Prospects to watch in Las Vegas Summer League

The Las Vegas Summer League kicks off this Friday, July 7, as 24 teams will converge on UNLV’s campus in Las Vegas for the annual 10-day event. Summer League action is already well under way in Orlando and Utah, but this is the main event, as most NBA teams, as well as a team of D-League veterans, will compete for a variety of gains. Outside of the NBA Draft Combine, this is the biggest scouting event of the year for NBA teams.

Summer League is a time for prospect evaluation. It’s the first chance for NBA teams to see their new rookies in action, and for the rookies to get an introduction to life in the NBA. It’s also a time for young players who are already in the league to try to get some training in against live competition.

In addition, teams fill out their 12-15 man rosters with prospects on the fringes of the NBA, hoping to score an NBA contract. Draft-and-stash players may come over and audition for their teams to try to earn an NBA contract. Fringe veterans, such as Roger Mason and Shannon Brown, have tried to make last-ditch comebacks in Summer League. But with the advent of the NBA G League, these spots mostly go to players looking to hop from the G League to the NBA or from undrafted status onto a G League team. The addition of two-way contracts this year should make this the most competitive Summer League yet since there are more NBA roster spots available than ever before.

Read More: Prospects to watch in the Orlando and Utah Summer League

These leagues exist so that teams can find those diamonds in the rough that help make a title competitor. The Cavaliers found Matthew Dellavedova on their Summer League team. Jeremy Lin first broke into the league on the Dallas Summer League squad. Jonathan Simmons? Dewayne Dedmon? Yep, both Spurs made their initial contracts in Summer League.

Summer League rosters are hard to decipher. You’ll probably recognize the rookies, but that’s about it. However, we’re here to help. As a preview, here’s a name to watch on every Las Vegas Summer League team — someone who’s not under contract (no rookies or current players) but could find their way to the G League or onto an NBA roster.

Atlanta Hawks – Isaia Cordinier, PG, France

Spent 2016-2017 with Antibes (France)

The 44th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, Cordinier represented a total unknown. Having only played in the French 2nd Division, Cordinier was low on experience but high on upside. A five-game stint at last year’s Summer League didn’t inspire much, but he’s back after a year of French first division play, in which he averaged 6.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game for Antibes. He didn’t shoot well at all (36/23/70 shooting splits are BAD), but he offers some interesting athleticism and defensive potential. The Hawks will be looking to see how much he’s grown since last summer, and his bounciness and quick hands should make him an entertaining LVSL watch.

Boston Celtics – Landen Lucas, C, Kansas

2017 Undrafted free agent

Lucas was the garbageman for Kansas, taking over a starting spot midway through the season and averaging 8.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. He’s not an exciting player by any means, but he’s athletic, brutally strong, and can finish well under the basket. He doesn’t wow with his rim protection or post game, and his lack of refined skills kept him out of the NBA Draft. But next to Ante Zizic, he gives Boston two high-motor power players in the post, and his energy and athleticism may be enough to entice a team into a G-League contract.

Brooklyn Nets – Jake Wiley, PF, Eastern Washington

2017 Undrafted free agent

This was perhaps the most obvious pick on the list. Every year, one or two players emerge at Summer League with a great backstory or quirky game that draws a ton of interest from fans. Wiley offers both. His path to the NBA was a rocky and tumultuous one, fitting an entire career’s worth of twists and turns into a five-year college career. It’s impressive that he’s here at all. But he is, on the back of his wildly entertaining game, centered around using his athleticism to create out of the post, and his wingspan to be one of college basketball’s more underrated rim protectors. The combination of power, length, and energy makes him one of the more entertaining guys to watch on film.

We should all be rooting for Jake Wiley this week.

Chicago Bulls – Antonio Blakeney, G, LSU

2017 Undrafted free agent

Blakeney was a freshman on Ben Simmons’s LSU team, and after Simmons and Tim Quarterman moved on to the NBA, he was basically acting out the myth of Sisyphus for one of the Power 5’s worst teams last season. Averaging 17.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game isn’t that hard on a bad team; maintaining a 55 percent true shooting when you’re the only creation threat on the floor is. Now Blakeney will try to ply his trade in the NBA. He’s a great fit for the G-League, where a team could work to develop his point guard skills and turn himself from volume scorer to all-around offensive weapon. He should have a good shot to try to showcase his off-ball abilities playing next to Kris Dunn and Denzel Valentine.

