The NBA draft has come and gone, free agency continues to blow in the wind, fireworks have popped off, hot dogs have been consumed. That only means one thing: it’s time for Summer League.
While the California Classic and SLC Summer League delivered a hint of what’s to come, the main event is here: 31 games in Las Vegas from Thursday to Sunday and then the action just keeps pouring in next week.
No matter how you feel about Summer League, it’s hard to deny it’s continued growth. As a matter of fact, when I played at UNLV (yes I did, yes it was a long time ago, please respect my privacy), there were moments where you could walk through Thomas & Mack Center and ******* Pavilion unbothered. Those days are long gone; it’s highly likely that anybody who is anybody will pop up and that anybody who wants to be somebody will be along for the ride. There’s an energy that’s hard to explain; the polos, the notebooks, the shuffle between arenas. The mix of Summer League veterans and people experiencing it for the first time delivers a unique charm.
Part of the charm is how much Summer League is about opportunity. There is the obvious nature of the headlining rookies — AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, Caleb Wilson, etc. — showcasing what they can do (and starting the weekend trying to do it against each other). It goes beyond that, though. There is a chance for returning players to focus in on different aspects of their game in a different role and a different context. There’s value in being able to get more on-ball reps, to carry more of a responsibility on both ends of the floor. You can lay a foundation that could pay off down the line.
How does that serve a defense and energy-first guy like the Lakers’ Adou Thiero? Do the extra opportunities give more wiggle room for Boston’s Hugo Gonzalez or San Antonio’s Carter Bryant to build on top of the things that earned them rotation minutes as rookies? Is this the right environment for Utah’s Cody Williams to build on the aggression he showed early last season? Can Orlando’s Jase Richardson show the flashes are hiding just how bright he could become?
While the California Classic and SLC Summer League delivered a hint of what’s to come, the main event is here: 31 games in Las Vegas from Thursday to Sunday and then the action just keeps pouring in next week.
No matter how you feel about Summer League, it’s hard to deny it’s continued growth. As a matter of fact, when I played at UNLV (yes I did, yes it was a long time ago, please respect my privacy), there were moments where you could walk through Thomas & Mack Center and ******* Pavilion unbothered. Those days are long gone; it’s highly likely that anybody who is anybody will pop up and that anybody who wants to be somebody will be along for the ride. There’s an energy that’s hard to explain; the polos, the notebooks, the shuffle between arenas. The mix of Summer League veterans and people experiencing it for the first time delivers a unique charm.
Part of the charm is how much Summer League is about opportunity. There is the obvious nature of the headlining rookies — AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cam Boozer, Caleb Wilson, etc. — showcasing what they can do (and starting the weekend trying to do it against each other). It goes beyond that, though. There is a chance for returning players to focus in on different aspects of their game in a different role and a different context. There’s value in being able to get more on-ball reps, to carry more of a responsibility on both ends of the floor. You can lay a foundation that could pay off down the line.
How does that serve a defense and energy-first guy like the Lakers’ Adou Thiero? Do the extra opportunities give more wiggle room for Boston’s Hugo Gonzalez or San Antonio’s Carter Bryant to build on top of the things that earned them rotation minutes as rookies? Is this the right environment for Utah’s Cody Williams to build on the aggression he showed early last season? Can Orlando’s Jase Richardson show the flashes are hiding just how bright he could become?
4 months ago
