions when he was asked to step up for the Houston Rockets. He should only get more opportunity in year 2 and should benefit this summer from the gravity from a shooter like Reed Sheppard. Reed should get a full opportunity to run the show this summer.  Whether he shoots the ball well or not here, I know that he is a good shooter. What I am really hoping to see from him is playmaking ability, as he didn’t have to be the sole creator on that Kentucky team. With players like AJ Griffin, N’Faly Dante, Orlando Robinson and of course Whitmore, he will have plenty of opportunities to share the ball. If Reed Sheppard can average 5 assists a game, I will come away thoroughly impressed.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers quietly might have the best roster this summer. Ben Sheppard played legit playoff minutes, Jarace Walker was the 8th overall pick a year ago and is reportedly prepping to play small forward instead of power forward, Enrique Freeman is one of the best hustle players from this rookie class, Johnny Furphy should have been a first round pick this year, and Tristen Newton provides a steady presence at point guard to help navigate this offense. Oh, and don’t forget about Keisei Tominaga. He is the Japanese sharpshooter from Nebraska that lit the world on fire during conference championship week, shooting the lights out of the gym. All in all, it would not shock me if they end up winning the summer league championship.

Los Angeles Clippers

Not as excited to watch these guys knowing that they will be available  to watch anytime near me on the new Oceanside Clippers G league team. I truly am excited to catch a game down there when Bronny comes to play. The story for this summer is the backcourt duo of Amari Bailey and Cam Christie. They should put up numbers this summer, though I’m not sure how much I believe in the NBA potential for either.

Los Angeles Lakers

All eyes will be on Bronny James, but realistically he won’t get any playing time in the NBA outside of the PR moments playing with Lebron. I’m not sure how Knecht will do, despite his shooting ability. I think he is best when he is coming off screens and having others create for him, but I think he will be asked to do more self-creation on this roster. The player I’m most interested in as a Lakers fan is Colin Castleton. I expect him to be the most consistent player on the summer league roster and for him to be given a real chance to compete with Jackson Hayes and Christian Wood for backup center minutes. He is probably the best offensive fit among those backup centers, and if he can at least be decent defensively, he could be the backup center for Anthony Davis by the end of the season.

Memphis Grizzlies

Zach Edey passed up the Canadian National Team to play on this Grizzlies summer squad, which is exactly why I love Zach Edey. He is a team first guy, who else has their entire team at their draft party? I love him at +1000 for ROY, and he should absolutely cook in summer league. GG Jackson had a stretch towards the end of last season where he averaged close to 20 PPG, so expect him to put up buckets the first couple of games then get benched for rest. I’m interested to see if Cam Spencer and Jaylen Wells play well, because I want the Grizzlies to make a big move at the deadline and cheap rookie depth is what would give them the ability to do so. Spencer and Wells both can shoot the 3 and work hard on defense, exactly the types of players you want playing spot minutes next to Ja Morant.

Miami Heat

Look: I could give a real breakdown about how Jaime is going to dominate and  how Ware is exactly the backup big archetype you would want for Bam or how Zyon Pullin, Keshad Johnson, or Pelle Larsson are perfect fits for Heat culture. But I just want to give a shoutout to Warren Washington. Dude is an Esco legend who I went to elementary school with back in the day, and now is on the Miami Heat summer roster. I just think that is so freaking sick, and he will be the number one player I am rooting for this weekend. Keep it up Warren, you are making the city proud!

Milwaukee Bucks

AJ Johnson was a projected 2nd round pick who went 23rd overall to the Bucks, so he will have a lot of pressure to prove himself worthy out the gate, whether that is fair for the 19 year old or not. He certainly looks the part, but hasn’t consistently been able to show that he can contribute to an NBA roster. There will also be a lot of pressure on 2nd year player Andre Jackson, who will also be expected to make an impact on a Bucks team that is competing for a title. I like the Bucks bringing in TyTy Washington for this roster, as they need a point guard to help navigate this offense. I could see a scenario where he makes it on to the Bucks roster and potentially gets an opportunity to play with an injury or two.