Cleveland Cavaliers – Andrew White, SF, Syracuse

2017 Undrafted free agent

White’s an intriguing prospect who settled in as a grad transfer at Syracuse last year to fire off an absurd 279 3-point attempts. He’s a legitimate floor-spacer, with great shooting mechanics and a resume of excellent marksmanship in high volume. He has good hands as well, and automatically gets the “potential 3-and-D” label because of that. However, he does have some serious issues with awareness on both ends, and his offensive decision-making is poor. He’ll try to show that he can pick up basic concepts of an NBA offense, and has an inside track to pick up one of the Cavs’ two-way contracts if he can.

Dallas Mavericks – Jonathan Motley, C, Baylor

2017 Undrafted free agent

One of the great mysteries of the 2017 NBA Draft is how Motley, who we had projected as an early second-rounder, fell out of the draft. The 6-foot-10 Baylor product offers some intriguing skills as a small-ball five, as he is able to switch onto smaller opponents on defense and he offers versatility as a rolling and popping big in the pick-and-roll. He needs to further develop his 3-point shot, as he shot just 28.4 percent from 3, but Motley certainly offered more promise than several guys who went in the back half of the first round. After the success of Purdue product A.J. Hammons in making Dallas’s roster last year, Motley should show that the Mavericks struck gold twice at the center position.

Denver Nuggets – Howard Sant-Roos, SG, Cuba

Spent 2016-2017 with CEZ Nymburk (Czechia)

Denver always has one or two interesting international players on their Summer League team outside of the ones they’ve drafted, and Sant-Roos is an excellent option this year. The Cuban shooting guard has spent the last two years with Nymburk, where he’s emerged as one of Europe’s most underrated defensive wings. Sant-Roos is a capable on-ball defender, and he’s smart and brings a ton of energy to that side of the ball. His athleticism has meant that he can defend one through three at the European level, although that probably translates to just twos and threes in the NBA. Throw in his shooting (36.7 percent on 3-pointer, 85.8 percent from the line), and he has potential to be an NBA-level backup wing. Denver will look hard at giving him one of their last roster spots, and if not, he’s auditioning for a Euroleague deal.

Golden State Warriors – Bryce Alford, SG, UCLA

2017 Undrafted free agent

How much can Alford’s shot carry him at the next level? Alford hit 43.0 percent from 3 on 7.2 attempts per game last season playing next to Lonzo Ball and T.J. Leaf. He isn’t an NBA-level athlete though, and his size probably precludes him from playing full-time at the wing. He is a monster catch-and-shoot weapon though, and that is incredibly valuable. So this Summer League should tell us a lot about Alford. Playing alongside Xavier Munford and Patrick McCaw, Alford should get chances to find open shots and won’t get destroyed in a bad defensive matchup. If he can show improvement in other aspects of his game, that should help him latch on in the G-League. We’ve seen players like Alford struggle to find traction before (Brady Heslip, most notably), so we’ll see if Alford can buck the trend and prove he’s more than just an elite college shooter.

Houston Rockets – Zhou Qi, C, China

Spent 2016-2017 with Xinjiang (China)

The Rockets have a fun team, as they’ve picked up intriguing undrafted free agents like Cameron Oliver and George Lucas de Paula from Brazil. But with the news breaking over the weekend that Zhou Qi is coming to the Rockets this year, he moves to the forefront. Qi, the 43rd pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, looks the part of a brilliant five for what the Rockets want to do — he’s 7-foot-2 with a great wingspan, mobility, and a legitimate 3-point shot. He showed some improvement in China this year, hitting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc on 1.3 attempts per game and showing more discipline on the defensive end. Strength concerns are still very real though, and like Thon Maker and Bismack Biyombo, there are real questions about his upside due to some uncertainty of his true age. Summer League will help tell us if he’s more Yao or Yi.

Los Angeles Clippers – James Bell, SG, Villanova

Spent 2016-2017 with Hapoel Holon (Israel)

Bell, a former Villanova guard, is another potential 3-and-D wing trying to work his way over from Europe to the NBA. Bell has spent time in France and Israel over the last two seasons, developing a very strong stroke from outside. He hit 38 percent from 3 last year, and is particularly adept from the corners. He has legitimate size for the two-guard spot, and he looks like a useful defender, something you don’t often find from the Israeli League. We’ll see how he translates on the defensive end in Summer League, but his shooting may be enough for him to earn a camp invite as the Clippers attempt to reconfigure their roster.

