Which players took advantage of their opportunity and excelled at NBA Summer League? Here are the biggest winners – and losers – from the event.
NBA Summer League came to an end on Monday with the Memphis Grizzlies emerging as champions with a 95-92 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
But, as we all know, Summer League is not about results. It’s about players getting better, proving (or disproving) themselves and, hopefully for them, earning NBA or two-way contracts.
Summer League play should always be taken with a grain of salt. As the saying goes, Summer League doesn’t tell you who can play, but it does tell you who can’t.
For instance, Christian Wood made first-team All-Summer League last year, yet he only played in eight games for the Pelicans in 2018-19. Wade Baldwin, a second-team All-Summer League player, spent most of last season in the G-League and was waived by the Pelicans.
That said, many have used it as a springboard. Svi Mykhailiuk parlayed his play into a major role with the Pistons after he was traded, but Detroit was interested in him because of the way he played in Las Vegas. Kevin Knox proved he could be a reliable scoring option for the Knicks. The list goes on and on.
Many rookies took advantage of their opportunities over the past few weeks and have put themselves in position to earn NBA contracts or an increased role with their new respective teams. Former Gonzaga big man Brandon Clarke was named MVP of the Summer League for his play with the Grizzlies, but he largely did what he was supposed to do – his standing going into the 2019-20 season didn’t change much. Here are the six biggest winners, and two biggest losers, from the event.