Las Vegas, NV – Here’s our look at the top ten non-rookie performers from the recently completed Las Vegas NBA Summer League.
1. Glen Rice Jr., Washington Wizards: Rice Jr. was named the MVP of the Las Vegas Summer League after leading the event in scoring. He averaged 25 points and 7.8 rebounds per game for Washington after a lackluster rookie season. After playing in only 11 games as a rookie, Rice Jr. played with a chip on his shoulder and now looks ready to contribute as a bench scorer. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard is a quality three-point shooter and eclipsed the 20-point mark in all six of his outings.
Glen Rice Jr.
2. Donatas Motiejunas, Houston Rockets: The Lithuanian prospect averaged 16.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game in Vegas. He’s a nice scorer on the post who can finish with either hand. The 7-footer can also step out and knock down the three at a fairly consistent rate. Montiejunas runs the floor well and has the skill set of a stretch four with the size of a center. He saw decent playing time last season and looks ready to continue his bench role.
3. Tony Snell, Chicago Bulls: Snell looked confident shooting the ball in Vegas. He was 17-of-34 (50%) from three-point range and averaged 20 points per game. The 6-foot-7 wing is a high energy defender who plays with plenty of energy. He could be Chicago’s sixth man next season.
4. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks: Antetokounmpo lived up to his “Greek Freak” nickname in Vegas. At 6-foot-11, he ran the point for long stretches and was effective in the pick-and-roll. He’s a lengthy athlete who did a good job attacking the rim. Antetokounmpo can also knock down the three consistently, shooting 6-of-16 (37.5%) from behind the arc. He averaged 17 points and 5.8 rebounds in four games.
Donatas Motiejunas
5. Tim Hardaway Jr., New York Knicks: After making the All-Rookie First Team last season, Hardaway Jr. continued to impress. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard wasn’t afraid to find his own offense in Vegas and averaged 22.8 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting. He’s primarily a three-point shooter for the Knicks, shown in his 16-of-42 (38%) display from deep, but expanded his scoring arsenal in the summer league.
6. C.J. McCollum, Portland Trailblazers: McCollum battled a foot injury for a good part of his rookie season, but now looks healthy and ready to contribute for Portland. He had no issues finding his offense, averaging 20.2 points per game on 47.9% shooting. McCollum looked like the smooth scorer he was at Lehigh while he also averaged 3.2 rebounds per contest. The 6-foot-3 guard is still seen as a combo guard as he averaged more turnovers (2.4) than assists (2.0) in Vegas. He’s a good ball handler and excellent scorer who can improve his decision making.
7. Otto Porter, Washington Wizards: Last year’s third overall pick had a disappointing rookie season, but showed it’s far too soon to write him off. The 6-foot-8 small forward averaged 19 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field. Porter was 7-of-18 (38.9%) from three-point range but was impressive attacking the rim off the bounce. While he’s not a great athlete, Porter is a skilled small forward.
8. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz: The lengthy, 7-foot-1 center is still somewhat of a project, but showed nice progress in Vegas. He averaged 11.8 points per game on 19-of-26 (73.1%) shooting. All of his looks came near the basket, but his biggest contributions came on the defensive end of the floor. He used his size, athleticism, and wingspan to protect the rim and block 2.5 shots per game while he altered plenty of others. Gobert also pulled down 9.8 rebounds per game.
Rudy Gobert
9. Gorgui Dieng, Minnesota Timberwolves: Dieng averaged a double-double in Vegas with 11.5 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. As a 6-foot-11 big man, Dieng can step away and knock down a mid-range jumper. He also protects the paint, shown in his 1.7 blocks per game. Dieng had a quality rookie season and could see a bigger role if Kevin Love is eventually shipped.
10. Isaiah Canaan, Houston Rockets: Canaan played with an infectious swagger in Vegas. He averaged 17.3 points and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 36-of-89 (40.4%) from the field. The 6-foot point guard was able to create his own shot or knock down the open three. He was 11-of-30 (36.7%) from behind the arc but was at his best when using his quickness to attack the rim. His highlight from Vegas was when he took Andrew Wiggins 1-on-1 off the dribble for the game-clinching layup.
Cameron Schott is a Correspondent for NetScouts Basketball. You can subscribe to our RSS feed from the upper right corner of our home page, follow us on Facebook, or on twitter.
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