As we approach the last night of the group stage, this will be the final time many of these teams compete. With a few teams still on the bubble, tonight's results could make all the difference in who advances.
Ronald Holland II #5 (DET)
Chaz Lanier #20 (DET)
Bobi Klintman #34 (DET)
Kel’el Ware #7 (MIA)
Kasparas Jakucionis #25 (MIA)
To start us off, we’ve got the Pistons and the Heat taking the court. With some solid second-year talent on both sides, this could turn into an interesting battle. The Heat have come out a bit cold in Summer League so far, going 1-2 up to this point. They did snag a win against Boston on Monday, but that won’t be enough to advance in the tournament, so this is their last game. The team itself has been fairly interesting, though. We’ve seen Ware have some excellent nights alongside Pelle Larsson and Jakucionis. As individuals, they’ve all had nights taking the leading role as well. With scoring, size, and defense, this crew is surprisingly balanced, but with Jakucinis getting shut down in the Boston game, I’m a tad worried they’re going to bench Larsson and Ware as well. If that happens, I wouldn’t be surprised if this group falls apart.
Detroit has fared a little better overall in this Summer League, going 2-1. Their only loss was against the Timberwolves, who have been dominating this year. Even in that game, their second-year players Holland and Klintman looked decent. They still need more from rookie Chaz Lanier, but as one of the most experienced players on the team, I could see him stepping up tonight. I do have some worries that the Pistons might shut down at least Holland, but even without him, I believe this team can get through. Overall, this is a tough game to call, but I’m tentatively leaning toward the Pistons.
Kam Jones #7 (IND)
Johnny Furphy #12 (IND)
Dink Pate #28 (NYK)
Pacome Dadiet #4 (NYK)
Tyler Kolek #13(NYK)
In game two, we have two groups that haven’t quite shown themselves in the Summer League. The Pacers have been decent but lack top-tier talent. Kam Jones has been their most impressive player so far. Coming out of Marquette, we knew he could score, but the question was whether it would translate, which so far, it has. In their last game against the Bulls, he scored 20 points in 26 minutes while shooting 70%. That’s impressive production, but he’ll need to perform at that level again tonight if this team has a chance. With Johnny Furphy, a second-round pick from the 2024 draft, being the only other notable player, this team isn’t stacked with NBA talent. However, going up against the Knicks, they might not be a huge problem today.
The Knicks are in a similar position to the Pacers. They’ve had a few intriguing second-round picks, but lack top-tier talent. They’ve struggled to find their scoring rhythm, with a -9 point differential in Summer League so far. Guys like Tyler Kolek and Dink Pate have tried to keep things afloat, but they’ve only managed one win against Brooklyn. Luckily for the Knicks, the Pacers have struggled on defense this year, allowing teams to average 110 points against them. I think that will give the Knicks the slightest edge tonight, especially if the Pacers sit either Jones or Furphy.
Kobe Bufkin #4 (ATL)
Asa Newell #14 (ATL)
Jaylen Wells #0 (MEM)
Cedric Coward #23 (MEM)
GG Jackson #45 (MEM)
I’m still a little surprised we’ve seen the Memphis Summer League team struggle this much. They’ve had GG Jackson and Jaylen Wells in all of these games, playing full minutes, but they’re only 1-2 so far. Both of those guys have played legit NBA minutes, with Wells earning a starting role in his rookie season last year. However, neither of them has been shooting well. The only player keeping them afloat in their last game against the Warriors was Cam Spencer, but even that wasn’t enough. With their hopes of making the Summer Tournament already gone, I’m not sure we’ll see much of Wells tonight, which will probably limit what this team can do against the Hawks.
The Hawks Summer League has gone as well as you could hope. They had to squeeze out their last win in OT against the Rockets, but Kobe Bufkin managed to get them over the hump. This is one of the few teams that can actually shoot threes. They’re hitting 36%, which for Summer League is decent. Pair that with Asa Newell dominating inside the last few games and grabbing rebounds, and you can see why this team is still undefeated. I think we’ll see Atlanta keep their guys going tonight too, with Newell and Bufkin leading the charge, which should give Atlanta the edge today.
Dylan Harper #2 (SAS)
Carter Bryant #11 (SAS)
Sion James #4 (CHA)
Kon Knueppel #7 (CHA)
Ryan Kalkbrenner #11 (CHA)
Tidjane Salaun #31 (CHA)
Liam McNeeley #33 (CHA)
I’ve gotta say, for the basketball nerds out there, this might be one of the more interesting games of the night. The Hornets have been an electric team to watch with all their young talent. They’ve brought in so many of their rostered players, with Knueppel, Salaun, and Kalkbrenner all getting minutes last game. They even have the option of bringing Sion James and Liam McNeeley off the bench. This is probably the team with the most raw talent in all of Summer League, which is why they’re 3-0 so far. It doesn’t feel like the Hornets are going to back their guys early either. As long as they don’t bench all of their players, they should be able to compete against this talented Spurs team.
The Spurs have been one of the most impressive teams behind Dylan Harper. Pairing him with Carter Bryant has created a strong duo of size, athleticism, and defense. Even though Bryant is having trouble scoring, the rest of the team has stepped up. We even saw rookie David Jones-Garcia from Memphis score 28 points off the bench in the OT game against the Jazz. With such a talented roster, this will likely be a very close game. However, I find it hard to bet against this Hornets squad. If they keep their players motivated tonight, I think they’ll come out on top.