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves could potentially have the best backcourt of the summer with rookies Rob Dillikngham and Terrence Shannon. They complement each other’s games pretty well and will be super fun to watch together. I’m really confident those guys will do well, so I’m more so interested to see how Leonard Miller does. I thought he was a 2nd round steal last year, but didn’t get too much opportunity on the Timberwolves. I could see him potentially taking some of those Kyle Anderson minutes, but that starts this summer with him showing that he has worked on his 3-point shooting. He has no shot of making the Wolves roster, but I did want to give a shoutout to SDSU legend Jaedon LeDee. Dude was an absolute bucket for the Aztecs last year and should be able to play a solid role on Minnesota’s G league squad this year.

New Orleans Pelicans

All eyes will be on Yves Missi, as he may potentially be the Pelicans starting center next season if they don’t find an Ingram trade. I think summer league is always tough on big men, as the point guards aren’t as good as setting them up and are mainly looking for their own shots. I wouldn’t put too much stock in his performance if I was a Pelicans fan. I would put stock in the performance of Jordan Hawkins, who should be able to get buckets on this level of competition if he is the player I think he is. Antonio Reeves was a decent selection for this team in the 2nd round and should be able to clamp down on opposing team’s guards. He will likely play G league for most of this season but should still be a fun summer league watch.

New York Knicks

I think Tyler Kolek is going to cook for the Kniks this summer. With Kevin McCuller able to take on the tough perimeter assignments, I expect Kolek to play as one of the best pure point guards this summer. Dude is unselfish to a fault sometimes, and should be able to get to his spots with ease. Pacome Dadiet is extremely raw, so I’m not putting too much stock in his performance since he is likely a couple of years away from being an NBA level player.

Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder appear to be playing small on their summer team, just like they would on the NBA roster. Ajay Mitchell should ball out in this environment, as he can force pressure on defense and push the pace on offense. Jack Gohlke thought his ball playing career was over after March Madness, but I actually really like him on this Thunder summer squad. Shooting is always a premium service in the NBA, and if he shoots the ball well enough in these next few games, he may land himself a two-way contract.

Orlando Magic

THE OR-LANDO MAGIC! THE OR-LANDO MAGIC! WOOOOOOO WOAH. I think more pro sports teams need theme songs because that shit is fucking awesome.  Orlando has a solid mix of older players that are looking for a 2nd chance (Jarrett Culver, Theo Maledon) and 2nd year players ready to prove themselves (Jett Howard, Anthony Black). But I am most interested to watch Tristan Da Silva, as I was confused to see Orlando pick him considering the other players that were available. He is a 23 year old forward on a team that has depth at that position.   That being said, I do believe he is a really good fit for this summer squad and should play well.

Philadelphia 76ers

McCain and Bona are two of my favorite rookies in this whole class,, so they will be must watch for me this summer. McCain will be asked to orchestrate this offense, and how he does will be a huge indicator what his ceiling can be this next year in Philly. Bona might not play too much for Philyl this season, but is the type of player that I could see being a solid backup big for them the following season. Hampton and Bradley are two summer league vets (not exactly a title you want) so they should be a competitive team this summer, even if I don’t expect them to win it all.

Phoenix Suns

The Suns offense will be tough to watch this summer, but they will put opposing teams in clamps. David Roddy, Ryan Dunn, Jalen Bridges, and Oso Ighodaro all project to be defensive first players in the league, so look for them to show that this summer, especially considering most of these rosters don’t have a good point guard. Also, they have a player named Boo Buie, who is my favorite name in all of summer league.

