Welcome to the Sunday Funday edition of the NBA Summer League spotlight. There was once again another fabulous slate of basketball action yesterday. Some young stars are making a name for themselves with some excellent play.
Most of the fixtures this summer league have been close battles. There have been plenty of displays of red-hot shooting and top-notch playmaking. There are a lot of ballers to get to in this one, so let’s dive right in and recap some of Sunday’s top performances.
Summer League Top Performer of the Day
If you checked out the NBA Summer League action yesterday, you know this is a tough choice. Let’s go… Cam Whitmore! The Houston Rockets guard was decisive and explosive, a deadly combo. Reed Sheppard also had himself a ball game next to him and those two are forming quite the young, dynamic duo for Houston.
Whitmore finished with a loaded stat sheet. He put up 25 points, eight rebounds, four assists (some behind the back), five steals, and a whopping +19 +/-. Reed’s numbers were close behind at 22, six, seven, five, and +16 respectively. Cam gets the nod here because his performance stood out more to me. Both were exceptional.
The Rockets are getting loaded. Whitmore and Sheppard have amazing chemistry and it led to their NBA summer league team putting up an astounding 109 points on the Wizards. The future is bright in Houston.
This was a rough one for the Washington Wizards. Orlando Robinson dominated them inside. He added a huge 22 points and 15 rebounds for the Rockets. Kyshawn George was the lone bright spot for the Wiz. He has to fix the turnovers, but he could be a hit for them. Bud Carrington had some more moments for them too.
The Rest of the Best
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Timberwolves’ two young guards were on the court Sunday for the NBA Summer League. Rob Dillingham and Terrance Shannon Jr displayed great chemistry like Sheppard and Whitmore earlier in the day. Dillingham still didn’t find his shot, however, he showed fantastic playmaking in the pick-and-roll. He looks like a ready-to-play floor general right now, logging eight assists.
The spotlight here will be a little more on Terrence Shannon Jr. He has shown up big for Minnesota all of this NBA Summer League. Shannon Jr consistently got to the free throw line and cashed 7 of the 8. He put up 19 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, and three blocks. That’s a stat sheet-stuffing night! The Wolves have two high-effort, highly-skilled guys in these two. Watch out!
Johnny Furphy and Jarace Walker showed some things for the Indiana Pacers NBA summer league team. Furphy showed confidence in his game and put up more than solid numbers. He looks like a potential hit and Walker continues to show a willing, knockdown shot from deep, lots of hustle, and good basketball IQ. Josh Minott may also be a player to watch for the Timberwolves, put up an impressive double-double.
Orlando Magic
A late 2024 NBA draft pick stepped up for the Orlando Magic NBA summer league team and just looked like he belonged out there. Tristan Da Silva had a wildly efficient shooting night and was a huge reason why the Magic won this game. It was a close game throughout and an Orlando hard-fought comeback.
Da Silva racked up 23 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals in yesterday’s game. The Orlando Magic are shaping up to be a potential powerhouse in the East and if they hit on Tristan too, they could be there for a bit. He looked good out there.
Jet Howard and Anthony Black had good games for the Magic as well. Black should see time at PG with that team this NBA season. He’s been on my watchlist. Jordan Hawkins made some tough jumpers for the Pelicans, but it was more of a yikes game for him.
Golden State Warriors
With this one, looking at the box score first, Trayce Jackson-Davis was the pick. However, after watching the game, it has been flipped to Brandin Podziemski with Trayce Jackson-Davis as an honorable mention. Both had incredible games for the Golden State Warriors NBA Summer League team yesterday. Matas Buzelis getting a nod too because he can really ball!
Podz looked ready to play a large role for the Warriors this season. He finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Great overall game. However, he had seven turnovers too. Brandin has to work on minimizing those if he wants to help the Warriors compete again in the Western Conference.
Podziemski and Jackson-Davis showed a mind-meld out there, the theme of the day today. The two were pivotal in stealing this game from Matas Buzelis. Podz had key jumpers, a sick no-look dime, and some Klay Thompson-like off-screen 3s. The man can ball.
Buzelis balled out yesterday. He started a little reluctant, but that confidence he is known for came out soon after. He displayed a smooth jumper inside and outside. Matas hit turn-around jumpers and big-time 3s. One of those was a step back. He’s a fun player to watch for that otherwise yucky Chicago Bulls team. I’m in on the Giddey and Buzelis show! This incoming NBA season is jam-packed with entertaining teams to watch and expect the NBA Summer League to continue to be a great show.
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