Victor Wembanyama gave NBA fans a good reminder not to overreact to Las Vegas Summer League after the San Antonio Spurs selected him at No. 1 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft. Wembanyama’s summer league debut was a dud as he finished with nine points on 2-of-13 shooting from the field. It’s safe to say Wemby’s career would turn out just fine after he led the Spurs to the NBA Finals in his third season at age-22.
Still, it’s hard to shake a bad first impression for rookies entering the league. Fans want to think their new players are bound to be stars, or at least dependable role players. When rookies disappoint in summer league, it’s still a bummer even it means basically nothing for the long-term outlook of their career.
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Here are the rookies who have underwhelmed in summer league so far. If nothing else, it will be helpful to look back on this list if and when these players become solid contributors to show future rookies that a bad start to summer league isn’t that big of a deal.
Mara was arguably the biggest winner of March Madness, going from a player typically projected in the mid-20s to a surefire lottery pick after Michigan’s national championship run. The Thunder selected him at No. 12 overall, and his rim protection plus high-level passing ability felt like a natural fit for their system. I was on the Mara bandwagon in the predraft process, but during my conversations with front office people and other writers I started to notice that he was perhaps the most polarizing player in the class. Some people viewed him as a low ceiling center who should be a fringe first-round pick, while others had him in the top-10.
Mara has struggled a bit away from Michigan’s amazing infrastructure at the start of his summer league run. He’s only shot 46 percent from the field through his first four games, which is pretty underwhelming for a 7’3 guy. His touch has looked shaky around the rim, and there are moments of passivity defensively. There are positive flashes on the tape too of course, like this overpowering drive and dunk, and some of his signature passing to cutters on the move. I do think it’s fair to question Mara’s scoring utility if he struggles to get deep post position because of a high center of gravity, and there’s no doubt he has to earn his early minutes on the defensive end. I’m not worried, but the Mara skeptics have a little more ammunition after this summer league run.
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I had a front row seat at the NBA Draft Combine scrimmages, and was surprised to see Dailyn Swain on the court. The combine scrimmages are typically only for fringe draft picks, and by this point Swain had already solidified himself as a mid first-rounder. Even more surprising was that Swain did not play particularly well in a setting where he should have been the best player on the floor, showing slow and hitchy release on his jumper and looking a bit lost offensively. The Bulls were undeterred, and selected Swain at No. 15 but his struggles have continued through his first couple games in summer league.
Swain shot 3-of-10 from the floor in Chicago’s opener in Las Vegas, then shot 0-of-9 from the floor in his second game. The Bulls have indicated that they see him as a ball handler long-term, but he’s clearly struggled to handle against pressure thus far. That would be less of an issue if Swain had a reliable off-ball game, but right now his jumper looks as broken as ever. The Bulls did Swain no favors with this roster construction, failing to put a dependable point guard next to him that could handle against ball pressure and get him some easier shots. Instead, Swain has admitted he’s overthinking every move on the court. There have been some flashes of the downhill driving that popped this past season at Texas, but for now it’s clear Swain isn’t a point guard and needs to put plenty of work in on fixing his jumper.
Darius Acuff, G, Sacramento Kings
Acuff had a legendary scoring season at Arkansas, but sharp scouts noticed concerns with process on both ends of the floor. The point guard’s shot profile was pretty mid-range heavy, and while his three-point shooting numbers were excellent in the small college sample, they were more concerning if you include the high school data. Acuff’s real questions came on the defensive end, where he didn’t show much effort in addition to having poor tools. These concerns have continued in summer league, where Acuff has posted underwhelming scoring efficiency and ghastly defensive tape while still showing the talent that made him a certain lottery pick.
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Acuff hasn’t done anything to show that his NBA defense will be better than the level he showed in college. So far, lazy closeouts, spacey off-ball defense, and a lack of hustle have been all over the tape. It often feels like he’s not actively engaged in the game when his team doesn’t have the ball. There’s going to be a high bar to meet offensively for a guard who is this poor on defense, and Acuff hasn’t been close to it yet. He’s scored 78 points on 82 shots through four games. His decision-making hasn’t been great as a passer either with 18 assists to 14 turnovers. I was way low on Acuff on my mid-season board before he started to win me over by consistently delivering in big games at Arkansas. Will the Kings ever play in any big games while he’s on the team? I hope so, because that fanbase deserves better.
Wagler hasn’t made anything look easy in summer league. The No. 5 pick has struggled to create separation off the dribble, he hasn’t been a plus with his playmaking, and he’s basically a non-factor on the glass. Wagler’s 8.2 PER is the worst of any top-10 pick through two summer league games despite getting hot in the second half against Utah in his second game. The athletic concerns entering the draft appear to be valid for now. Wagler just doesn’t have a lot of burst as a ball handler, and even some of his effective drives have been pretty ugly. He got dusted by Darryn Peterson on a couple occasions, including on the No. 2 pick’s poster slam where he struggled to get under a screen. With five assists and four turnovers, he looks better suited for shooting guard than point guard at the moment. Wagler has admitted that leaving Illinois’ five-out system has been challenging, and I suspected that would be the case entering the draft. Wagler is naturally going to add muscle to his thin frame as he goes on in the league, and being in an NBA strength and conditioning program should be very good for him long-term. The Clippers can give him both on-ball and off-ball reps this year, and that should be good for his development. When the off-the-dribble shot-making is falling, Wagler looks terrific. He’s far from a finished product, but Clippers fans should still be feeling encouraged long-term.
Anderson should have a shot to be Coby White’s backup as a rookie after the Hornets traded LaMelo Ball, but he’s looked pretty far away from being a real contributor during his summer league run. Through three games, Anderson has been unable to catch a rhythm with his shot while struggling with turnovers and not doing much on the defensive end. Anderson had a reputation as one of the draft’s best shooters, but his inability to play to contact inside the arc means he’s settling for a lot of tough pull-up threes right now, which has hurt his scoring efficiency (43.2 percent true shooting). I liked his live-dribble passing at Texas Tech, but the passing windows haven’t been there yet, and it’s resulted in a 6.7 percent assist rate compared to a 20.1 percent turnover rate. Anderson isn’t too big or too athletic, so it’s hard to expect him to be a monster driving to the rim. That means he’s likely going to have to live off tough shots. It’s a good thing the Hornets are one of the best offensive rebounding teams around.
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While Brayden Burries has been arguably the most impressive rookie at summer league thus far, the Bucks’ other lottery pick Nate Ament hasn’t looked very assertive or effective. Ament has only scored 21 points in 65 minutes, and just doesn’t seem very comfortable getting into his shot yet. He knocked down a couple threes against the Suns, and focusing on spacing the floor and making an impact on defense is probably his best path forward early in his career. Ament has the frame to be a good defender in time, but he’s just not there yet. His awareness is pretty poor right now, and he can struggle with physicality. As long as Ament is a good three-point shooter, he’ll have some immediate utility on offense, and his defense should improve in time as the Bucks continue to beef him up. Until then, just enjoy the Brayden Burries show, Bucks fans.