Hansen Yang #16 (POR)
Rayan Rupert #21 (POR)
James Bouknight #42 (POR)
Reed Sheppard #15 (HOU)
We can’t say that the Houston Summer League has gone the way they wanted. They have yet to win a game, but I can’t say I’m too surprised when looking at their roster. This team was clearly more focused on their off-season move than building a competitive Summer League roster, which I completely understand. The biggest issue with this group is that they can’t shoot at all. They’re shooting just 25% from three, with their only scoring coming either right at the rim or at the free throw line. Especially with Sheppard benched, they’re basically just going to force it into the paint every possession. That almost worked against Atlanta, though, where they only lost by three in OT, but we’ll see.
Portland hasn’t exactly dominated anyone, but the team is talented with some strong defenders. Rayan Rupert, a third-year guy, has been much better than expected. He’s been leading the team in scoring and hitting threes, which typically isn’t his MO. But the real talk of the town surrounding this team has been Hansen Yang. The 16th pick in the draft, he was a surprise move by Portland. However, they may have seen something in this kid because the 20-year-old from China has captivated people. His ability to pass, hit threes, and run the offense while being a solid defender is catching eyes left and right. His box score might not impress, but for a rookie, his hand on the game is elite. Overall, he’ll be the X-factor in the game against Houston tonight, but I think Portland takes it.
Dalton Knecht #4 (LAL)
Bronny James #9 (LAL)
Hugo Gonzalez #28 (BOS)
Baylor Scheierman #55 (BOS)
Boston versus LA, can’t really name a more iconic rivalry than that. This should be a solid matchup too; neither team is packing a ton of talent, but they’ve both shown some promise. Surprisingly, we’ve seen some great progress from Bronny James, who has been outplaying Dalton Knecht so far. That’s not something I had on my Bingo card. Regardless, this team isn’t exactly turning teams over for its talent. They’ve managed to keep pretty much all their games low scoring, but the scoring out of LA has been pitiful. They’re only averaging 79 points per game, with their last game only reaching 58 points. It’s just a thin roster in general, and when Knecht isn’t hitting, they have a low scoring ceiling. Overall, it’s going to be a tough game for LA tonight.
Boston isn’t exactly lighting up the basketball world with this roster, but they’ve been decent. Baylor Scheierman has been a rock for this team, stabilizing the offense and keeping the defense flowing. Their 2-1 record in Summer League shows this group is sneaky good. Even though their first-round pick this year, Hugo Gonzalez, has struggled, other guys like Charles Bassey and Jordan Walsh, both with some NBA experience now, have filled the void. It’s a team with smart players who just know where to be on the basketball court. The main advantage they’ll have tonight is their scoring. Averaging 94 points per game, I just don’t see the Lakers filling the gap tonight. I think Boston is going to take this one fairly convincingly.
Will Richard #3 (GSW)
Alex Toohey #22 (GSW)
Jonathan Mogbo #2 (TOR)
Collin Murray-Boyles #12 (TOR)
Ja’Kobe Walter #14 (TOR)
I didn't see the Warriors' Summer League team being very good. It looked like they were just bringing in anyone they could find off the street. Their roster is huge, but they’ve managed to put together a decent team. Going 2-1 in Summer League, they haven’t had anyone take over; it’s been a team effort in these games. In their last game against the Grizzlies, which they won, the most shot attempts by any player was 8. Nearly every player had at least 3 or 4 attempts for a whole 10-man rotation. The decentralized style is kind of interesting, but I don’t know how it’s going to fare against the Raptors.
The Raptors are currently 3-0, and they have some legit players. Ja’Kobe Walter has stood out this Summer League, with a massive game against the Nuggets dropping 26 points. Pair that offense with the defensive talents of their rookie Colin Murray-Boyles, and you have a solid team. This team plays like an NBA team, too. Most of the time, you see these groups turn into pickup games, but Toronto has a system and a plan for this team, which helps. Overall, I think they’re just the more talented team. As long as they can play solid team defense, I don’t think the Warriors will be able to break through them.
Yanic Konan Niederhäuser #14 (LAC)
Kobe Brown #21 (LAC)
Patrick Baldwin Jr. #23 (LAC)
DaRon Holmes II #14 (DEN)
Closing out the group stage of the Summer League, we’ve got the Nuggets taking on the Clippers. This is going to be a game of the haves and have-nots. With Denver coming into this game winless and the Clippers undefeated, the Clippers have been the surprising team to me. They didn’t add much talent in the draft, just Yanic Konan Niederhauser at the end of the first round and Kobe Sanders at the end of the second. So far, Niederhauser looks decent in limited minutes, and the jury is still out on Sanders. The rest of this team, though, has been interesting. Patrick Baldwin Jr. has been the biggest difference-maker on this team. Going into his four years in the NBA, he is definitely one of the more experienced players out there. Pairing him up with Jordan Miller, another guy who’s been around for a while, has given this team a solid backbone. Defensively, they’ve been winning too, limiting teams to just 80 points a game. They’re going to make it challenging for this struggling Nuggets roster.
Without a single win under their belt, the Nuggets just don’t have the talent. DaRon Holmes II has been solid in the paint, but the rest of the team just doesn’t have it. It’s not that this team isn’t talented; they’re just average, and that’s the problem. They’re middle of the road in almost everything, and they’ve come close to some wins but can’t close them out. They’re also missing that X-factor scorer. They don’t have the guy who can get a bucket when needed, which leaves the team a bit flaccid. Overall, I don’t see things changing for the Nuggets tonight, and the Clippers are likely going to take this one.