The famous saying that goes with NBA Summer League is “You can’t tell who will be a good NBA player, but you sure could tell who won’t be a good NBA player.” As true as that is, every year teams decide to put some of their rising studs on their summer league roster to either watch for their development, hope to see them dominate, or even try and use summer league as trade bait. Although for fans, getting to watch some of the leagues rising stars in Summer League is awesome, it is pretty stupid to see some of these guys out here since their talent and NBA-experience level is so much higher than the people they are playing against.
Last year, guys like Jaylen Brown and Jamal Murray put on shows during their stint in Vegas that got their hometown fans hyped for what the season would show. If these guys turn out anything like last year’s men among boys, some NBA fans have a lot to look forward too. Get in today on these guys with Pennsylvania sports betting.
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John Collins- PF/C Wake Forest Demon Deacons/Atlanta Hawks:
Collins should be no surprise to whomever watched last year’s NBA Summer League. Last year Collins made a name for himself, and had a lot of NBA junkies putting him as the dark horse candidate to win the Rookie of the Year award before the season. Well, although Collins didn’t have a rookie season quite like Ben Simmons or Donovan Mitchell, he showed flashes of the type of force he can be.
Collins is a complete beast inside the paint, whether it’s finishing around the rim, corralling an offensive board over two defenders, or swatting any shot that comes in sight. Additionally, it has been nice to see Collins show off his new three point shot. Collins is shooting 50% from behind the arc in his two Summer League games on 10 combined attempts. Collins has shown signs of becoming the modern day prototypical small-ball center and has absolutely no business playing here in Vegas.
Jonathan Isaac- F Florida State Seminoles/Orlando Magic:
Many forgot about Isaac after his injury-riddled rookie season, but boy if you forgot about him, just watch five minutes of Magic summer league- you’ll remember him quickly. He’s a 6’’10 wing who can do all on both sides of the floor. Watching his game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday night is a perfect example. Isaac guarded Jaren Jackson all game, holding him to 1-9 shooting, he blocked five shots and displayed great passing from the top of the key and a sweet shooting stroke.
His three point shot has struggled a bit here this summer, but it hasn’t affected his ability to be the best player on the floor for every game he’s played in so far. After 10 years of draft busts, pu-pu-platters and much worse, Magic fans have reasons to get excited about the idea of a Isaac and Bamba frontcourt pairing.
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Josh Hart- G Villanova Wildcats/Los Angeles Lakers:
Not the player on the Lakers who’s been getting the most media attention the past few weeks, but one who definitely should be getting some of it. Hart has been the best guard in Summer League play thus far and it doesn’t look like that’ll change any time soon. Hart has a beautiful three point shot that can be taken both off catch and shoot or a pull up in transition. Hart was a good injury-filler for the Lakers this past season, putting up good numbers with Lonzo Ball and others on the bench.
I don’t know why the Lakers decided to play him this Summer League with Kyle Kuzma and Lonzo Ball both enjoying their summer breaks. It begs for the conspiracy theory that Hart’s being played out there to dominate in front of San Antonio scouts. You heard it here first folks.
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It goes without saying that even though these guys have dominated Summer League, it’s no indication of how they’ll do during the regular season. However, it’s definitely a good sign and it does a good job of hyping up fan bases during the dry summer months where only baseball’s on TV. If your team wasn’t mentioned and you need a reason to get excited in early July, my Twitter is @JJ_Zakheim. I’ll try my best to help you out.
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