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Paolo Banchero's superstar trajectory, Keegan Murray's impact among biggest overreactions from NBA Summer League 2022

Gilbert McGregor

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Paolo Banchero's superstar trajectory, Keegan Murray's impact among biggest overreactions from NBA Summer League 2022 image

After 11 days and 75 games, the NBA's Summer League in Las Vegas is over. The Trail Blazers have been crowned champions, Trendon Watford was named MVP of the title game and Keegan Murray was named MVP of the league.

With Summer League in our rearview, there are now a few months of idle time before teams reconvene for their respective training camps at the end of September. So, what can we do to pass the time? That's right, we can overreact!

MORE: Details behind the first-ever Summer League championship rings

Thanks to Summer League, we now have enough small sample sizes from a controlled environment to really take it to the extreme when making projections moving forward — from the top picks in the draft to the futures of some of the league's franchises.

Without further ado, let's get to it.

MORE: Winners and losers of Las Vegas Summer League

Paolo Banchero will have the most decorated career of the 2022 rookie class

It didn't take very long for Banchero to show why he was selected first overall in this year's draft.

He imposed his will as a scorer, showed off his skill as a playmaker and displayed an innate ability to lead with his communication skills. As a result, he earned high praise from the basketball world, including four-time champion Draymond Green, who always calls it like he sees it.

MORE: Draymond Green predicts stardom for Paolo Banchero

Banchero was shut down after two games but not before he posted averages of 20.0 points, 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 16 of 20 from the free throw line and 2 of 4 from 3-point range.

Yes, Banchero is going to have a fine career as Orlando's franchise player, but somehow he's now being placed on a higher pedestal than his draft counterparts as if the question of who would go No. 1 didn't come down to the final minute.

Banchero has shown plenty of promise already, but it's a marathon, not a sprint.

Jabari Smith Jr. is going to need time to figure it out

After everyone thought Smith would go No. 1 to Orlando, he ended up "falling" to Houston at No. 3. And because he didn't wow everyone like the top two picks Banchero and Chet Holmgren, the drop makes sense, right?

Not quite.

Smith didn't have the flashy highlights and his 25.9 percent shooting from beyond the arc won't strum up much excitement, but come on. Just because the No. 3 pick didn't stand out doesn't mean that he wasn't good.

The numbers and highlights don't necessarily spell out the impact that Smith was able to have on the defensive end, where he impressed TSN's Stephen Noh, who was on hand for the action in Vegas. 

We've seen players with much worse showings in Vegas figure things out once their rookie year rolls around. Smith has a bunch of young players to grow with in Houston and the pressure to perform won't be too high at all.

MORE: Every team's best player at Las Vegas Summer League

The Knicks and Trail Blazers have the brightest futures of teams in Vegas

Each team made it to the championship so it has to be true, right?

New York enjoyed the First Team All Summer League play of Quentin Grimes, who led a young group that also featured Deuce McBride, highflying center Jericho Sims and rookie Trevor Keels. Add those guys to a group that already features a few young impact players in RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin, and you've got something to consider.

On the other side of things, Portland won the title without its most recent lottery pick! (More on that momentarily.)

MORE: NBA announces All-Summer League First, Second Teams

Watford, second-year guard Brandon Williams and rookie Jabari Walker made for quite the trio for the Blazers, who were only able to enjoy moments of Shaedon Sharpe's presence. The team also has Greg Brown, Keon Johnson, Nassir Little and Anfernee Simons making up its young core.

With all of that in mind, it's worth noting that these two teams made it to the title game with a 3-1 record — the same mark that six other teams reached. Both franchises have plenty of reasons to be excited, but with teams like the Pelicans, Thunder and Rockets boasting impressive young cores, just temper the expectations a bit.

MORE: Which of the NBA's rebuilding teams has the best young core?

Keegan Murray will have the biggest impact of any rookie in the 2022-23 season

He was named Summer League MVP, after all. 

While many tabbed Murray as the fifth-best prospect in the draft behind Purdue's Jaden Ivey, Murray went a spot ahead of his fellow All-Big 10 performer, going fourth overall to Sacramento. After many attributed the choice to the Kings being the Kings, Murray showed and proved during his time in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

MORE: Keegan Murray gives Kings reason for optimism

With his averages of 22.0 points and 7.3 rebounds, many have begun to jump to the other extreme, thinking that Murray's play over the summer indicates that he is the readiest to have a Day 1 impact.

Murray might prove to be readier than any of his counterparts, but let's allow them to get a training camp under their belts before anything else.

This is the least durable draft class in recent memory

There's nothing like watching top 10 picks from the draft go at it in the Summer League, right? That is until they're scrapped from the lineup.

Injuries remain an unfortunate reality of the game and caution reigns supreme with young players, but here's a quick rundown of the misfortune that Vegas brought some notable 2022 rookies:

  • Ivey, the No. 5 pick, was shut down five minutes into his second game after spraining his ankle
  • Sharpe, the No. 7 pick, suffered a torn labrum less than six minutes into his summer debut
  • Dyson Daniels, the No. 8 pick, sprained his ankle eight minutes into his summer debut
  • No. 9 pick Jeremy Sochan missed the entirety of the Summer League as a precaution after time in health and safety protocols

Without top-10 players suiting up, the luster was taken from a number of matchups.

It's important to remember that these teams are acting in the best interest of their player to think big picture and not in terms of winning a Summer League title. With the exception of Sharpe, whose injury could prove to be much more serious, ankles and conditioning concerns wouldn't necessarily hold the likes of Daniels, Ivey or Sochan out of a meaningful game.

When it's time to gear up for the 82-game season, we can trust that these guys we'll be ready to go.

If Summer League action taught us anything, it's that the league will be even better once this next generation of stars adds to it.

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.