Portland Trail Blazers

Quinn Ellis is probably the first British prospect I can remember seeing on a roster, as an American he might have to be enemy number one. All kidding aside, he is a really good player for this roster, as he specializes in playmaking on a roster full of young guys looking for touches. Clingan’s fit on the regular season roster looks questionable, but he is without a doubt the number 1 option on this summer league squad. I hope he shows off a willingness to shoot the 3 ball, as these games don’t matter and that could really increase his ceiling as a player in this league. Rayan Rupert and Kris Murray are both heading into their 2nd summer league, so it will be interesting to see who will be more dominant between the two. I think both will have a hard time finding minutes during the regular season, so these games are going to be some of the biggest games of their careers so far.

Sacramento Kings

The most underrated backcourt of this summer resides in Sacramento with the Ellis’s. Boogie, a Mission Bay High School product, surprised me by going undrafted, giving him a chip on his shoulder. Him and Keon will be a nightmare for these weak guards to deal with, and both have shown flashes of being creators on offense. I think Keon Ellis will be a starter come opening night, and I do believe that Boogie will make the opening night roster as well.

San Antonio Spurs

Stephon Castle is the highlight of this Spurs summer squad, having won a national championship at UConn and getting selected at number 4 overall. He is a textbook two way player and really reminds me of Jrue Holiday and Derrick White. When your ceiling is 2 Olympic guards and you are getting to play with Wemby,  you gotta feel good about your chances of becoming successful. Other than him, I’m really interested to see how Harrison Ingram does. Should the Spurs get rid of Keldon Johnson, I think Ingram could be the perfect replacement for him in a couple years. Ingram was a highly thought of prospect coming out of high school, so I still believe the talent is there with him.

Toronto Raptors

Toronto is putting the Dick back in there! Well, Gradey Dick that is. I am hoping that he ends up being one of those guys that gets benched for health and rest after a couple of games, as that Toronto Roster could really use a floor spacer this season. The Raptors rookie class is super fun, one of my highest grade draft classes this year in fact. I really hope we get a lineup of Shead, Walter, Dick, Mogbo, and Chomche to start, that honestly could turn out to be the best starting 5 of the whole summer league. Shead has some off brand Jalen Brunson in him, Walter is an absolute shot chucker, Dick is lights out from 3, Mogbo is like a shorter Ben Simmons, and Chomche is a raw but super athletic big man. The Raptors are entering their first season post Pascal and should have plenty of reason for optimism.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz will probably have the most players from summer league actually get real minutes during the season, so hypothetically they should be the best team. My only problem for Utah here is that every guy is going to want to show off how good they are, so I worry about how they all fit together as a team. That being said, if they don’t play new summer league favorite Kenny Lofton Junior for the whole game they can go to hell! I’m just kidding (am not) But seriously though, look how loaded this roster is for a summer squad.

Washington Wizards

Perhaps the player with the highest ceiling of this draft class, all attention will be on number 2 overall pick Alex Sarr. I think his ceiling is in the range of Evan Mobley or Bam Adebayo, if he can actually put it all together constantly throughout a game. We saw lots of flashes from him in Perth, but also lots of moments where he seemed disengaged. I am very interested to see if Washington will start him as the 4 or the 5, as I think it will be best for his development to play this summer as their center. I also want to see how he shoots the 3 ball and what his aggressiveness looks like when it comes to getting his own looks. I’m not as worried about the defensive side for him, as I think he will be pretty good on that end from day one. Probably joining him in the starting lineup will be Bub Carrington, Johnny Davis, KyShawn George, and Patrick Baldwin. Baldwin and Davis are both in desperate need of good performances, as their careers have both gotten off to rocky starts. This won’t guarantee anything, but if they play well in Vegas that would be a good place to start. As for Washington’s other rookies, Bub Carrington is exactly the type of point guard I would want with this group. He is aggressive in getting to his own shots early in games and usually uses that to his advantage as a playmaker as the game goes on. KyShawn George is a crafty bucket getter who is a connective playmaker, taking some scoring pressure off of Sarr. This is especially important as Sarr will help take defensive pressure off of George, thus the favor is returned. Washington has a bright future with this rookie class, which almost makes me want to knock on wood knowing the Wizards history.