Burning Summer League Questions: Wemby’s Debut, Sleeper Prospects, and More

The Ringer

07 July 2023

Victor Wembanyama’s mere presence makes the 2023 installment of NBA Summer League one of the most eagerly anticipated of all time, but the French phenom is hardly the only player to keep an eye on. As the NBA descends on Las Vegas, our staff gathered to ask—and answer—some of the key questions that will define this year’s proceedings.

How much of Wemby’s one-of-one skill set will translate to the NBA?

Justin Verrier: The last time Victor Wembanyama played in Las Vegas, he was a curio. Sure, the French phenom dropped 37 points against Scoot Henderson’s G League Ignite team, solidifying himself as the no. 1 prospect in the class of 2023 about eight months before the draft, but his unique size made his off-the-court movements—like when he hopped over a row of chairs in a single bounce, or made 7-foot-1 Rudy Gobert look like an average-sized human—just as much of a spectacle as his stepback jumpers.

Wembanyama’s return to Vegas this week, for his first taste of NBA basketball, feels more like a coronation of the NBA’s next big thing. Whether Wemby will be good or not doesn’t seem to be much of a debate, at least outside the Podcast P studios; he put up 22 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks per game against grown-ass men—nay, hommes—in France this season at age 19. The big question is whether his body can withstand the rigors of an 82-game season. And summer league will give an early glimpse at how careful the Spurs will be about his minutes, and whether he’ll need to scale back his approach as players try to stop him from, as Draymond Green put it, “dribbling into me like the Harlem Globetrotters.”

Anything is possible for a player so big and so skilled. Now we’ll get to see what, exactly, he’ll be at the start of his NBA career.

Which under-the-radar prospects will win over hearts and minds?

J. Kyle Mann: Summer league is many different things to many different people. Imagine the entire event is taking place on the edge of a cliff—some players are trying to dig their fingernails into the dirt so they don’t plummet off the side; some are wriggling on a vine trying to get a more firm grip; some are attempting to pull themselves up onto solid ground; and finally, some are looking out over the gorgeous view and taking it all in. For them, summer league is a lab for making a leap. (Dare I say a “leap lab”? I’d say I was sorry, but my continued asinine behavior makes it pretty clear that I’m not.) Anyway, I belly-ached quite a bit last year (no one cared) about more established players punting on the opportunity to grow in this setting. The optics of humility and the focus on craft this year are refreshing, and there are a few players I’m keeping my eye on, particularly those who will have the ball in their hands more than we are used to.

It’s hardly a prediction after the California Classic event in Sacramento earlier this week, but I’d tabbed Keegan Murray as a clear candidate to show out with the ball, and he has wasted zero time whooping ass. That should continue so long as he plays. I’ll be holding my post as the most interested David Roddy observer outside of his family and Colorado State fans. AJ Griffin could stoke some buzz with a strong showing. Jaden Hardy will begin his audition for an increased role coming in the wake of a busy free agency period for the Mavericks.

Past those marquee names who have established themselves, I’m looking at two categories of players: The first are the steady guys who I think could just quietly produce. I expect the Clippers’ Jordan Miller to rack up points, rebounds, nifty passes, clever deflections, and cuts to commercial break in which he’s screaming, “Let’s go!” His offerings translate. Another is Charles Bediako, a 7-footer who played for PR wizard Nate Oats at Alabama this past season and was signed by the Spurs after going undrafted. Bediako has zero delusion about his identity on the court: He rim-runs hard. He’s a disruptive force and a stifling weighted blanket in the paint, and he dunks the ball when it’s thrown to him. Wash, rinse, repeat for eternity. I think he’ll eat in Vegas and gain some traction as a potential rotation big because of how sincerely he executes those tasks.

The other category is the pure entertainment factor, which is the stuff that summer league enthusiasts always come away remembering. The pure excessiveness and absurdity of it all. The fun, dammit. Are you above that? For this, I’m going with three kinetic shot creators who could put up points in bunches and really get the crowd going. There’s no guarantee that he’ll play a ton in a loaded Pacers backcourt, but the first is Darius McGhee, the 5-foot-9 perimeter spark plug who set the single-season NCAA record for 3-point attempts this past year at Liberty (411 total, 11.9 per game, and he made 39.4 percent!). He’s a wild man with it, and I could see the Vegas crowds taking to his unflappable appetite for getting shots up. Trevor Hudgins led the G League in 3s attempted last season, and I expect him to go wild for the Rockets.

And last, a familiar face from a legendary March Madness run: Markquis Nowell. Because of the coverage that he got during the NCAA tournament, it’s possible that opponents will come into summer league knowing who Nowell is and what he can do, which might remove some of the surprise factor. Still, he’s a blast, and in this setting, he is the type of player who can get rolling.

What should we watch for from the non-Wemby top-five draft picks?

