It’s dangerous to draw too many conclusions from a few games of NBA Summer League, but these five rookies acquitted themselves very well.
Some NBA fans claim the big man is dying, but you wouldn’t know it from watching rookies play in NBA Summer League over the past two weeks. The bigs at the top of the draft have stood out in a major way in their first opportunity to shine for their new teams.
Of course, you have to take Summer League performances with a grain of salt. We are talking about really small sample sizes here. Even so, you can get a good read of how a prospect is going to adjust to the modern game by watching these glorified scrimmages. You can’t write a rookie off or anoint them as a Hall of Famer, but their play in the summer is still a useful data point.
We’ll take you through the top five rookies who impressed over the past couple weeks. The teams that drafted these guys should feel very good about their selections.
5. Mo Bamba
Orlando fans haven’t had a ton of reasons to be excited lately, but adding Mo Bamba to their frontcourt mix certainly qualifies as a reason for optimism. Predictably, he used his length and quick feet to serve as an excellent rim protector during his three games in Vegas.
What might surprise the Magic front office is how well he played on the offensive end. Bamba averaged just under nine points per game in roughly 20 minutes of action. More importantly, he did it efficiently, on 60 percent shooting from the floor.
The Magic don’t need Bamba to be a dominant offensive force next season, but they’re going to need him to be an active participant on that end of the floor. His offensive activity in Vegas makes it pretty clear he can score enough to keep defenses honest as a rookie. That, combined with his ability to be a dominant rim protector should allow Bamba to make an impact early in his career.
4. Wendell Carter
There was an undercurrent of thought during the draft that Carter, not Marvin Bagley, was the best Duke big man available. That thought may not turn out to be correct in the end, but Carter certainly added to the speculation with his performance during Summer League.
Unlike his college career, Carter was given the freedom by the Bulls’ coaching staff to show off his full range of offensive gifts during his four games in Vegas. He was able to average 16.8 points per game while shooting 63 percent from the field. He’s not going to be that efficient in the regular season, but the versatility of his offensive game is a huge boost for Chicago.
Most people knew Carter could score, but there were doubts over whether or not he could defend like a modern NBA big. Those questions aren’t totally answered, but the early returns are encouraging. Carter was able to block shots and move well laterally to stay in front of his man. He may never be a dominant rim protector or lock down switch guy, but he looks as if he can hold his own defensively.
For a rebuilding team like Chicago, being able to check off multiple positions early in the process is invaluable. Theoretically, the Bulls know they have three future starters in Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter. That sets them up to target impact players at other positions to accelerate their rebuild in the years to come. Carter’s quality takes one more position off the needs list for the Bulls.
3. Deandre Ayton
The talented center entered Summer League with massive expectations. Understandably, fans expect the No. 1 overall pick to dominate against this level of competition. Ayton hasn’t quite met those giant expectations, but he’s played pretty well.
If he would have gone with the fifth pick instead of the first, we’d be raving about his spectacular play. Ayton will always have to grind against the expectations of his draft position. The good news for Suns fans is that he didn’t look overwhelmed by the challenge.
Instead, he went out and did his job each game. Averaging 16 points and 11 boards per game is a solid return for a rookie still learning how to play the game. His 67 percent shooting from the field also shows just how efficient he can be on the offensive end.
The questions about Ayton are all on the other end of the floor. He hasn’t looked horrible on that end of the floor during Summer League, but there is still at on of room for improvement. A player that size only averaging one block per game against this kind of competition is not an encouraging sign. The Suns will need to drill him repeatedly on their defensive rotations to make him anything close to an adequate rim protector this season.
2. Jaren Jackson, Jr.
The young Grizzlies big man has made a ton of highlight plays during his run in both Summer Leagues. At the age of 18, that is a really good sign for Jackson’s ability to eventually turn into a star for Memphis.
Jackson announced his arrival during his first Summer League contest by going an eye-popping 8-for-13 from behind the arc. He shot the ball well for Michigan State during his college career, but there were serious questions about whether or not his awkward shot would succeed at the pro level. His shooting has cooled off quite a bit since the opener, but J.B. Bickerstaff and company have to be excited about how he can space the floor.
Defensively, Jackson has been a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand, he’s shown the ability to make some tremendous chase down blocks. He’s got the length to really protect the rim. Unfortunately, his lack of defensive awareness doesn’t put him in position to block shots nearly often enough.
That’s something the Grizzlies can help him with though. He may not be a good defender as a rookie, but he still projects as an excellent switch guy and rim protector down the line. It’s simply a question of when, not if, he gets to that level.
Jackson gets the second spot here because he showed so many exciting skills. His consistency wasn’t always there, but at 18 years of age, that’s to be expected. He’ll play meaningful minutes in Memphis this year.
1. Kevin Knox
The Knicks’ hype machine may be going a little overboard with their immediate expectations for Knox, but there’s no denying the fact that he’s been really impressive this summer. At the very least, the Knicks coaching staff can comfortably expect Knox to be a contributor as a rookie.
Like Jackson, Knox is one of the youngest players competing this summer. He’s got a lot of room to grow. The fact that he’s already able to score in a variety of ways against this level of competition is a really good sign for his future.
Knox has averaged over 23 points per game while averaging over 30 minutes this summer. You’d like to see his efficiency be a little better though. He’s only shooting 39 percent from the field. Much of that can be attributed to his struggles from behind the arc.
The bright side is that he’s been dynamic in transition. Knox uses his length, long strides and surprisingly good ball handling ability to leave defenders in the dust. He’s also got the hops to finish with authority on the break. David Fizdale will work to get Knox out in the open floor as much as possible next season.
Next: NBA Draft 2018: 5 players who went to the wrong team
Given Knox’s draft position, he’s been the most impressive rookie of the summer. The Knicks may have secured themselves another young talent to build around. Knox and Kristaps Porzingis could form an interesting duo to attract a big name free agent to the Big Apple this summer.