The first weekend of NBA Summer League in Las Vegas had some big names, plenty of notable performances … and a surprising altercation.
Let’s break down who rose to the occasion and who fell flat.
Because of the immense hype surrounding Washington’s AJ Dybantsa and Utah’s Darryn Peterson, it’s somewhat understandable that other performances from lottery talent fell by the wayside — even though Summer League did feel kind of meh this go-round. But even with that sentiment, it’s difficult to watch Johnson and not come away utterly impressed.
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Johnson, who played for Mavericks head coach Dusty May at Michigan, should instantly become a fan favorite. He runs the floor extremely well and utilizes his physicality at both ends with a non-stop motor. The more I observe him, the more I see shades of Serge Ibaka (soft touch), Montrezl Harrell (motor and athleticism) and Jonathan Isaac (defensive skill set). His chase-down speed, timing and first leap already look pro-ready. And 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting, 8 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 blocks in his debut is … not bad!
Now, Vegas basketball isn’t the most accurate pool of data to draw conclusions from, but there are absolutely scalable attributes shown now that will manifest itself once the actual games start. One of these is stop rate, a combination of steals, recovered blocks and drawn charges, where Johnson is currently in the 9th percentile among all players. He’ll definitely need to clean up some of his wild forays into opposing defenses and I’d like to see him clean his shot profile up somewhat — again, it’s July and he’s 20 years old — but there’s a lot to love here. There also seems to be a clear path to immediate playing time, with Dereck Lively’s foot issues still keeping him without a timetable for a return and the rumblings of Daniel Gafford’s dwindling future with the club.
Winners: Kingston Flemings and Darius Acuff Jr.
Along similar lines, evaluating guard play in July can be very tricky. I’d argue that even more context is needed here than at other positions, simply due to offensive workload and how point guards are tasked with organizing individuals they’ve never met and the general talent level.
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With that being said, I’m impressed with how Flemmings and Acuff handled playmaking duties for the most part. This most recent postseason campaign reinforced the importance of paint touches, rim attacks and the creation domino effect. Both guards showed an ability to burst into space with varying angles (80th percentile in rim rate for Acuff, 92nd for Flemmings), and more importantly they have generated opportunities for others off those attempts (97th and 98th percentile in rim assists). Couple that with overall healthy assist rates and assist-to-usage and assist-to-turnover rates, and you have yourself quality prospects that should do well in developmental environments. Acuff’s path to success might be more arduous than Flemings’ because of Sacramento (I’m not as worried about the former’s shooting woes/shot selection right now than others), but I’m purchasing as much stock as I can on both islands.
Loser: Summer League news cycle
I’d imagine there was a large subsection of media members, hoops lovers and league individuals alike who expected some major news to break over the first weekend — I’m strictly referring to LeBron James and “The Decision 2.0” — and not updates on the Kawhi Leonard-to-Toronto trade or former teammates getting into physical altercations.
While a trade being held up pending an investigation sounds like a first, and getting mushed in the face over words is the most Vegas thing ever, it feels like the entire league is in a holding pattern until James makes his choice on his next and probably final team. Per multiple reports, all interested parties have made their pitches known, and LeBron and his camp have all the necessary information. I still don’t get the real appeal elsewhere outside of going back to Cleveland where it all began (although seeing him team up with an aged Steph Curry would be a sight to behold) or teaming with Tyrese Maxey, Jaylen Brown and Joel Embiid in an effort to dethrone the Knicks.
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We’re still unclear of a landing spot for Jonathan Kuminga — league sources insist he’s seeking a new home with the Lakers — and we don’t know what new contracts for the likes of James Harden and Jalen Duren look like. DeMar DeRozan is also a free agent now after escaping parting ways with Sacramento. Let’s wrap this up!
I’m not exactly sure what his role in Houston will be — the Rockets’ backcourt seems crowded at a glance and gleaning from some of his postgame comments, he could spend some time in the G League. But there’s something about small guards that just get it. There’s nothing overly flashy about his approach. He’s a microwave scorer who just seems to fit what the Rockets need like a glove: healthy 3-point rate (93rd percentile), efficient conversion (42.9% from deep), decent enough playmaker and snarky on-ball defender, and he sounds like a leader. How this kid managed to fall out of the first round (31st overall out of Ohio State) is bizarre, but head coach Ime Udoka, who had an up close view of the rookie last week, looked impressed.
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Losers: In-game interviews with NBA head coaches
In a world where LeBron decides against a return to the Cavaliers, the world will point to Kenny Atkinson and the veiled interview he gave, almost hinting at a favorable outcome for the organization in regards to James. I get the appeal of grabbing current coaches while their Summer League teams play, but they’re typically less-than-insightful. And on the off chance they do offer soomething, the risk may not be worth the squeeze. I’m fine without them.