Danny Chau: Eleven years ago, I remember leaving the parking lot of the conjoined Cox Pavilion and Thomas & Mack Center convinced that Damian Lillard would win Rookie of the Year for the upcoming season despite Anthony Davis’s overwhelming hype. Lillard had earned co-MVP honors (alongside summer league legend Josh Selby), showing off a poised, mature game that made his 26.5 points per game average over four contests look effortless. He shrugged off traps and blitzes, he absorbed contact on forays to the rim, and he showed off the early sketches of his now-immortal 3-point shooting off the dribble. Over a decade later, with Lillard’s future assured to be elsewhere, Portland’s heir apparent in no. 3 pick Scoot Henderson has an opportunity to seize control of summer league the same way Lillard did. Henderson has been a pro since he was 17, playing (and thriving) against tougher competition than what he’ll face in Vegas. There is a strong probability he will be deemed Too Good for Summer League by the end of night one.

The other three top-five picks of the 2023 class—Brandon Miller (no. 2) and twins Amen and Ausar Thompson (nos. 4 and 5, respectively)—will face greater degrees of scrutiny. Miller’s first two dress rehearsals at the California Classic were uneven, including a meme-able feast in a blowout loss to the Warriors, wherein he had more fouls (eight) than points (six). But it’s fair to wonder whether the Hornets are challenging Miller to show them what they don’t already know; early returns from him show a confident playmaker benefiting from excellent size and vision. But the concern-trolling will only get louder if Miller can’t put together one of his signature offensive eruptions in Vegas.

The Thompson twins might just be the most intriguing watches of the first weekend. Amen is fighting for a place in Houston’s immediate rotation, now that Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks have entered the young Rockets organization as handsomely paid camp counselors. Will Amen’s outlier athleticism and imaginative style of play translate immediately, or will this be an adverse advertisement for the quality of Overtime Elite competition? Ausar will have the luxury of playing alongside Pistons sophomores Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren—the three of them will have a strong case as the most athletic trio in all of the NBA, never mind summer league. Expectations of Ausar are perhaps a bit more concrete than those of his brother. Sure, Ausar has similar passing chops and defensive potential, but a big question remains: Just how far along has his jumper come in the past few months?

Will any blockbuster trades disrupt the proceedings?

Logan Murdock: Las Vegas Summer League functions as a gathering place for the entire NBA industry, and much attention will be trained on the developing trade sagas around Lillard and James Harden. During the California Classic, Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, sat courtside as the Heat played, fielding calls and trying to maneuver his client to South Beach. Three days later, Goodwin told the Miami Herald that his client “wants to be in Miami. Period.”

In 2019, the Clippers agreed to sign Kawhi Leonard and traded for Paul George during summer league, sending (literal) shock waves through the NBA. Whether or not a Lillard trade goes down in Vegas this year, there’s no doubt that team personnel and agents will take advantage of the face time.

The market will determine Lillard’s ultimate destination, but his impending trade continues a trend of star movement in the NBA. It’s fascinating to see the league attempt to mold itself into a stateside version of the Premier League, where players are consistently on the move, even as it tries to mold itself into a league of continual parity like the NFL. The entertainment value makes you wish the NBA would lean even more into what makes it fun, instead of trying to craft a CBA to make it stop.

Which second-year players will show out?

Isaac Levy-Rubinett:Rookie seasons are tough sledding in the NBA. The game is quicker, the competition is bigger and fiercer, and the strategy is more complicated. For even the best prospects, jumping to the top basketball league in the world is demanding, which is why we have maxims like the “rookie wall” and “nonlinear development.” Take Jabari Smith Jr., for example, who was in the running to be the no. 1 pick in 2022 before ultimately landing with the Rockets at no. 3. Smith spent this past year plying his craft in the basketball dungeon known as the Toyota Center, without a cohesive team concept or well-fitting pieces around him. In that sort of situation, it’s hard for evaluators to gauge a player’s progress (or lack thereof) and potential.

That’s where Summer League Redux comes in. After 82 games of battling grown-ass men, the NBA’s graduating rookie class now gets the opportunity to be veterans. And while Las Vegas is primarily known and marketed as the first tantalizing glimpse at the incoming rookie class, it’s often these returning players who have the most to prove.

Make no mistake: Second-year players should outperform rookies. They’re usually older and almost always wiser, having spent a full season learning the tricks of the NBA trade. But summer league affords these players opportunities the regular season does not, in an environment where they’re encouraged to test the limits of their burgeoning ability. Dominating in Vegas by no means portends superstardom for second-year players, but it can reveal new moves, developing skills, and further areas for improvement. On the flip side, struggling to impact the summer league game after a year of NBA seasoning does not bode well. So which of this year’s veterans will crush the competition in Vegas? Will Smith tease a second-year leap? Will Shaedon Sharpe give Portland fans a performance to glom on to as their team fields offers for a franchise icon? Can Nikola Jovic prove he’s more than just another name in theoretical trade offers? The point is, enjoy the rookies this summer, but don’t forget about everyone else.