NBA Summer League Day 4 Recap: Young Warriors Dominate
LAS VEGAS - Summer League action continues in Las Vegas, Nevada and on Sunday, eight teams were in action.
From a high scoring thriller involving lottery picks Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers) and Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings) to begin the day to a double overtime thriller between the Charlotte Hornets and Los Angeles Lakers to end the day, there were plenty of exciting games being played.
Plenty of rookies continue to show what they can do on the floor and plenty of second-year players continue to show the strides they have made in their development.
The Golden State Warriors’ second-year players in particular have looked solid in Summer League, as Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga have both shined in different games.
The return of James Wiseman to the floor after missing the entire 2021-22 season caused a lot of excitement in the crowd and Wiseman was impressive for a guy that has not played in over a year.
Here is a game-by-game breakdown of what occurred during Day 4 of Las Vegas Summer League, as well as who the “big winner” of the day was.
Sacramento Kings 103, Indiana Pacers 96
Keegan Murray continues to look like one of the better rookies from the 2022 draft class, as he went for 23 points on 7-16 shooting in the Sacramento Kings’ 103-96 victory on Sunday over the Indiana Pacers.
With the Kings looking to end their long playoff drought this year, Murray figures to be a big part of their potential success given his length and high basketball IQ. In Summer League, the No. 4 overall pick has continued to impress and learn every time he takes the floor.
Neemias Queta also continues to show out in Summer League this year for Sacramento, as the young center had 12 points and 7 rebounds against Indiana.
As for the Indiana Pacers, Benedict Mathurin is looking like a top pick from this year’s draft, as he recorded 15 points on 6-16 shooting against Sacramento.
Finding depth for the 2022-23 season will be critical for Indiana and Terry Taylor is looking to work his way into their rotations more than he did this past season.
On Saturday, Taylor recorded 16 points and 7 rebounds, showing his versatility out on the wing and in the low-post. Expected to be a young team looking to showcase what they can do, Terry Taylor should once again hold a key role off-the-bench in Indiana.
Brooklyn Nets 91, Philadelphia 76ers 84
With Kevin Durant’s and Kyrie Irving’s futures being in doubt, the Brooklyn Nets will need to quickly turn their attention to the youth of their roster.
So far in Summer League, Kessler Edwards, David Duke Jr. and Day’Ron Sharpe have all seen a lot of time to try and develop their games further, but second-year guard Cam Thomas has really stood out once again.
One of the top performers in Summer League last year, Thomas has continued to develop into a “score-first” type of talent and against the Philadelphia 76ers, he turned in 26 points on just 5-17 shooting. He finished the game a perfect 15-15 from the free-throw line.
Sharpe showed up as well for Brooklyn, finishing the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds. With Nicolas Claxton back, it will be interesting to see whether or not Day’Ron Sharpe takes a big leap during his second year in the league.
The 76ers are utilizing Summer League as a way to begin developing a young core behind their stars and so far, Charles Bassey has looked good for them.
Bassey had 11 points and 9 rebounds against Brooklyn and possessing a much larger frame than many modern day big men, the second-year center could wind up being a key piece for Philadelphia’s depth.
New York Knicks 101, Chicago Bulls 69
The New York Knicks have played well in Summer League thus far, as they are now 2-0 after defeating the Chicago Bulls 101-69 on Sunday.
Rookie Trevor Keels continued to struggle offensively, as he only had 5 points and 4 assists, but second-year guard Quentin Grimes has looked solid.
Grimes had 24 points on 4-9 shooting from three-point range against the Bulls, proving that he could very well be the future of the Knicks’ backcourt.
Dalen Terry and Carlik Jones each had 13 points for Chicago in this game against New York, yet they were the only guys to really get anything going offensively.
Following a big performance in his first Summer League game this year, big man Marko Simonovic only had 1 point on 0-5 shooting on Sunday.
Washington Wizards 97, Phoenix Suns 72
Picking up their first win in Las Vegas, the Washington Wizards got to see some glimpses of first-round pick Johnny Davis’ full potential. Davis ended up with just 11 points on 4-11 shooting, but his high understanding for the game and ability to present chances to score at the rim give the Wizards a key secondary talent to put next to Bradley Beal.
Vernon Carey Jr. stood out for Washington in this game, going 4-9 from the floor and scoring a total of 15 points. He also ended up with 11 rebounds, 3 of which came on the offensive-end of the floor.
Coming off a win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Phoenix Suns struggled offensively against the Wizards. Tyson Carter was the Suns’ leading scorer with 12 points, hitting both of his shots from three-point range.
