SUMMER LEAGUE TAKES

UPSYDE SPORTS PRESENTS:

SUMMER LEAGUE TAKES:

Every year there are players that get way overvalued based on their summer league performances. Usually they are guys that get drafted late in the first and they get fans and GMs questioning their decisions. We've seen it recently with guys like Kuzma, Bacon, and Olejeye - all great role players, but not nearly the darlings they were in the Summer League.

This list is to determine which players you should be worried about and which players are legit.

PAYTON PRITCHARD - Prichard is one of the players I've been keeping a close eye on this off-season. While he's not a large guard, he's quite strong and quite athletic. When given minutes last year, he's done well. In the 4 games which he played over 30 minutes per game, he averaged 18.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, and had 61/50/93 splits. Obviously these are probably outliers, but we're catching a glimpse at his ceiling. While it was not the most efficient performance, he did have a 23/5/5/2 stat line with 7 triples. Now that Kemba Walker has been traded, he could be in line for a much larger role. If Josh Richardson struggles like he did in Dallas, Smart could be slid over to the off-ball guard spot and Pritchard could be the starter. Lets see if he can build momentum into the season.

TYRESE MAXEY - Maxey is another player that looked dominant in his game. He looked mature and composed and it is quite obvious he feels more comfortable in the league. With the looming prospective of Ben Simmons being traded, it'll be interesting to see how Maxey's role might evolve. He's a scorer at all three levels, had 3 steals in this game, and 3 triples. He did all of his damage in a little more than 25 minutes. Maxey might be a better fit to play with Joel Embiid, so Philadelphia might be continuing to shop Ben Simmons until they find value that they deem equal. Maxey's needs an injury to Curry or Ben Simmons to get traded to see a path to considerable minutes, but if he continues games like this, it'll be tough for Doc to hold him back.

JALEN GREEN - He was every bit as advertised. I felt like Green probably had the easiest path for minutes, with Houston full dedicated to building their young roster. They felt confident enough to not trade this pick for additional assets, and it appears to have paid off. Green had some elaborate shots and showed off his unique compliment of moves. He scored an efficient 23 points, dropping 4 of 9 from beyond the arc, and rounded off his stat line with 5 rebounds and 2 assists. It would have been nice to see some more defense from him, but with only one turnover, made his free throw, and ending up 50% from the field all are strong positives for this young star.

JALEN JOHNSON - With Johnson quitting on Duke, many were on the fence about how he'd play at the professional level. In short, he's great. He had a monster 20-point, 10-rebound double-double, two assists, and both a steal and a block. The only negative mark was the missed free throws, but when you look at guys like Giannis and Luka, you can overcome that by doing everything else. Having Johnson playing at this level might add more fuel on the Cam Reddish trade rumors. Atlanta has a plethora of wings, so if Johnson emerges as their best prospect, one of the other wings could be traded for a veteran. Hopefully we will see more games like this from him going forward.

OBI TOPPIN - Despite his stat line, I'm still not sold on him. He's one of the older players in the Summer League, and these numbers are to be expected. His more experience game did not translate well in his rookie campaign, and while it is good to see him not suck, I'm not entirely swayed by his two performances. Being a Kentucky guard homer, I was convinced that Immanuel Quickley is one of the core players of the Knicks going forward, and I would not be surprised to see him averaging well over 30 minutes per game this season.

ALPEREN SENGUN - Houston consolidated picks to move up for him, and their investment seems to have paid off. It seems like Houston might be in a good position moving forward, as they might have found their #1 scoring option and their center of the future in this draft. Sengun had a monster 15-15 double-double, adding 3 assists, 4 blocks, and a steal. You could not have asked for anything more from your big man, and this is a very positive performance. There is a reason why he was the Euro League MVP and he could end up being the next Joker.

TREY MURPHY - I'm not high on him. I felt like his performance was quite bloated. Most of his shots came from wide open plays or sagged off defense. None of his baskets really showed of an ability to create his own shot, and outside his 9 rebounds, his game felt very one-dimensional. Now, if he's making 67% of his three-point shots during the regular season, forget everything I just said. The reality is, he showed his ability to perform his role, and perform it well. I don't feel like his shooting pace is any bit sustainable, but he did get hot, and he probably earned himself a spot on the back-end of the rotation. For a team that drafted him before both Keon Johnson and Jalen Johnson, I thought he'd do a little more. Murphy did not do much more than what he showed while in college, so I don't expect this performance to be a regular occurrence.

CADE CUNNINGHAM - It's not time to hit the panic button yet! His performance in the game was pretty abysmal. He didn't shoot the ball well, he had multiple turnovers, and his switch to the off-ball guard seems to really mess up his rhythm. His defensive production was on-point, but many expected more from a franchise guard. The big struggle he will have in this league will be finding what is his true position. After playing most of his young career at the point guard, the 6-8 MotorCade will be moved around the 1-3 spots. Many have predicted his career trajectory to a Luka Doncic type fit, but with Detroit in no hurry to start winning games, they'll be patient with him. The hope is that he turns more into Luka and less into Ben Simmons.

SCOTTIE BARNES - Barnes showed more than I expected. Despite Barnes being a pivotal part of Florida State, his role was somewhat inconsistent, and I was expecting a more raw product. He appears to be everything advertised and more. He was one of the top assisters in the early part of Summer League, he had a 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, had two steals, one block, and only one turnover. He did go 1-4 from beyond the arc if you want to be nit-picky, but it appears he has Draymond-esque skillset. Many were expecting Toronto to go with Suggs, so it's good to see that he is making a solid impression. We'll know down the road if he has the same leadership traits, but this is a good start for him.

EVAN MOBLEY - Mobley, like Cunningham, drastically underperformed. Much in the same way I say don't panic about Cade, Mobley will be fine. He didn't crash the glass particularly well, he had trouble getting to the basket, missed both of his outside shots, has 5 turnovers, and missed both of his free throws. There was nothing very memorable about this performance, and yet, I am still optimistic. He did have 3 blocks in this game, so that has translated to the big show. Overall, the struggle for him will be finding his role. Cleveland just locked up Allen for 5 years, they still have Nance and Love at the 4 to stretch out the floor at the 4 - the fit is weird. This game did not move him up the depth chart, but I don't think people should overreact after this one game.

DESMOND BANE - Bane is one of my early favorites for Most Improved Player Award. It's unusual for second year players to win, but I think Bane has a fantastic chance to make a huge jump. He already is coming off of a solid rookie season in which he averaged 9.2 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 1.7 3PG on 47/43/82 splits in only 22.3 MPG. He exploded for a 32/2/4/2 stat line with 6 3-pointers. Combine that with the fact that Grayson Allen was traded, Justice Winslow was released, and Ziaire Williams is a somewhat raw prospect. Bane is going to get undervalued in fantasy drafts and slept on by most analysts.

- Adam Safianow - NBA Analyst - Upsyde Sports [Copyright 2021]

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