2025 Summer League: Salt Lake City & California Classic, July 5-8

[SkyHook]

I know it's SL, but Leons looks like a player. Aggressive, effective perimeter defense, decent shot, plays within himself. If OKC doesn't keep him, I'd love for the Jazz to pick him up. Why not in another lost season.

[Sixers in 4]

So edgecombe has a sprained thumb which is why he hasn't played the last two games. Disappointing but oh well

[dballislife]

topic looked horrible tonight to me...and now i know why kasparas fell so much hes been terrible every night

[tmorgan]

It’s SL so take it with a grain of salt, but Jakucionis has been the worst player in SLC and it’s not even particularly close.

It’s at least kinda close. Topic has been pretty awful, too.

[Rauxcee]

This might be the only 3 game win streak the Jazz have all season.

[FarBeyondDriven]

Collier showing up to SL 10 lbs overweight and an even worse shooter while playing lackadaisical sure is a choice. He'll make the perfect tank commander. Boy do I look wrong about him

[Devilanche]

I know it's SL, but Leons looks like a player. Aggressive, effective perimeter defense, decent shot, plays within himself. If OKC doesn't keep him, I'd love for the Jazz to pick him up. Why not in another lost season.

He at least try hard, which is a lot more than some of these folks I guess.

[Chuck Everett]

I know it's SL, but Leons looks like a player. Aggressive, effective perimeter defense, decent shot, plays within himself. If OKC doesn't keep him, I'd love for the Jazz to pick him up. Why not in another lost season.

He at least try hard, which is a lot more than some of these folks I guess.

A Bradley alum. Go Braves!

[SkyHook]

I know it's SL, but Leons looks like a player. Aggressive, effective perimeter defense, decent shot, plays within himself. If OKC doesn't keep him, I'd love for the Jazz to pick him up. Why not in another lost season.

He at least try hard, which is a lot more than some of these folks I guess.

A Bradley alum. Go Braves!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_it_play_in_Peoria

[Mamba Mentality]

Good bounce back game from Knecht even though he still has a ways to go on the defensive end. Even in SL he was getting switch hunted.

[God Squad]

topic looked horrible tonight to me...and now i know why kasparas fell so much hes been terrible every night

He's looked awful.
1. Turnovers are still an issue
2. Can't make a shot
3. Defense is bad, too many fouls

[UcanUwill]

topic looked horrible tonight to me...and now i know why kasparas fell so much hes been terrible every night

He's looked awful.
1. Turnovers are still an issue
2. Can't make a shot
3. Defense is bad, too many fouls

If I am not mistaken, he made 1 field goal in 3 games, he played like 26 minutes per game... When Bronny makes you look like worst player on the court, we need to have a talk. Man, I am disappointed. I was very low on both Topic and Kasparas, but Topic at least looks passable.

[God Squad]

topic looked horrible tonight to me...and now i know why kasparas fell so much hes been terrible every night

He's looked awful.
1. Turnovers are still an issue
2. Can't make a shot
3. Defense is bad, too many fouls

If I am not mistaken, he made 1 field goal in 3 games, he played like 26 minutes per game... When Bronny makes you look like worst player on the court, we need to have a talk. Man, I am disappointed. I was very low on both Topic and Kasparas, but Topic at least looks passable.

They have a lot of the same weaknesses, but IMO Topic moves better on the court, I can't really explain it. Kasp at the moment, looks lost out there. He can't make a shot, fouling too much, and the damn turnovers are still so glaring.

But they share the same weaknesses (shooting, turnovers), but IMO Kasp fouls at a higher rate. We'll see, it's only summer league.

[UcanUwill]

He's looked awful.
1. Turnovers are still an issue
2. Can't make a shot
3. Defense is bad, too many fouls

If I am not mistaken, he made 1 field goal in 3 games, he played like 26 minutes per game... When Bronny makes you look like worst player on the court, we need to have a talk. Man, I am disappointed. I was very low on both Topic and Kasparas, but Topic at least looks passable.

They have a lot of the same weaknesses, but IMO Topic moves better on the court, I can't really explain it. Topic manages to get stls/rebounds, but Kasp at the moment looks lost out there. He can't make a shot, fouling too much, and the damn turnovers are still so glaring.

I was optimistically thinking he might start for the Heat, but seeing how he looks, IDK, man could be next Johny Davis. Sad times.