Los Angeles Lakers – P.J. Dozier, SG, South Carolina

2017 Undrafted free agent

Dozier is a zero on offense, but with Lonzo Ball around, the Lakers aren’t looking at him for that side of the floor. Instead, they’re bringing Dozier in because of his defensive potential, which was crucial to helping South Carolina reach the Final Four. Dozier is a tenacious defender, pairing great size with a strong work ethic and an improving understanding of defensive concepts. He’s worth a look by Los Angeles, who has a strong G-League environment and desperately needs defensive help around an offensively-focused core. If he can show any kind of value on the offensive end, he could be the Lakers’ version of Marcus Smart.

Memphis Grizzlies – Victor Rudd, SG, South Florida

Spent 2016-2017 with Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)

This isn’t for any real basketball reason — Rudd’s here because he’s the best dunker in the LVSL field, and it isn’t close.

Rudd actually played pretty well in both of his previous Summer League appearances with New Orleans and Miami. He’s ridiculously fun, and adds an entertainment factor to Grizzlies Summer League games.

Miami Heat – London Perrantes, PG, Virginia

2017 Undrafted free agent

Miami is playing in the Orlando Summer League, and Perrantes has been a bright spot for a team that hasn’t been able to score at all so far. He had 10 points and five assists in a loss to the Hornets, and another 12 points and eight assists in Sunday’s loss to Orlando. Perrantes is the next in the line of Tony Bennett Virginia guards to come to the NBA, but unlike Joe Harris, Justin Anderson, and Malcolm Brogdon, Perrantes went undrafted. He’s shown to be a strong playmaker out of the pick-and-roll, and he can get to the rim consistently, though his finishing isn’t great yet. He’s probably headed to the Sioux Falls Skyforce point guard factory that has produced Tyler Johnson, DeAndre Liggins, and Briante Weber in recent seasons.

Milwaukee Bucks – Reggie Upshaw Jr. , PF, Middle Tennessee

2017 Undrafted free agent

The Bucks need to fill a new G-League team in the Wisconsin Herd, and Upshaw is going to be a great piece to do that. The 6-foot-8 power rebounder was the catalyst for MTSU’s last two NCAA tournament teams that scored upsets over Michigan State and Minnesota. He’s undersized for a four, but his strength is a major plus, and he has some solid finesse to his game, including a developing outside stroke and fantastic court vision for his position. He plays much bigger than his size, and could be  a legitimate offensive weapon as a small-ball five, as his game matches closely with how the Bucks like to use Greg Monroe.

Minnesota Timberwolves – Amile Jefferson, PF, Duke and Perry Ellis, PF, Kansas

Jefferson: 2017 Undrafted free agent; Ellis: Spent 2016-2017 with Greensboro Swarm

Minnesota gets two guys simply because it’s hilarious to see Tom Thibodeau, noted curmudgeon about playing young players, opt for this generation’s two frontrunners for players that feel like they were in college for 15 seasons. Jefferson, who’s a more useful defender and is slightly bigger than Ellis, is probably the more interesting fit, especially because he’s pretty decent at switching on the perimeter and fills more of where Minnesota’s weaknesses are. Watching the Timberwolves lean on these two as a crutch over Justin Patton is certainly going to be interesting.

New Orleans Pelicans – Peter Jok, SG, Iowa

2017 Undrafted free agent

Perennial contenders for this list Quinn Cook and Axel Toupane finally got multi-year deals with New Orleans in April, so we’ll shift attention to Jok, a player who flew well under the radar in the draft process but may still have NBA chops. Jok was a volume scorer for Iowa, averaging 19.9 points per game and playing functionally as the team’s point guard and primary initiator. He doesn’t have the athleticism to pull that off in the NBA, but his shot mechanics are excellent, and he’s a smart enough defender that he may have value as a project to turn him into a 3-and-D wing. He is more of an off-the-bounce shooter at this point, but if he can play off ball more, he could sneak his way onto the end of an NBA roster in the future.

Philadelphia 76ers – Alex Poythress, SG, Kentucky

Spent 2016-2017 with Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Philadelphia 76ers

Poythress got a late shot with the Sixers last season, and it was because of his strong play with Fort Wayne — 18.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game, 52.8 percent shooting, and 40.3 percent from 3. Poythress is excellent at moving off-ball, and finds ways to create hustle plays on both ends, whether it’s slashing to the basket, rotating over to make a defensive save, or spotting up from 3. He played very well in his late-season audition for Philly, and the Sixers are hoping he can maintain that production at Summer League to give them another useful wing off the bench.

