NBA Summer League Day 7 Recap: Battle Of Rookies Headlines The Day
LAS VEGAS - Summer League action continues to roll on and Day 7 was very eventful.
At this point, many teams begin shutting down their bigger named players, as the Orlando Magic have already ruled No. 1 overall pick Paolo Banchero out for the rest of the event, but there are still plenty of talented players looking for their chance to leave their mark.
With just a handful of days left, teams are still evaluating the players on their Summer League rosters, as well as other team’s rosters due to the fact that many of them are looking to fill out their two-way contracts and G-League rosters.
There are still plenty of opportunities to be had in the NBA for the 2022-23 season and there are quite a few names that stood out during Day 7.
Here is a game-by-game breakdown of what occurred during Day 7 of Las Vegas Summer League, as well as who the “big winner” of the day was.
Milwaukee Bucks 87, Minnesota Timberwolves 75
Kicking things off in Thomas & Mack Center on Wednesday, the Milwaukee Buck picked up their second win in Las Vegas Summer League.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway for Milwaukee throughout Summer League so far is that Sandro Mamukelashvili has looked nothing like a two-way player.
In fact, he has looked like a regular rotation guy that can be counted on with the ball in his hands!
Not only is he a strong rebounder and finisher in the paint, but Mamukelashvili looks to be the perfect complimentary option in the frontcourt next to Bobby Portis and Brook Lopez.
Against the Minnesota Timberwolves in this one, the second-year big man finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds.
Rookie Wendell Moore Jr. finished with 13 points for Minnesota, as Kevon Harris had yet another solid performance for the Timberwolves. Harris has played well in Las Vegas and it would not be shocking to see Minnesota keep him around on a two-way contract or if another team looks to sign Harris given his play.
Second-round pick Josh Minott finished with 6 points and 11 rebounds off-the-bench for the Timberwolves in this game.
Charlotte Hornets 91, Cleveland Cavaliers 80
On the verge of being a playoff team in the Eastern Conference, the Charlotte Hornets are looking to add depth at any position. Finding production from their youth in Summer League is a bonus for this franchise and so far, rookie Bryce McGowens has really stood out.
Whether it is scoring from the perimeter or taking the ball to the paint and scoring, McGowens has been the full package for Charlotte and he finished with 24 points on 7-10 shooting, 5-6 from three-point range, against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Rookie center Mark Williams turned in a solid performance with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks, as second-year big man Kai Jones had 11 points and 6 rebounds off-the-bench.
It will be interesting to see who gets minutes in the frontcourt between Mark Williams, Kai Jones and Nick Richards, who did not play on Wednesday, when the 2022-23 season begins.
For Cleveland, Ochai Agbaji continues to prove his worth on the offensive-end of the floor, scoring a team-high 24 points on 7-13 shooting, 4-8 from three-point range. While his numbers may not necessarily prove it, Luka Travers did not look bad either. Travers finished with just 4 points and 4 rebounds in about 25 minutes.
Having an understanding for where to be on the court on both ends of the court is key, which is where Travers really stood out to me on Day 7.
New Orleans Pelicans 106, Washington Wizards 88
After the Washington Wizards took an early lead in the first quarter of this game, the New Orleans Pelicans responded and cruised the rest of the way.
Deividas Sirvydis led the way in this game for the Pelicans with a game-high 25 points, as Jared Harper had 18 points and Daeqwon Plowden had 16 points.
On the other side of things, Vernon Carey Jr. and Tyler Hall each had 11 points for the Wizards and first-round pick Johnny Davis continued to struggle.
The No. 10 overall pick had just 8 points on 3-7 shooting, 2-4 from three-point range. It is going to be interesting to see what kind of a role Davis plays in Washington early on in his career.
The Pelicans are now 2-1 in Summer League, Washington is 1-2.
Toronto Raptors 80, Utah Jazz 74
Leading by 16 points entering the fourth quarter, the Toronto Raptors looked like they were on cruise control, but the Utah Jazz fought back and made it a two-point game at one point!
Not only did D.J. Wilson have a big day for Toronto with 22 points and 9 rebounds, but Jeff Dowtin showed out with 19 points on 8-13 shooting.
Second-round pick Christian Koloko only had 5 points, but he made up for it defensively with 2 steals and a block as well.