[God Squad]

If I am not mistaken, he made 1 field goal in 3 games, he played like 26 minutes per game... When Bronny makes you look like worst player on the court, we need to have a talk. Man, I am disappointed. I was very low on both Topic and Kasparas, but Topic at least looks passable.

They have a lot of the same weaknesses, but IMO Topic moves better on the court, I can't really explain it. Topic manages to get stls/rebounds, but Kasp at the moment looks lost out there. He can't make a shot, fouling too much, and the damn turnovers are still so glaring.

I was optimistically thinking he might start for the Heat, but seeing how he looks, IDK, man could be next Johny Davis. Sad times.

He looks rough out there, but I wouldn't write him off as an eventual starter. Once he gets into the Miami program, I think he'll be fine long term.

[UcanUwill]

They have a lot of the same weaknesses, but IMO Topic moves better on the court, I can't really explain it. Topic manages to get stls/rebounds, but Kasp at the moment looks lost out there. He can't make a shot, fouling too much, and the damn turnovers are still so glaring.

I was optimistically thinking he might start for the Heat, but seeing how he looks, IDK, man could be next Johny Davis. Sad times.

He looks rough out there, but I wouldn't write him off as an eventual starter. Once he gets into the Miami program, I think he'll be fine long term.

Hope you are right, Lithuania badly needs talent, especially guards. Our coach just released 16 men preliminary list, it is embarrassing, but for some reason, some guys he just didn't invite at all, I hate our current Basketball federation.

[Catchall]

Charlotte passing on Ace at #4 is crazy.

I honestly think Ace has a higher ceiling than Brandon Miller.

My comp for Ace right now would be a better version of Miller. As a starting point, Bailey is an aggressive rebounder who grabs heavily contested boards. He also has more of a post-up game, though he's only shown glimpses of it.

[Catchall]

A few overall takes from SLC SL:
** VJ Edgecombe is better than the Sixers' other guards besides Maxey. He'll play significant minutes and probably push McCain to the bench within a few months. As long as you regard him as a secondary creator, the only question with him is his shooting efficiency.
** Ace Bailey has tantalizing talent, and he's more versatile than people think. He rebounds, he can bring the ball up, he makes some decent passes, he shoots at three levels, and he rotates defensively. He needs competent guards who can get him the ball.
** GG Jackson looks bigger. He's making a decent percentage of his 3s and he's finishing well above the rim.
** Ajay Mitchell is a 2-way rotation player. He's better than Scottie Pippen Jr., for example. He may have some trade value if he can't find minutes in OKC.
** Kyle Filipowski has added some strength and he's started playing with more physicality. It's showed up in his rebounding and some of his scoring inside. He's just a bit more aggressive overall. His defensive instincts remain mediocre, and he's not a rim presence.
** Brice Sensabaugh is an all-world shooter. His limited decision-making and casual passing is holding him back.
** Nikola Topic is interesting. I'm not 100% sure he's a starter, but he's showing nice flashes on drives and kickouts. He struggled with a crowded paint in the halfcourt, and his shooting is still a question mark.
** Adem Bona is a beast in a backup energy big role.
** Collier still isn't shooting well enough. He's probably a change-of-pace backup guard until further notice.
** Walter Clayton Jr. is a knockdown shooter when he finds his rhythm, but his physical limitations appear to hold him back from being an on-ball guard. Likewise, he's probably a backup on a good team.
** Cody Williams must have an off-switch where he just goes through the motions and otherwise disengages. He had zero rebounds and zero FTAs last night, after scoring 18 pts the night before.

[Richard4444]

It’s SL so take it with a grain of salt, but Jakucionis has been the worst player in SLC and it’s not even particularly close.

It’s at least kinda close. Topic has been pretty awful, too.

But Topic missed a season after suffering a serious injury.

Its kind of expected that he sucks...

[JustBuzzin]

Charlotte passing on Ace at #4 is crazy.

I honestly think Ace has a higher ceiling than Brandon Miller.

My comp for Ace right now would be a better version of Miller. As a starting point, Bailey is an aggressive rebounder who grabs heavily contested boards. He also has more of a post-up game, though he's only shown glimpses of it.

Agreed

Dude can literally score on all 3 levels. The only weakness I see right now is his ability to attack the rim and finish with contact.