The Whiteboard: 3 NBA Summer League sleepers who are impressing

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Most of the attention at NBA Summer League is naturally lavished on the top picks heading into their rookie seasons or returning second-year players who quickly establish that they’ve taken a leap and are far too good to belong at this level of competition anymore.

But between those tiers and the interesting characters simply fighting for an NBA roster spot or a two-way contract there are several players who haven’t yet established themselves in an NBA rotation but appear ready to do so, even if they aren’t on the track to stardom. Here are three NBA Summer League standouts who could be regular rotation players for their teams this season.

NBA Summer League sleepers who are ready to shine:

Day’Ron Sharpe, Big, Brooklyn Nets

Sharpe played just 391 minutes last season as a rookie on a veteran-heavy Brooklyn Nets squad with championship aspirations. We still have no idea what will happen with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving but there’s a good chance the Nets are shifting their focus towards the future and there is an opportunity for Sharpe to a player a bigger role this season, even with 23-year-old big Nicolas Claxton signing a new two-year deal and likely taking more responsibility as well.

Sharpe’s pre-draft profile focused on his defensive versatility, and his passing and awareness, with questions about his shooting range and lack of elite athleticism. But even in limited minutes last season, we saw his skill level and basketball IQ translate to multi-faceted production. He averaged 18.2 points, 14.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per 36 minutes on a 59.3 true shooting percentage. In 10 G League games with the Long Island Nets, he was even more productive (21.2 points, 14.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 2.1 blocks per 36) in a role with more offensive and defensive primacy.

Sharpe has been overshadowed a bit by Cam Thomas, who has put up 57 points in the Nets’ two Summer League games. But he also created one of the best highlights from Summer League thus far with this monstrous poster dunk:

https://twitter.com/BrooklynNets/status/1546239575709732864

In general, Sharpe has looked slimmer, more mobile and a bit more explosive, all of which bodes well for his ability to translate production in a larger role against better players. In two Summer League games, he’s put up 21 points, 21 rebounds, 5 assists, 6 steals and 3 blocks, shooting 50.0 percent from the field. He’s done a nice job creating space for himself around the basket and he looks comfortable making reads from the elbow and the top of the key, sliding between dribble hand-offs, into screens and rolls to the basket.

Again, the role Sharpe plays this year may be largely dictated by what happens with Durant and Irving. But it’s clear he’s ready for more if the Nets need it from him.

Neemias Queta, Big, Sacramento Kings

Queta is another big man who played incredibly sparingly as a rookie (just 120 minutes across 14 games) but has looked much more polished and advanced in Summer League. He was an older rookie, spending three years at Utah State before being selected by the Kings in the second round last year. He spent most of his first season in the G League, where he appeared in 14 games and averaged 16.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 blocks per game, shooting 63.3 percent from the field.

Queta is a more traditional big man who doesn’t have the explosive run-jump athleticism many teams are looking for in a rim-protector and vertical spacer. However, like Sharpe, he’s looked more mobile and a bit quicker on his feet so far in Summer League and more comfortable with the occasional perimeter responsibilities that come with being an NBA big man, as opposed to a back-the-basket college threat.

The Kings have a crowded frontcourt right now, with Domantas Sabonis, Richaun Holmes, Alex Len, Keegan Murray and Chimezie Metu but it’s possible Queta could be playing his way into a deal somewhere else. He spent last year on a two-way contract and the Kings have offered him a two-way qualifying offer for this season. Right now he can choose between spending another season on a two-way contract with the Kings or chasing a standard contract in free agency (which the Kings can match).

He’s averaged 14.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, shooting 60.4 percent from the field, across five Summer League games. For any other rebuilding team looking for an inexpensive, young back-up big man, he might be worth a look.

[Ed. Note — Neemias Queta has already signed his second two-way contract with the Kings]

Isaiah Joe, Wing, Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers’ search for perimeter shooting has felt like a neverending quest but this season Isaiah Joe may finally be ready to help. The 76ers’ took the Arkansas sharpshooter in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft and he’s played just under 1,000 minutes over 96 games the past two seasons.

Outside shooting is Joe’s most identifiable skill but he made just 34.9 percent of 241 attempts across those first two seasons and didn’t really have the developed versatility to contribute in other ways. That’s one of the reasons he hasn’t been able to stick in Philadelphia’s rotation consistently. So far in Summer League, he’s looked unbelievably confident, knocking down 16-of-29 3-pointers across four games.

You can see from the video above, he’s hitting shots in a variety of scenarios — relocations, coming off screens, pull-ups, straight spot-ups. This looks like the fully realized version of Joe as a shooter, something draft scouts saw as a possibility in his pre-draft profile which is now coming to life. He’s also looked much more confident and under control creating off the dribble …

… and finding other ways to leverage open space besides just hunting for jumpers.

Across these four games, Joe has assisted on 17.4 percent of his teammates’ baskets, well above his assist percentage in college, G League or NBA minutes. If he can offer more than just shooting — the ability to attack a closeout, run a weakside pick-and-roll or exploit a defensive switch — it makes it much easier for Philadelphia to find space for him in the lineup.

The 76ers’ backcourt is crowded, with Tyrese Maxey and James Harden entrenched as starters and De’Anthony Melton, Furkan Korkmaz, Jaden Springer, Matisse Thybulle and Shake Milton all battling for minutes, not to mention the team’s rumored pursuit of Eric Gordon. But Joe looks like someone who is ready for a bigger role and potential trades — either moving players in front of him or leveraging Joe’s increased value and sending him elsewhere could create the opportunity.

Other NBA stories:

It’s never too early to start thinking about NBA Rookie of the Year favorites and Summer League is the perfect time to let your imagination run wild.

On Friday, WNBA superstar Brittney Griner pled guilty to drug charges that could imprison her in Russia for up to 10 years. Here’s what that means for Griner and her cause.

The Pistons got quite the scare when rookie Jaden Ivey went down with injury during a Summer League game but the guard says he’s okay.

Can we just get this Nets-Lakers situation resolved so we can focus on the fun stuff again?