Phoenix Suns – Darion Atkins, PF, Virginia

Spent 2016-2017 with Hapoel Holon

The Suns roster as it currently stands is mostly guys affiliated with the team in some way, except for Atkins, a 6-foot-8 forward who teamed with Bell at Hapoel Holon. Atkins is more of a four though, as he averaged 13.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game last season. Mostly a face-up four, Atkins does have range out to the 3-point line, and he can be useful as a pick-and-pop big thanks to his shooting. He doesn’t do much defensively though, and he’s rather ground-bound. With Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender on the team, he may not get much of a look.

Portland Trail Blazers – Josh Scott, C, Colorado

Spent 2016-2017 with MZT Skopje Aerodrom (Macedonia)

Scott played well in his first European season with Skopje Aerodrom, averaging 12.2 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He, like Motley, could offer some value as a small-ball center in the NBA. Scott excelled as a pick-and-roll big man in Macedonia, and his shooting stroke from 18 feet is promising. He’s also quick enough to defend bigger wings on the perimeter, and he was a fantastic rebounder, with an offensive rebound rate of 16.7 percent. He could legitimately outplay Caleb Swanigan, who excels at the same things Scott does but is a year behind in the development curve, and that could be enough for the former Colorado Buffalo to secure a training camp deal.

Sacramento Kings – Jack Cooley, C, Notre Dame

Former Jazz player – Spent 2016-2017 with MHP Reisen Ludwigsburg (Germany)

He’s back. Cooley is a Summer League staple, making his fifth straight appearance in Vegas. He’ll suit up for Sacramento this time after spending time with the Grizzlies, Rockets, Cavaliers, Jazz, and Bulls. You haven’t truly immersed in Summer League until you see him — the 6-foot-10 mountain man who looks like he should have been a guard on Notre Dame’s football team, battling for boards and out-hustling NBA players all over the court.

Cooley is a very strong finisher and rebounder, and those skills have helped him stay on NBA radars, as well as carving out a very useful role in Germany last season. This may be the last chance for him to crack through to the NBA, so relish your time with the burly Cooley. He’s a treat to watch.

San Antonio Spurs – James Robinson, SG, Pittsburgh

Spent 2016-2017 with Igokea (Bosnia)

Like the Suns, the Spurs have a team made up mostly of guys they have an attachment to. And barring the addition of one of their draft-and-stash guys (Nikola Milutinov or Adam Hanga), Robinson is their most intriguing guy not under contract. He’s a skilled transition finisher and scorer out of the pick-and-roll, meaning he’s built to be a Summer League possession-eating volume scorer. This is his first appearance in Summer League, and he may be able to score a G-League deal off of it, where he could better refine his playmaking and defensive games.

Toronto Raptors – Matt Thomas, SG, Iowa State

2017 Undrafted free agent

Thomas is the next in a long line of Iowa State alumni trying to crack through on the fringes of the NBA. There’s just something about this program that produces quality European and G-League guys – Will Clyburn, DeAndre Kane, Georges Niang, Naz Mitrou-Long, Melvin Ejim, Bryce Dejean-Jones, and Abdel Nader are all former Cyclones that have found a home in either the G-League or Europe over the past few years. While Monte Morris and Deonte Burton took the headlines for this team, Thomas can be a useful player as well, as he hit 40.1 percent on over 600 3-point attempts in his Iowa State career. I’m going to give Thomas the benefit of the doubt that he can continue the lineage Fred Hoiberg and Steve Prohm have set up. He should get a good look as a potential floor-spacing wing.

Utah Jazz – Tyler Cavanaugh, PF, George Washington

2017 Undrafted free agent

Cavanaugh is an old-school stretch four — not content to just float around the perimeter, the George Washington product likes to establish himself in the post, and then use his excellent passing ability and the threat of his jumper to leverage position on the block. Like Upshaw, he’s a little undersized for his position, but he can battle with bigger fours, and his offensive skill set is definitely worth developing. It’s not hard to see Cavanaugh turning a strong performance at LVSL into a training camp spot, and his skill set is one that NBA teams will fancy if he can get a little bit stronger.

Next: NBA Free Agency Recap -- Weekend One is for the Neophytes

Washington Wizards – Marcus Keene, PG, Central Michigan

2017 Undrafted free agent

It’s hard to overstate just how good Keene was as a college scorer. Keene led the NCAA with 29.9 points per game, and he posted 58.4 percent true shooting despite taking over 10 3s a game. His jumper mechanics are excellent, and he could have a role as a floor spacing bench point guard if his shot selection can be reigned in. He might be too small for the NBA, but in Summer League, he’s going to be ridiculous fun.