For the Jazz, Jared Butler had a team-high 12 points on 5-16 shooting and undrafted rookie Kofi Cockburn had 6 points and 9 rebounds off-the-bench.
This marked Utah’s first loss in Las Vegas Summer League.
Oklahoma City Thunder 86, Sacramento Kings 80
In a battle between the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft in Chet Holmgren and the No. 4 overall pick in this year’s draft in Keegan Murray, Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder came out victorious.
Continuing to showcase his versatility on both ends of the court, Holmgren finished this game with 8 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals.
Fellow rookies Jalen Williams (12 points) and Ousmane Dieng (12 points, 7 rebounds) also had solid games and proved that they are ready to contribute in Oklahoma City right now during their rookie years.
Second-year guard Tre Mann ended up being the team’s leading scorer with 15 points on 3-5 from three-point range.
For the Sacramento Kings, rookie Keegan Murray has continued to impress and quite honestly, he may just be the most impressive rookie throughout all of the Summer Leagues so far.
Murray finished Wednesday’s game with 29 points on 9-17 shooting and now, since the start of the California Classic Summer League, Keegan Murray is averaging 21.8 points per game on 49.4% shooting from the floor.
The Kings got their guy with the fourth pick in this year’s draft and now, they could have the makings of a playoff-caliber team for the first time in what seems like forever.
Philadelphia 76ers 75, Miami Heat 71
Getting their first win of Summer League, the Philadelphia 76ers defeated the Miami Heat 75-71. Overall, this Sixers’ team in Las Vegas has been very underwhelming, but there have been a couple of bright spots.
While he did not score at all, second-year big man Charles Bassey did rack up 4 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocks in about 19 minutes of play. Trevelin Queen ended up being the team’s leading scorer with 16 points on 5-14 shooting, 3-8 from three-point range.
For Miami, rookie Nikola Jovic did not play and in his absence, Javonte Smart really stepped up, scoring a game-high 20 points and dishing out 4 assists. Smart spent last season in Miami on a two-way contract.
Undrafted big man Orlando Robinson recorded a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double in the loss, proving that he can be a force at times in the paint. With Bam Adebayo, Dewayne Dedmon and Omer Yurtseven though, it is tough to see a scenario in which Robinson will crack the rotation.
Haywood Highsmith dropped 17 points for the Heat on 6-13 shooting, also grabbing 7 rebounds and 3 steals as well.
Denver Nuggets 80, Los Angeles Clippers 75
First-round picks Christian Braun (8 points) and Peyton Watson (9 points) each had quiet nights in terms of scoring for the Denver Nuggets, but they both found other ways to make a positive impact.
Braun ended up with a game-high 12 rebounds and 3 blocks, as Watson also made an impact on the interior, grabbing 8 rebounds and blocking two shots.
Matt Mitchell scored a team-high 17 points for Denver, going 5-10 from three-point range, and undrafted rookie Collin Gillespie had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Gillespie recently signed a two-way contract with the Nuggets.
The Los Angeles Clippers may have lost yet another Summer League game on Wednesday, but Jay Scrubb has continued to showcase his scoring instincts and second-year B.J. Boston is proving that he can be a key rotation player on the team’s real bench.
Boston struggled in this game, only scoring 8 points on 3-15 shooting, but he was confident with the ball in his hands and recorded 7 rebounds. As for Scrubb, he recorded a game-high 18 points and he also had 7 rebounds.
Day 4’s Biggest Winner: D.J. Wilson - Toronto Raptors
Bryce McGowens (Charlotte Hornets), Deividas Sirvydis (New Orleans Pelicans) and Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings) all had big scoring days for their teams, but D.J. Wilson with the Toronto Raptors really helped himself the most on Day 7.
The former first-round pick signed a late Summer League deal with Toronto and as of a couple of days ago, he agreed to a two-year, partially-guaranteed deal with the Raptors.
Against the Utah Jazz, Wilson recorded a game-high 22 points and he also had 9 rebounds, 3 of which came on the offensive-end of the floor.
D.J. Wilson is not a high-motor big man, nor is he a “bruiser-like” big man, but he is able to stretch his game to the perimeter and his length proves to be a factor on both offense and defense.
Depth ended up being a big problem for the Raptors during the regular season and in the postseason this past year, which is why they could use all the help they can get. Wilson may have just proven that he can be a rotational player for Toronto this upcoming year with his recent performances in Summer League.