Ishmail Wainright also looked solid for Phoenix, scoring 11 points and taking on the role of being the team’s leader out on the floor.
After spending last season on a two-way deal with the Suns, Wainright could wind up staying with the team on a new contract.
Denver Nuggets 84, Cleveland Cavaliers 76
Looking to surround Nikola Jokic with capable depth, the Denver Nuggets have to be pleased with what they have seen so far in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Not only did first-round pick Christian Braun look aggressive with the ball in his hands, but fellow first-round pick Payton Watson also looked good in his second game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Watson ended up with 19 points on 8-12 shooting against the Cavs and really was able to use his athleticism to his advantage, especially once he got into the lane.
It is going to take time, but Payton Watson could very well end up being a long-term building block for Denver out on the wing because of his defensive instincts and length.
RJ Nembhard continued to impress for the Cavaliers in Summer League, scoring 19 points on 7-13 shooting against Denver. Nembhard played last season on a two-way contract with the team, so it will be interesting to see if they bring him back on another deal.
Golden State Warriors 86, San Antonio Spurs 85
To me, the Golden State Warriors stole the show on Day 4 of Summer League not only because they were able to beat the San Antonio Spurs in a game that came down to the final few possessions, but because James Wiseman showed out in his return.
The former No. 2 overall pick in 2020 played for the first-time in over a year and not only looked comfortable, but he looked healthy for once. Wiseman ended the game playing a total of 20 minutes and scoring 11 points.
Jonathan Kuminga turned up for the Warriors after a poor first game in Las Vegas, ending this game against the Spurs with 28 points on 10-22 shooting and 7 rebounds.
Moses Moody did not play in this game for Golden State after a 30-plus performance in his last game.
On the other end of things, the San Antonio Spurs definitely have to like what they have seen from first-round pick Blake Wesley.
Once again commanding the floor with the ball in his hands as a primary facilitator, Wesley finished this game with 22 points and 5 rebounds.
The Spurs have a ton of youth on their roster and could very likely look to “tank” during the 2022-23 season, giving Blake Wesley and fellow first-round picks Jeremy Sochan and Malaki Branham a lot of playing time early on in their respective careers.
Memphis Grizzlies 70, Minnesota Timberwolves 63
The Memphis Grizzlies got their first win of Summer League on Sunday, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves 70-63.
Memphis’ 2021 first-round pick in Santi Aldama played well, ending up with 22 points on 11-22 shooting, and Tremont Waters looked solid coming off-the-bench.
Waters finished the game with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, showcasing his abilities to impact the game in multiple ways.
Both Jake LaRavia (2 points) and David Roddy (10 points) did not make much noise for the Grizzlies in this game.
On the other side of things, the Timberwolves received very little production from their offense, as Kevon Harris led the way with 17 points on 7-14 shooting. Harris has been very aggressive in Summer League and has drawn a lot of attention, making him a possible two-way contract type of player across the league.
Charlotte Hornets 89, Los Angeles Lakers 86 F/2OT
The second double overtime thriller we have seen in Summer League, the Charlotte Hornets outlasted the Los Angeles Lakers.
Second-year forward JT Thor hit the game-winner three-pointer in double overtime, finishing the game with 12 points and 3 rebounds, as Ty-Shon Alexander stood out with 22 points on 7-17 shooting, 4-9 from deep, off-the–bench.
Big man Nick Richards also continued to play well for Charlotte, going for 14 points and 9 rebounds against Los Angeles.
On the other side of things, the Lakers have still not won a game in Las Vegas.
Standing out in the California Classic, Cole Swider continued to impress, as the Lakers’ two-way player finished with 21 points on 5-8 shooting from deep. Scotty Pippen Jr. ended this game with 10 points and 7 assists for the Lakers.
Day 4’s Biggest Winner: James Wiseman - Golden State Warriors
Many had better performances than James Wiseman during Day 4 of Summer League, but the fact that he was impactful and looked healthy coming off of knee surgery makes Wiseman the biggest winner from Sunday.
The Golden State Warriors are going to need to get production from their young guys if they are to have a chance at defending their title during the 2021-22 season.
Both Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga will likely be key assets on this roster, but James Wiseman will also be a key, impactful player given that the team really needs him next to Kevon Looney.
While he stepped into a bigger role this past year and got rewarded with a new contract, Looney cannot be depended on to carry the Warriors’ frontcourt.
The team drafted James Wiseman second overall in 2020 with the idea of having him be a future All-Star talent on their roster and his performance on Sunday was definitely rewarding for the Warriors’ staff on hand for this game.
It is going to be very interesting to see if he plays again in Summer League and how the young big man looks early on in the 2021-22 season.
