NBA Draft 2019: Under the radar wings from Summer League play

There are some versatile forwards from the NBA Draft that had to prove themselves in the Summer League. Which rookies stood out the most?

This is the final piece in a series touching on notable former collegiate standouts fighting for spots in the NBA Summer League, looking at a handful of wings/forwards. This position is one with some of the highest variance and importance. The NBA has a glut of point guards, and centers struggle to carve out roles, but there can be anywhere from 3-5 wing-sized players on the floor at a time, so hitting on them, even as role players as opposed to stars, can swing a team’s roster balance.

You can see the previous pieces on bigs here and guards here. Again, for clarification, this is focusing on players selected in the second round or who went undrafted from the 2019 NBA Draft.

Cody Martin, Charlotte Hornets (Nevada #36 overall pick)

Martin was the only draft pick off an extremely strong Nevada team despite being their third leading scorer, behind Jordan Caroline and his twin Caleb. His all around game and ability to fill a role were his best attributes coming into the draft, and those were put to use in summer league as he started all 5 games for the Hornets. He averaged 8.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, which isn’t exactly eye popping. But Martin’s ability to contribute to winning basketball without needing to have the ball constantly was why he got minutes in Las Vegas, and gives him a chance to get on the floor for a moribund Charlotte team.

Isaiah Roby, Dallas Mavericks (Nebraska #45 overall pick)

The first Cornhusker drafted in 20 years, Roby’s best chance to stick in the NBA will be the ability to defend multiple positions, but he’ll need to show some offensive tools along with that, namely hitting open jumpers. Leading the Mavericks in minutes during summer league, he had ample opportunity, and showed enough to not play himself off the court. The shooting question persisted, as Roby hit just three of his 13 attempts from three, but he looked comfortable taking them. It’s easy to see the weak parts of his game improving, giving him a chance to carve out a role eventually on a Dallas team that will be capped out in just a couple of years after Luka Doncic’s extension.

Amir Coffey, LA Clippers (Minnesota Undrafted)

Coffey was the leading wing scorer in summer league for the Clippers, despite the presence of 2018 lottery pick Jerome Robinson on the roster, averaging almost 15 points per game. Coffey has the size and athleticism to defend 2-4 spots in the NBA, and now it looks like he’ll have enough offense to be a useful piece. The Clippers liked what they saw enough to give Coffey a two-way deal in Vegas, but the nature of their roster makes it hard to see him finding minutes throughout the regular season barring injuries. A good year in the G-League could lead to more substantial opportunities in the future.

Daquan Jeffries, Orlando Magic (Tulsa Undrafted)

Three and D players are the most valuable type of role player in the modern NBA. Jeffries looked to likely have a chance on the defensive end coming out of the draft, and gave much more reason for hope on his offensive game translating well in summer league. He averaged 13.2 points per game, including a game against the Miami Heat where he went 5-6 from three. It’s far from a sure thing that his whole game will be this effective in NBA regular season, but His combination of skills is interesting enough that it’s likely someone takes a shot with a two-way deal, even if the Magic don’t.

Jaylen Hoard, Portland Trailblazers (Wake Forest Undrafted)

Hoard’s ideal position is power forward, and that just happens to be the position with the most questions on the Trailblazers depth chart going into this season. With his high level finishing on display in his 55% shooting percentage, Hoard also looked comfortable in a modern defensive role, ably defending both in the post and on the perimeter. It may take some time for him to fully form into what he’ll be, but on a two-way deal with a team that has a need at his position, Hoard’s path to NBA relevance is easy to envision.

Miye Oni, Utah Jazz (Yale Undrafted)

Coming from the Ivy league to the NBA, sometimes the most important thing you can do in summer league is look like you belong. Oni did that in his second game in Salt Lake City, scoring 17 points and going four of eight from three. He followed that up averaging just over eight points per game across five games in Vegas.

A good shooter who doesn’t have any obvious major holes in his game has a chance to be a rotation player early. After signing a three-year deal with Utah, the onus will be on Oni to keep from having any major weaknesses exposed if he wants to see regular season minutes consistently.