LAS VEGAS —The Thomas & Mack was packed with Lakers fans who came to see Bronny James.
Everyone left talking about Reed Sheppard.
The Rockets No. 3 pick was the star of the first day of the Las Vegas Summer League and finished with 23 points, hitting 4-of-6 from 3, with five assists (there would have been more if his teammates finished plays) and some ankle-breaking moves.
Reed Sheppard ladies and gentlemen 😮💨🍿@reed_sheppard pic.twitter.com/xUCZlvkKMF
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) July 13, 2024
As the game went on, Sheppard looked more and more comfortable — more like himself.
It was Bronny who drew the Sheppard assignment to start and for large parts of the night.
“I know he’s a great shooter, so I was just trying to get in his body and prevent those 3-balls from going up,” Bronny said.
It didn’t work.
Reed Sheppard drills his 4th triple from DEEP 🔥
— NBA (@NBA) July 13, 2024
He's up to 12 PTS in the 3Q... 19 PTS in the game!
HOU-LAL | Live on ESPN pic.twitter.com/9TAqI7YJeR
“It’s really cool,” Sheppard said of facing Bronny in this setting. “I remember when we played against each other in like third grade and we played every year and here now playing in the NBA. I’m happy for him. He’s a great player. He’s a great kid.”
A lot of things looked right for Houston as second-year player Cam Whitmore added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Whitmore was also mentoring Sheppard, talking to him on the bench.
“So that was just a defensive thing that he was talking about,” Sheppard said. “That’s the good thing about Cam he played last year and he knows he knows the small things that I don’t know. So just having him over there, helping me teaching me better taking me under his wing. And just giving me advice throughout the whole game was pretty cool.”
Here are other notes from the first day of the NBA’s official Las Vegas Summer League.
• The showcase game of the day was the No. 1 and 2 picks from last month — Zaccharie Risacher of the Hawks and Alex Sarr of the Wizards — and both men had rough patches but also showed off their potential.
Risacher finished with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting, showing off some fluid athleticism in the process.
No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher finishes his #NBA2KSummerLeague debut with 18 PTS, 5 REB & 3 3PM! pic.twitter.com/tjar8ea2qM
— NBA (@NBA) July 13, 2024
Sarr was an impressive rim protector who had a few monster blocks, but, as advertised, his offense is a work in progress. He floated through plays and finished with 12 points on 4-of-12 shooting, with seven rebounds and four blocks.
😤🚫 SARR 🚫😤@WashWizards | #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/6Qjdv511nk
— NBA Summer League (@NBASummerLeague) July 13, 2024
• Rob Dillingham’s selling point going into the draft was he was a flat-out bucket getter — great handles, can hit from anywhere, and shot 44.4% from 3 last season at Kentucky. It’s why the Timberwolves traded for him, hoping he could provide buckets from Day 1.
He didn’t look anything like that in his Summer League debut.
It wasn’t just the 2-of-12 shooting, he had trouble creating separation to get his shot off. He looked a step slow. It’s just one game at Summer League, we’ll see how he grows in future games, but it was a rough debut.
• The Timberwolves other first-round pick, Terrence Shannon Jr., announced his presence with authority in his first Summer League game.
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
That wasn’t the only thunderous dunk or good play from Shannon, the No. 27 pick who showed off the athleticism that won over some scouts. He finished with 25 points on 9-of-15 shooting, 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.
• Laker Summer League coach Dane Johnson talked about No. 17 pick Dalton Knecht starting to find his way during Summer League. Knecht had 25 points and hit five 3-pointers in his first game in Las Vegas.
“Yeah, he’s just continuing to get more NBA reps versus NBA players. So he’s slowly finding shots,” Johnson said. “We all want it right away… it takes time for some guys, so like I said, he’s gonna be fine.”
• Shot of the day goes to the Nets’ Keon Johnson with this game-winner in OT.
KEON JOHNSON WINS IT FOR THE @BrooklynNets ‼️ pic.twitter.com/ceSJznjMf7
— NBA (@NBA) July 13, 2024
• Jet Howard played with real energy and looked like a second-year player who is too good for Summer League and will be shut down after a couple of games. He finished with 22 points and shot 5-of-10 from 3.
• I just like the way Cleveland’s Craig Porter Jr. thinks the game. Good reads on passes, fantastic feel for the game and he just makes smart plays. He had 10 points in what was a rough game for Cleveland (it lost to Orlando by 27).
