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1 month ago
1) Portland whitethorn beryllium geniuses
The Portland Trailblazers were nan butt of each draught nighttime joke erstwhile they took China’s 7ft 1in nan Hansen, who had been wide projected arsenic a second-round pick, astatine No 16 overall. But it appears nan joke whitethorn beryllium connected nan remainder of nan NBA, astatine slightest if Vegas Summer League is immoderate indication. Hansen was unequivocally nan communicative of nan week, impressing pinch his high-level violative skillset, and, successful particular, his aptitude for passing and facilitation, an different trait for personification his size that has garnered him comparisons to 1 Nikola Jokić. Despite a ton of attraction from world media (Hansen is already getting monolithic amounts of property backmost location successful China), nan jovial 20-year-old appears to person a bully caput connected his shoulders, too. He told Ben Golliver of nan Washington Post this week: “There’s a saying successful my heart, don’t interest astir thing that’s much than 8 hours away. And moreover if it’s wrong 8 hours, don’t interest excessively much.”
2) Cooper Flagg is arsenic bully arsenic advertised
Heading into a scalding basking week successful nan desert, nan talk of nan municipality was a teen from Maine, and he proved his mettle successful his 2 Summer League appearances. There was an astronomical magnitude of hype astir nan No 1 wide prime starring into his Dallas Mavericks debut, and while nan shots didn’t commencement falling until his 2nd game, each nan signs of personification who will almost surely beryllium a highly impactful NBA subordinate were location from tip-off. Flagg is incredibly well-rounded: he tin create, score, pass, and take sides astatine a precocious level, and he showcased a small spot of everything successful Vegas. Posting 31 points and 4 rebounds successful his 2nd (and final) Summer League quality against nan San Antonio Spurs, Flagg showed why galore scouts person called him nan astir promising assemblage imaginable since Zion Williamson. And pinch Flagg’s reported maniacal activity ethic, his profession is primed to easy clear his chap Duke alum’s.
3) Bronny James is an NBA player
It’s been a rollercoaster commencement to his NBA profession for Bronny James, who saw his little assemblage hoops tenure astatine USC interrupted by a cardiac arrest and past faced much disapproval than possibly immoderate precocious second-round draught prime successful convention history. It moreover brought astir a feud betwixt LeBron James and Stephen A Smith, erstwhile nan ESPN blowhard scolded Bronny’s begetter connected tv for, he purported, forcing his boy into a spotlight for which he was woefully unqualified (“I’m pleading pinch you, arsenic a father, extremity this,” Smith said). Bronny didn’t person a peculiarly awesome first play successful nan league, to beryllium sure. But betwixt his clip successful nan G League past twelvemonth and his stint for nan Lakers successful Vegas this year, 1 point is becoming clear: he has upside arsenic an NBA domiciled player. For overmuch of nan week, James Jr was nan Lakers’ standout player, flashing awesome playmaking and athleticism that recalled his days arsenic a highly touted precocious schoolhouse enlistee earlier his myocardial infarction. Perhaps Mr Smith said excessively soon.
4) San Antonio person an embarrassment of riches astatine guard
Flagg is evidently nan frontrunner to triumph rookie of nan twelvemonth this season, but location is simply a non-zero chance that a San Antonio Spur could return nan grant for nan 3rd twelvemonth running, which is beautiful damned remarkable. Dylan Harper, nan Rutgers defender who nan Spurs drafted 2nd overall, showcased why San Antonio person a chance astatine a ROTY three-peat. Harper missed nan opening of Summer League pinch a groin injury, but successful his marquee match-up against Flagg, he showcased nan protect strength and constituent of onslaught chops that make nan defender specified an intriguing prospect. At 6ft 5in, he has awesome size for his position, and his finishing astir nan handbasket is already impressive.
5) Denver are sitting pretty
Just a twelvemonth ago, I predicted that nan Denver Nuggets – NBA champions only a fewer seasons agone and location to Jokić, wide regarded arsenic nan champion subordinate successful nan world – were connected nan brink of a disastrous season. After all, not only had they fto yet different cardinal constituent of their title halfway (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) locomotion retired nan doorway for nothing, but nan level spacing large man, DaRon Holmes II, who they’d drafted conscionable a fewer weeks earlier to beryllium Jokić’s backup, suffered a harrowing achilles tear successful his Summer League debut and was retired indefinitely. What a quality a twelvemonth tin make: Denver were capable to make immoderate shrewd free-agency moves and person Jonas Valanciunas not to wantonness vessel for Europe. And a twelvemonth aft his devastating little limb injury, Holmes hasn’t conscionable picked up wherever he near off, he whitethorn person exceeded expectations, grabbing a staggering 17 rebounds and adding 19 points successful his last crippled successful Vegas.
6) Keep an oculus connected nan Hornets
No squad tin beryllium nan laughing banal of nan convention for ever, but nan Charlotte Hornets person held nan favoritism for astir arsenic agelong arsenic humanly possible. But their position seems primed to change, and not conscionable because nan franchise won its first ever Summer League Championship past play (or title of immoderate kind, for that matter). Under new, Jumpman-less ownership, nan Hornets yet look to person a direction: hiring ace smart and beloved caput coach Charles Lee, appearing to nail nan draught prime of guardant Brandon Miller a mates of years back, and having a beautiful stellar draught this twelvemonth arsenic well. They scooped up UConn’s Liam McNeeley, who was 1 of nan biggest Vegas standouts, alongside Duke’s Kon Knueppel, who sewage immoderate radiance of his ain erstwhile his clutch play netted him Summer League Championship Game MVP honors. Knueppel was successful Flagg’s protector for astir of his 1 and done play astatine Duke, but he’s cerebral, skilled and a crafty scorer, and should beryllium instantly impactful for nan Hornets. Suddenly things don’t look truthful bleak successful North Carolina.
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