1) Portland may be geniuses
The Portland Trail Blazers were the butt of every draft night joke when they took China’s 7ft 1in Yang Hansen, who had been widely projected as a second-round pick, at No 16 overall. But it appears the joke may be on the rest of the NBA, at least if Vegas Summer League is any indication. Hansen was unequivocally the story of the week, impressing with his high-level offensive skillset, and, in particular, his aptitude for passing and facilitation, an unusual trait for someone his size that has garnered him comparisons to one Nikola Jokić. Despite a ton of attention from global media (Hansen is already getting massive amounts of press back home in China), the jovial 20-year-old appears to have a good head on his shoulders, too. He told Ben Golliver of the Washington Post this week: “There’s a saying in my heart, don’t worry about anything that’s more than eight hours away. And even if it’s within eight hours, don’t worry too much.”
2) Cooper Flagg is as good as advertised
Heading into a scalding hot week in the desert, the talk of the town was a teenager from Maine, and he proved his mettle in his two Summer League appearances. There was an astronomical amount of hype around the No 1 overall pick leading into his Dallas Mavericks debut, and while the shots didn’t start falling until his second game, all the signs of someone who will almost certainly be a highly impactful NBA player were there from tip-off. Flagg is incredibly well-rounded: he can create, score, pass and defend at a high level, and he showcased a little bit of everything in Vegas. Posting 31 points and four rebounds in his second (and final) Summer League appearance against the San Antonio Spurs, Flagg showed why many scouts have called him the most promising college prospect since Zion Williamson. And with Flagg’s reported maniacal work ethic, his career is primed to easily clear his fellow Duke alum’s.
3) Bronny James is an NBA player
It’s been a rollercoaster start to his NBA career for Bronny James, who saw his brief college basketball tenure at the University of Southern California interrupted by a cardiac arrest and then faced more criticism than perhaps any late second-round draft pick in league history. It even brought about a feud between LeBron James and Stephen A Smith, when the ESPN blowhard scolded Bronny’s father on television for, he purported, forcing his son into a spotlight for which he was woefully unqualified (“I’m pleading with you, as a father, stop this,” Smith said). Bronny didn’t have a particularly impressive first season in the league, to be sure. But between his time in the G League last year and his stint for the Lakers in Vegas this year, one thing is becoming clear: he has upside as an NBA role player. For much of the week, James Jr was the Lakers’ standout player, flashing impressive playmaking and athleticism that recalled his days as a highly touted high school recruit before his myocardial infarction. Perhaps Mr Smith spoke too soon.
4) San Antonio have an embarrassment of riches at guard
Flagg is obviously the frontrunner to win Rookie of the Year this season, but there is a non-zero chance that a San Antonio Spur could take the award for the third year running, which is pretty damned remarkable. Dylan Harper, the Rutgers guard who the Spurs drafted second overall, showcased why San Antonio have a chance at a ROTY three-peat. Harper missed the beginning of Summer League with a groin injury, but in his marquee match-up against Flagg, he showcased the defensive intensity and point of attack chops that make the guard such an intriguing prospect. At 6ft 5in, he has great size for his position, and his finishing around the basket is already impressive.
5) Denver are sitting pretty
Just a year ago, I predicted that the Denver Nuggets – NBA champions only a few seasons ago and home to Jokić, widely regarded as the best player in the world – were on the brink of a disastrous season. After all, not only had they let yet another key component of their championship core (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) walk out the door for nothing, but the floor spacing big man, DaRon Holmes II, who they’d drafted just a few weeks earlier to be Jokić’s backup, suffered a harrowing achilles tear in his Summer League debut and was out indefinitely. What a difference a year can make: Denver were able to make some shrewd free-agency moves and convince Jonas Valanciunas not to abandon ship for Europe. And a year after his devastating lower leg injury, Holmes hasn’t just picked up where he left off, he may have exceeded expectations, grabbing a staggering 17 rebounds and adding 19 points in his final game in Vegas.
6) Keep an eye on the Hornets
No team can be the laughing stock of the league forever, but the Charlotte Hornets have held the distinction for about as long as humanly possible. But their status seems primed to change, and not just because the franchise won its first ever Summer League Championship last weekend (or championship of any kind, for that matter). Under new, Jumpman-less ownership, the Hornets finally seem to have a direction: hiring super smart and beloved head coach Charles Lee, appearing to nail the draft pick of forward Brandon Miller a couple of years back, and having a pretty stellar draft this year as well. They scooped up UConn’s Liam McNeeley, who was one of the biggest Vegas standouts, alongside Duke’s Kon Knueppel, who got some shine of his own when his clutch play netted him Summer League championship game MVP honors. Knueppel was in Flagg’s shadow for most of his one-and-done season at Duke, but he’s cerebral, skilled and a crafty scorer, and should be immediately impactful for the Hornets. Suddenly, things don’t look so bleak in North Carolina.
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