LAS VEGAS — Summer League should forever be played in Las Vegas, because the city and the NBA’s summer showcase go hand-in-hand — both have tenuous ties to reality.
Derrick Rose and Trae Young were legendarily terrible in their early Summer League outings. Meanwhile, the list of Summer League MVPs includes good-but-not-great names like Glen Rice, Josh Shelby, and Randy Foye. All of which is to say, be careful reading too much into what happens in Vegas.
Still, it feels a lot better to be a fan of a team that can say, “Did you see what our new rookie did in Summer League?” than watching them struggle.
What follows is a list of the guys who jumped out to me in the opening couple of games for each team at Summer League. Please note: This is not a list of the best players I saw at Summer League because I’m not including second-year guys who shouldn’t be there such as Cam Whitmore and Jamie Jaquez Jr. Not all of the players listed were just drafted, but all at least made a massive leap and are going to force some hard decisions by their teams.
Reed Sheppard (Rockets)
He has been the breakout star of Summer League. On Friday night, the Thomas & Mack Arena was full of Lakers fans wanting to see Bronny, who left saying, “Man, Reed Sheppard can play.”
Through two games he’s averaged 20 points, hit 38.5% from 3 (a number that could go up during the NBA season), averaged 4.7 each of rebounds and assists a game. Everyone knew Sheppard might be the best pure shooter in the draft, but his handles and point guard skills have impressed at Summer League.
Reed Sheppard ladies and gentlemen 😮💨🍿@reed_sheppard pic.twitter.com/xUCZlvkKMF
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) July 13, 2024
There questions are still there, he’s maybe 6'1" and come the fall he will see another level of defender — bigger, longer, more athletic — in front of him. He’s made steals (six through two games) and has been pesky on defense, like he was at Kentucky, but he also got blown plenty. Even with those questions, Rockets fans should be happy tier team held onto that pick and drafted Sheppard, he looks like a keeper.
Stephon Castle (Spurs)
I was a fan of Castle coming into Summer League, and his play here only reinforced my belief that he can be the best player in this class—and a perfect fit next to Victor Wembanyama.
With the ball in his hands more than he saw at UConn, Castle has looked comfortable running the offense, getting buckets and playing strong defense.
No. 4 pick Stephon Castle continues to impress with a solid Vegas debut to lead the @spurs to victory!
— NBA (@NBA) July 14, 2024
22 PTS | 5 REB | 4 AST | 2 3PM pic.twitter.com/BgkndgWtGD
The questions are there — Castle is averaging four assists and five turnovers a game in Vegas. His jump shot is inconsistent (although we have seen positive flashes at Summer League). Also, with the Spurs the ball is going to be in the hands of Chris Paul and Wembanyama more, Castle has to prove he can play off it.
“I think he just wants to be a good basketball player I don’t know if he necessarily wants to be a point guard,” Spurs Summer League coach Kenny Trevino said. “He’s really good with the ball in his hands. But he’s also savvy enough that he can make plays off ball, too.We talked about him being implemented into our big club plan and playing with Victor [Wembanyama], playing with Chris Paul, he’s not going to have the ball in his hands a ton. So he’s got to be able to impact the game in multiple ways.”
Castle looks like he could be a star.
Jordan Miller (Clippers)
Miller is tied for the Summer League scoring title early on, having dropped 36 in his first game and followed it up with a very different-looking 21 the next game (the first game, he had six 3s; the next game, he was getting downhill and getting to the rim, drawing fouls.
36 points on Friday night... and the tough early bucket here for Jordan Miller 🔥 #NBA2KSummerLeague
— NBA (@NBA) July 14, 2024
📺 Watch BKN-LAC on ESPN+ and ESPN3 pic.twitter.com/7yMnT9TJVF
“I mean in the G [League] last year, like I said, I was just trying to figure it out, expand my game, and then I just started kind of playing with it,” Miller said of finding ways to draw fouls. “Really Norman Powell, shout out to him, I had a lot of talks with him, he gets in the line a lot. So you know, I just took the information and ran with it.”
Miller, a second-round pick out of Miami in 2023, spent last season in the G-League, but as deep as the Clippers still are on the wing (even without Paul George) it’s going to be hard to keep him off the main roster and maybe off the floor this season. Miller has been a bucket.
Julian Strawther (Nuggets)
Strawther is the other guy averaging 28.5 points a game and tied with Miller for the scoring lead through the first weekend of Summer League. He is the perfect example of a second-year guy asked to come to Las Vegas to work on part of his game he will not get to with the big club — being a primary offensive initiator — which has led to struggles (six assists and eight turnovers). Peel that away and you see Strawther shooting 40.9% from 3, playing well and looking like a guys who deserves a shot at rotation minutes. Which is good because he’s going to have to play some next season.
Dalton Knecht (Lakers)
The Lakers knew they lucked out when another of the best shooters in the draft fell to them at No. 17, and by the time he got to Vegas — after games in the California Classic previously — he has found his footing and you can see why the Lakers like him so much.
Lakers' 17th pick Dalton Knecht continues to get buckets during #NBA2KSummerLeague action 😤
— NBA (@NBA) July 16, 2024
19 PTS | 3 REB | 3 STL pic.twitter.com/Dh1i9RSNtf
He can catch-and-shoot, create room off the bounce to get his shot off, move well off the ball, and generally has looked solid. After what has been a quiet offseason for the Lakers, Knecht is going to get his chance in the fall and looks ready for it.
Terrence Shannon Jr. (Timberwolves)
Nobody questioned Shannon’s athleticism going into the draft; the concerns were an off-the-court legal issue (for which a jury found him not guilty) and his age of 23. When he got to Vegas, Shannon announced his presence with authority.
Terrence Shannon Jr.'s first bucket of #NBA2KSummerLeague is a HUGE poster slam 🤯
— NBA (@NBA) July 12, 2024
Pels-Wolves | Live on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/2XSUiIeQXn
Shannon is averaging 22 points a game on 60% shooting in Las Vegas so far. It’s going to be hard to get him minutes on a deep and talented Minnesota team in the fall but Shannon is going to be hard to ignore.
Alex Sarr (Wizards)
Sarr’s defense looks NBA ready — he has been impressive as a rim protector, and he moves his feet well defensively already. He can play.
His offense… let’s be kind and say it’s a work in progress. He’s averaged 10 points a game on 30.8% shooting, and don’t bother to watch him shoot 3s, it’s not pretty. That said, there are moves and flashes of what could be — you can see the potential in there, it just needs a lot of practice and polish.
I put him on this list because he will get plenty of practice this season, which may make him the best bet for Rookie Of the Year. It’s just about opportunity. Sheppard has looked much better in Las Vegas, but he plays on a Rockets team where his minutes and touches will be limited, maybe very limited. No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher is incredibly fluid athletically, but he’s playing next to Trae Young on a team that wants to win, so how much will the French wing have the ball in his hands? Castle is the same next to CP3 and Wembanyama. Rob Dillingham is on a deep Minnesota team. We can keep going down the list but it’s all the same. The Wizards have Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma (for now), but Sarr will get touches and opportunities the others may not, which may be enough to get him the award this season. It’s something to watch.