NBA scout reveals what he loved (and didn't love) from 10 players who shined at Summer League

Sean Deveney

NBA scout reveals what he loved (and didn't love) from 10 players who shined at Summer League image

There is always the caveat, after more than two weeks of Summer League basketball in the NBA, that what you just witnessed does not count for much. The stars of Summer League so often are swept into the league’s dustbin — one of the great all-time Summer-Leaguers, after all, was Anthony Randolph, who is sometimes known by his nickname, Anthony Who?

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OK, now that the caveat is done with, we can say this: There is a lot to be excited about in this year’s rookie class coming out of Summer League play, far more than we’ve seen in recent Julys. Despite a minor ankle injury to No. 1 pick Markelle Fultz, the top picks almost to a man comported themselves nicely. And the vaunted depth of the 2017 draft seemed to be validated by some stellar showings by lower picks.

We caught up with a league scout to get his views on the 10 rookies who made the biggest marks on Summer League this year — what he loved about their performance, and what he didn’t love so much.

Lonzo Ball, Lakers

Numbers: 16.3 points, 9.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds

Loved: “Look, the passing we knew about. His ability to see the floor and create easy baskets, we knew about that. I was impressed with the other things. He is an excellent rebounder. He’s worked on a post game, too. He can post up smaller guards. We did not see that much. He has tremendous body control when he drives, he can finish off-balance. Love the passing ability, but I loved the other parts of his game.”

Didn’t love: “Defenses I saw were making things a little too easy on him. You can go under the screen on him, but you still have to pick him up aggressively on the other side. NBA defenses are going to be a lot more aware of his deep passes, too. I don’t know how often he will be able to throw those 50-footers. So he will have a lot to learn against better defenders, but so far so good with him.”

Jayson Tatum, Celtics

Numbers: 17.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, 42.2 percent shooting

Loved: “The elbow jumper. It’s just part of his natural scoring instinct. When he gets you on the elbow he can create something, he is going to move his feet 100 different ways, but he knows where he is going. He can make a fallaway from there, which is the kind of clutch, late-game move you need. Of all the things he does, that is the one that shows just how good he can be.”

Didn’t love: “He gets a little selfish out there. He won’t be able to do that with a team as talented as the Celtics. There are too many other scorers. But he does get it in his mind sometimes that he is going to take the shot, and he might use up all the clock before he throws up a dud. That is fixable, though.”

Josh Jackson, Suns

Numbers: 17.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 42.5 percent shooting

Loved: “You can do anything with this guy defensively. He can guard four positions. He has instincts, he can swallow up shooting guards with his length and his athleticism, but he is strong enough to handle 4s. His ability to get to the basket is terrific, but the way he can switch off anyone and still handle himself defensively, that is going to change things for the Suns.”

Didn’t love: “He won’t be able to live off athleticism on the offensive end in the NBA. He needs to completely rebuild his shot, I think. He is young enough that you can break him down and rebuild his jumper and probably do it pretty quickly.”

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Dennis Smith Jr., Mavericks

Numbers: 17.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 45.7 percent shooting

Loved: “He has great upper body strength for a guy his age, and that is going to serve him well in the NBA. He has the speed to beat defenders, even good ones, off the dribble. But once he gets into the lane he can handle contact and draw fouls and still have a chance to finish. That is what sets him apart.”

Didn’t love: “The perimeter shooting is the obvious flaw here. He needs to be a better 3-point shooter. He had one decent game from the outside, but you can back off him defensively. He is not confident in his shot and that showed.” (Smith was 6 of 22 from the 3-point arc.)

Donovan Mitchell, Jazz

Numbers: 28.0 points, 36.0 percent shooting

Loved: “He probably looked better in Utah than in Vegas, they shut him down early. But coming off of screens, that was where he was most impressive. He is long and deceptively big and really gives his opponents no room. So his defense is great, and we knew about that. But I really liked how easily he can curl off screens and knock down jumpers.”

Didn’t love: “He is not great when playing the 1. I thought the Jazz were smart to put him there a lot and see how he handled it. He is not a playmaker, though. He gets room for himself, he can create his own shot. But he is much more a 2 than a 1.”

Bam Adebayo, Heat

Numbers: 15.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 43.3 percent shooting

Loved: “He covers a lot of ground. He is long and athletic, but he has good self-awareness, so he can get to an empty spot before the next guy and be there in time for a block or a rebound. He has that kind of natural intelligence about playing in space. A lot of young guys don’t have that.”

Didn’t love: “I think Miami knew what it was getting with him, and that is a player who needs to add one or two things to make him serviceable offensively. He has a long and inconsistent release on his jumper, and he has to be able to fix that, or else you can ignore him on that end.”

John Collins, Hawks

Numbers: 15.4 points, 9.2 rebounds, 59.3 percent shooting

Loved: “His footwork. He got a lot of attention for the dunks, but he is in position for those dunks because of what he does with his feet. He always has a solid base, and he does not waste a step. He runs the floor, he gets to offensive rebounds and he is very good in the paint. That’s all footwork.”

Didn’t love: “You have to wonder about where he fits defensively. He is probably going to guard 4s, but he did not show that he’s ready for that. He’ll make a lot of mistakes, the question is, how does he learn from them?”

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Caleb Swanigan, Trail Blazers

Numbers: 16.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, 43.8 percent shooting

Loved: “His approach. He is an all-out player. I can see him being your first big man off the bench right away in the league. He is not going to short you on hustle. But he does have some skill, too. He can shoot the ball and he is very intelligent as a rebounder.”

Didn’t love: “Love to see him be a stretch-4, he showed some flashes of that in college. But he needs to be quicker with his outside shot and a lot more consistent.”

Kyle Kuzma, Lakers

Numbers: 21.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 51.4 percent shooting, 48.0 percent 3-point shooting

Loved: “I saw him have two bad games, really. And both times he bounces back and was really good the next time out. He has an effortless shot, and he should be able to get on the floor right away. He can stretch a defense.”

Didn’t love: “He needs work defensively, but I think a lot of that is between the ears, just understanding NBA defense. Offensively, you don’t see him put it on the floor much, just about all his shots come off of teammates creating.”

Jordan Bell, Warriors

Numbers: 5.0 points, 60.0 percent shooting, 9.0 rebounds, 2.6 blocks

Loved: “Such great hands. This is a kid who knows just what he is. He comes in and he defends. He does not get cheap blocks. He can get up and get a block from behind without fouling, and that gets into the heads of the offensive players. You think about where he is before you shoot in the lane.”

Didn’t love: “He is going to need some offense. Just something, like a 15-footer. His offensive game is pretty much just cutting to the basket. There is no room in the league now for a Ben Wallace-type.”

Sean Deveney

Sean Deveney is the national NBA writer for Sporting News and author of four books, including Facing Michael Jordan. He has been with Sporting News since his internship in 1997.