9 NBA Summer League Standouts

The NBA Summer League crowned a champion Monday night. Here are the nine newcomers who stood out over the nearly three weeks of action.

Lonzo Ball NBA Summer League 2017 NBA
USA Today Sports

Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball against the Brooklyn Nets during an NBA Summer League game at Thomas & Mack Center.

Lonzo Ball NBA Summer League 2017 NBA

Game 5 of the NBA Finals was over a month ago but the NBA continued to dominate headlines with its free agent signings and the Summer League. Although you can’t dissect and extract too much from Summer League performances and outcomes, it gives us a glimpse of some of the young talent that could ultimately be the faces of the Association down the road. The 2017 rookie class impressed in Orlando, Utah, and Las Vegas and lured many fans to their televisions.

In fact, the NBA Summer League experienced an all-time high in terms of viewership that had a lot to do with the Big Baller Brand effect. According to Awful Announcing, on Lonzo Ball’s debut on July 7 against the  L.A. Clippers, ESPN drew 879,000 viewers to set an all-time record for the most-viewed Summer League game. The record didn’t last long as Ball, the second pick of the 2017 NBA Draft matched up against the third pick, Jayson Tatum, of the Boston Celtics the next night. That game drew 1.106 million viewers and was the first sold out game in Summer League history.

But Ball and Tatum weren't the only ones who were balling out in the Summer League. There were several second- and third-year players that stood out as well. Here nine guys who caught our attention over the past three weeks. 

Luke Kennard

Luke Kennard NBA Summer League 2017 GIF

Team: Thunder

League: Orlando

Stats: 18.0 PPG, 56.9 FG %, 5.5 RPG

Remember the Kentucky team that was on the brink of completing a perfect 40-0 season? Dakari Johnson was a key rotational player on that team and we haven’t heard much from him since then. Two years later, he still hasn't made his NBA debut. After being selected in the second round of the 2015 NBA Draft by the Thunder, Johnson has spent all of his pro career in the D-League, which is now the G-League. Johnson improved his chances of finally getting a shot by dominating Summer League competition this year. Averaging an efficient 18.0 points per game, the Brooklyn native showcased an array of moves whether it was in the post or off the dribble. The competition may have been too easy for him as we saw Johnson play point guard several times during the Summer League. Yes, a 7', 265-pound guy was running point guard and it wasn’t garbage time either. Raymond Felton, you may a little competition for that backup spot in Oklahoma City.

Team: Jazz

Stats: 28.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 6.0 SPG (Vegas)

15.3 PPG, 3.3 APG, 3.3 SPG (Utah)

It’s early but Donovan Mitchell could end up being the steal of this year’s draft. He’s a great wing defender with freakish athleticism and silky smooth jumper. He’s certainly a nice start to soothe the pain of fans this offseason in the post-Hayward era. His Summer League was highlighted by a 37-point, eight steal performance. He had all eight steals before the fourth quarter.

Even with Hayward gone, the Jazz still have a lot of young pieces to build off of and Mitchell could possibly contribute early as a three and D guy. I mean, who wouldn’t want a rookie that can do this? 

Bam Adebayo

Bam Adebayo NBA Summer League GIF 2017

Team: Heat

Stats: 17.5 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 2.3 BPG (Orlando)

15.7 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 43.3 FG % (Vegas)

Set screens, catch lobs, and play defense. That pretty much sums Bam Adebayo’s role at Kentucky. Playing with other lottery picks in De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk, Kentucky coach John Calipari didn’t need Adebayo to create on his own. Although he flashed his mid-range game at times, the majority of his made baskets came from point blank range usually resulting in vicious rim rockers. The Summer League gave us a chance Adebayo as the focal point of the offense.

Let’s just say we saw some plays that weren’t documented in Adebayo’s repertoire. Although he was inefficient at times, which is common for a rookie, Adebayo put up some big numbers in Orlando and Las Vegas. His former head coach took notice.

Wayne Selden

Wayne Selden NBA Summer League 2017

Cheick Diallo

Cheick Diallo NBA Summer League 2016

Dennis Smith Jr.

Dennis Smith Mavericks NBA Summer League 2017

Team: Mavericks

League: Las Vegas

Stats: 17.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 4.3 APG

You can already hear the groans from the Knicks’ fanbase every time a Dennis Smith Jr. highlight goes viral. To be fair it’s summer league and we haven’t seen their draft pick Frank Ntilikina yet, who could end up being a better fit in that organization but Smith Jr. is trending toward one of those guys the Knicks shouldn’t have passed on.

From his pregame dunks in layup lines...

To his acrobatic finishes in the paint, Smith was the most exciting player in the Summer League. Even his missed dunks were impressive...

His 48-inch vertical was on full display for the past two weeks. Fayetteville’s finest was virtually unguardable in the open court. Don’t forget that Smith was crowned as the top point guard in the 2016 high school recruiting class before his ACL injury. The kid has serious potential.  

Jayson Tatum

Jayson Tatum NBA Summer League 2017

Lonzo Ball

Lonzo Ball Long Pass NBA Summer League 2017 GIF

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