Tuesday’s slate of basketball brought us lightning-fast, super-fun basketball. These young players were flying up and down the court. We continued to see the fantastic players continue their NBA Summer League greatness and start to show a presence of consistency.
We also got a few new additions to this Spotlight and maybe my Watchlist. That thing is getting lengthy, but what can I say, I’m an optimist. The summer is nearing the end, and it’s time for these guys to make their marks and force the ball into the team’s court. Don’t leave doubts, leave it all out there.
The diehard NBA fans can’t wait to see who remains for the 2024 season. Those of us who have tuned in to this year’s Summer League, have witnessed some incredible young talent. The future is in great hands, folks.
Now let’s recap Tuesday’s blistering action!
Summer League Top Performer of the Day
Okay, so this is a player award usually, but this time it’s going to the LA Clippers NBA Summer League team. The funds are down. They lost a star player Paul George. If you are a Clippers fan, listen up. You should be tuning into this team balling out in Las Vegas.
The LA Clippers threw down 112 points on the heads of the Milwaukee Bucks. Moussa Diabate, Kobe Brown, and a personal U-product favorite of mine, Jordan Miller, dominated the Bucks from start to finish.
Diabate showed rangy defense and explosive finishing. Kobe Brown displayed a box score’s dream in 18 points, four offensive rebounds, nine total rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. He also was a +14! What a game. Dude is thick too, good luck getting in the way of him going in the lane.
Now let’s get to my boy. Jordan Miller has been a stud this summer league and should make this Clippers team, especially with a little changing of the guard. Miller knocks down open shots, shows great basketball IQ, and is a tough-as-nails finisher with either hand. There’s been a nasty little floater he’s perfected this summer too. He finished with 23 points, which could’ve been more. He strangely struggled from the charity stripe, missing six.
That was a lot, but we need to transition to some Milwaukee Bucks players. Especially AJ Johnson and Ryan Rollins. Both balled out! Johnson probably shut some critics up that bashed that pick by the Bucks. Rollins was just a bucket, with either hand too. These two guards seemed immensely skilled and could be future pieces for this aging Bucks team.
The Rest of the Best
Indiana Pacers
Two of the Indiana Pacers chosen here have been mentioned before, but we got a big man to add after yesterday. Oscar Tshiebwe made his presence felt against the Phoenix Suns. Oscar was wildly efficient going 7 for 9 for 16 points.
Tshiebwe was assisted to seal this victory by Jarace Walker and Johnny Furphy performing at high levels next to him in this one. The Pacers gave Walker the keys in this game and he did well with them. He compiled 19 points, four rebounds, and five assists. The eight turnovers are yucky, but he isn’t exactly going to play that role if he plays for the main team. That’s Haliburton’s job.
Jarace has shown his hustle and the ability to knock down open and tough threes. That’s more important to the Pacers than play-making. Furphy continues to impress as well. He is all over the court every game he’s in. Fans love to see it. Johnny had 18 points, eight rebounds (four were offensive), and two steals. He’s a fun, young player for Indiana for sure.
The Phoenix Sun that showed up in this one was Oso Ighodaro, not first-round pick Ryan Dunn. Dunn was a rough 0-4 from three and a -11 on the court. Ighodaro was the opposite. He was perfect from the field with 12 points and contributed four assists and four steals, maybe he’s the defensive piece the promising Suns need. Their clock is ticking with an aging Kevin Durant.
Brooklyn Nets
Sorry to start this one off with a little of a sour note, but what happened to Dariq Whitehead? It was brick city for him in this one. He went 0 for 10 total and 0 for 8 from deep. He was a guy on my watchlist, but he’s inching closer to losing his spot.
The list gets two more in Jalen Wilson and Tyrese Martin though. The two of them had fantastic games for the Brooklyn Nets. Wilson poured in a whopping 27 points with dagger after dagger to the New York Knicks. Martin added 16 on 6-7 precision. Let’s keep a further eye on these two, they could be players for a Nets team that needs plenty.
Let’s flip to the Knickerbockers. One of my guys in the past, Duane Washington Jr, showed up in this one. The man can ball, you can’t argue with that. He put up 21 points in a valiant effort. New York also saw a potential Hartenstein replacement step up in Dymtro Skapintsev. Don’t ask me to pronounce that, please.
Dymtro was a force in this one! He had a near double-double with 19 and 9, but five of those bad boys were on the offensive end, valuable skill there. He’s an older prospect too, so roll him out this season New York.
Charlotte Hornets
Now, onto my hometown team, the Charlotte Hornets. Hopefully, we get to watch the electric LaMelo Ball more this season as long as he avoids the usual injuries. The Hornets had a pretty early draft pick and went with Tidjane Salaun, an international prospect.
Salaun impressed Tuesday with a double-double. It seemed easily repeatable for him, even after the NBA Summer League. Charlotte may have found a great role player to put alongside their core of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Miles Bridges. This team is starting to shape up into a possible Eastern Conference contender.
Nick Smith Jr is another baller who could play a key part in the Hornet’s upcoming season. His speed and change of pace would be a useful tool next to Ball’s high basketball IQ and playmaking. Charlotte needs to find more players to run alongside Ball, and Smith Jr. could be one.
The guy on the Denver Nuggets you may have been tailing in this one, Hunter Tyson, had a pretty yikes game. The shot wasn’t falling with the consistency you would love to see if you were Denver and Nikola Jokic. He finished with 20 points but has to be more efficient with his outside shooting to get some real NBA minutes.
Hope you enjoyed this latest installment of the NBA Summer League spotlight. Let me know what you think and if you’ve added any of these talented dudes to your own personal watchlist. Stay tuned for the next Spotlight as this NBA summer comes to an end.
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