NBA Draft 2019: Top under the radar guards from Summer League

Which guards picked outside the first round of the 2019 NBA Draft performed the best in the Summer League? Here’s a look at the five biggest standout performers.

This review of former college standouts performances in NBA Summer League began with evaluating several big men who were making some waves. You can check that out here. That continues here looking at several impact guards, and will finish up with wing players soon.

As a reminder, this focuses primarily on players drafted in the second round and undrafted free agents from the 2019 NBA Draft.

Carsen Edwards, Boston Celtics (Purdue, #33 overall pick)

The one thing that was certain about Edwards coming into the draft was he could score, and the thinking on that has not changed coming out of the Las Vegas summer league. The former Purdue star averaged 19.4 points per game on 48% shooting, including going 21 of 45 from three across five games. Defensively, he looked about as expected, mostly in the right place at the right time but definitely beatable. The largest knock is how Edwards looked as a playmaker. Whether he started or came off the bench, there was often another point guard orchestrating the offense. The shooting stroke will undoubtedly give him a role in the NBA, but Edwards will likely need to improve his playmaking so he can be more of a point guard than a shooting guard for a Celtics team that is looking to replace Terry Rozier’s backup minutes.

Tremont Waters, Boston Celtics (LSU,  #51 overall pick)

Waters appears to be another contender for those backup minutes in Boston. Starting every game the Celtics played in summer league and leading them in minutes, he averaged 11.2 points per game on 38% shooting. But he also averaged nearly five assists per game while looking competent commanding the offense, and looked to be capable defensively at the point of attack, snagging two steals a game. It was a little surprising to see Waters be the more capable floor general between he and Edwards, but with a two-way deal, he’ll have some chances in the regular season to show this is really who he is.

Kyle Guy, Sacramento Kings (Virginia, #55 overall pick)

Guy’s detractors would have told you he was another in a list of excellent college guards who didn’t possess the requisite athleticism to succeed in the NBA, but that seems to not be the case, at least offensively. Starting three games in the California Classic and four in Las Vegas, Guy shot 38% from the floor during summer league, but was also shooting 39.5% from three before a 1/9 outing in his final game. The defense and all around game questions persist for the time being, but Guy showed that, at a minimum, he can find space and hit shots against NBA level athletes, which should be enough to get him some minutes as a rookie on a two-way contract.

Chris Clemons, Houston Rockets (Campbell, Undrafted)

Clemons made 10 shots in his first two summer league games for the Rockets. All 10 of them were threes. And he didn’t slow down, averaging 20.8 points per game while starting all 5 games the Rockets played in Vegas. He’s got some of the same questions as Edwards in terms of facilitation, but I think that can be more easily written off to role in Clemons’ case, as he was playing alongside a more established professional point guard in Chris Chiozza. The real worries coming out of Campbell were his height and level of competition, but those are two things that can be overcome with shooting and athleticism. It would appear Clemons has more than enough of those two things to earn an extended shot in the NBA, be it Houston or elsewhere.

Zach Norvell Jr., LA Lakers (Gonzaga, Undrafted)

Norvell led the Lakers in minutes in both Sacramento and Las Vegas, and was their most consistent player across summer league. Even in the moments his shot wasn’t falling, he showed ability as a playmaker and defender. He might not have the skills set to be a lead ball handler, even on backup units, but he has the skills and size to defend multiple positions, which should give him the positional flexibility and a chance to work his way onto a Lakers roster that is likely to be in flux year to year or even in season as they try to piece together a contender around Lebron and Anthony Davis.

Luguentz Dort, Oklahoma City Thunder (Arizona State, Undrafted)

Dort signed a two-way contract with the Thunder almost immediately after the draft in June, giving the appearance that he was on some draft boards but postured against signing any deal had he been picked in the second round so he could have more of a say in choosing his destination. The reigning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year settled with Oklahoma City, a team whose roster is now very different from the day he signed. In Vegas, Dort was inconsistent from the perimeter, hitting only three three-pointers across five games, but his strength and athleticism was showcased in his 49% shooting from the field.

OKC is setting up for a rebuild, and someone with the long term potential of Dort will likely be in play to earn a larger role in the future, or even soak up minutes in the short term should the Thunder tank.