2025 Summer League

[tontoz]

During the season when the young guys played together without Poole/Kuzma the ball movement was very good. Last night was a chuck fest because it's summer league.

[tontoz]

Tre needs to move more aggressively without the ball. But otherwise looked good

He NEVER moved off the ball at Texas

Read on Twitter

?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1933917597487001766%7Ctwgr%5E04163d398919075950fe7f914874b119fd78ab69%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fforums.realgm.com%2Fboards%2Fviewtopic.php%3Ft%3D2465696start%3D80

[leswizards]

I mean it is just one game, and a summer league game at that, but when our team of the future gets routed by a collection of players who will never play in the NBA and a few unheralded rookies and sophomores, I begin to think some of you are underestimating how poorly this tank is going.

[DCZards]

George flashed the tools and the right attitude from basically day one last year and never let down the entire season. The only question with him is ceiling, not floor.

Indeed. What we’re seeing from George emerged last season. By midseason the game had already slowed down for him. That’s rare for a rookie.

George is the son of a former pro baller (overseas) and it shows in his bball IQ and instincts.

[DCZards]

I mean it is just one game, and a summer league game at that, but when our team of the future gets routed by a collection of players who will never play in the NBA and a few unheralded rookies and sophomores, I begin to think some of you are underestimating how poorly this tank is going.

I like the Zards collection of young talent. Not perfect but it’s a good start.

[The Consiglieri]

I know it's just Summer League but there's no pretty spin on basically our starting 5 getting blasted by a put together team.

Don't need to spin it. We have a team where our young guys still think they'll be stars. So we don't pass the ball. It's fun to have a team where a bunch of players can initiate but that means that we need good coaching.

I think you guys are way way way way too fixated on the results here. Just like last year, hell just like the Oh God, Johnny Davis is even worse than I thought, year. It's Summer League, and it's game 1. It's not the NBA regular season. Make no mistake, I expect us to suck, but I'm not worried at all about results, or 1 games performance in Sl, at all. Not worried about how anyone looks in any one game or even the whole Summer League. We'll know the story of Bub by mid '26 to Spring '27 at the earliest, same Sarr, same all of them to varying degrees, there's a lot of using a watered down, not even the equivalent of an NFL preseason game, in a deterministic fashion with players and all future potential of the team....

It's silly as hill.

Just watch, take the good with the bad, or don't watch, but these games are largely meaningless even in evaluation of NBA potential, far, far, far too much overreach to me in the thread. People are looking at skills, tools, experimenting, getting some experience against fellow NBA prospects, and young players with assistant coaches getting experience etc.

It is not the 82. Let it go.

[The Consiglieri]

I know it's just Summer League but there's no pretty spin on basically our starting 5 getting blasted by a put together team.

Let's start with the fact that it's not real and that we don't know what the coaches are looking for and experimenting with, and start from the premise that actual results aren't remotely the objective. That's how I'd spin it, because it's true. We can certainly have takeaways like this is alarming, or that, but I do think things like sample size, and the actual tangible reality of games matters far more. I very much doubt this is our starting 5 btw, I fully expect the vets to be plugged into the starting 5 and only some of those guys to be starters, a giant pile of them with be rotational pieces fighting for varying degrees of bench minutes.

Secondly, we badly want to suck in '25-'26, the only objectives are to develop players, pump up flippable values and hold that pick. Everything else is irrelevant.

[closg00]

Ky looks like he could be a legit starter. Bub has no position. Sarr same weaknesses as previous. Tre belongs but how is he not just taller Poole?

Exactly, this is what's at the heart of problem with this rebuild, you can't have a limited combo guard like Bub leading an offense, it just ain't going to work in the NBA, Bubs strength is his mid-range game, preferably being set up.

[AFM]

Leaky Black sounds like a gay pornstar. Is that his real name?

Leaky Black sounds like a male exotic dancer who received the infamous "P Diddy baby oil white room special" after his drink was drugged.

This was crazy

[closg00]

Watch on YouTube

I'm a big fan of this guy. Chaiwanese Jokic.

His passing , ;perhaps Portland wasn't so-crazy after all, he looks good.

[closg00]

Executed beautifully.

Read on Twitter

[nate33]

I just watched the game this morning and I think everything is fine. I don't care at all about the score. I was just looking at how guys matched up physically, the looks they were capable of getting in isolation, and the individual defense they were playing. All that stuff looked fine to me. The problems were in their lack of teamwork on offense, and their poor rotations on defense. That doesn't bother me a bit. They'll clean that stuff up later.

Our guys are still very young and trying to prove themselves as individual players. Most of them still think they can be stars in this league so they are trying to show their stuff. Of the 6 guys on our team who played 18+ minutes, their ages were: 19, 19, 19, 20, 20 and 21. They were going up against a Phoenix team that was basically a bunch of older guys who know their future in the league, if they have one, is to be a role player. So they play the right way and avoid hero ball. Of the 8 guys on Phoenix who played 18+ minutes, their ages were: 18, 22, 22, 22, 23, 24, 24, 26

Kyshawn George looks like he has taken a leap. The game is easy for him now. NatP4 is right. He is too good for summer league.

Bub didn't shoot well, but he was the only guard on the roster who could get us into our offensive sets against a lot of ball pressure. He showed that his handle is reliable and should be able to handle point guard. I thought his defense was good too. One time, he got switched onto Maluach and wouldn't let Maluach get within 15 feet of the basket.

Tre Johnson probably had the best rookie Summer League debut of any Wizard since Wall. He wasn't perfect or anything, but he is obviously an NBA player and he will get buckets at the next level. I was fairly pleased with his on-ball defense, but had a few lapses off ball.

Sarr did everything right except grab the freaking ball. I thought his screening was much better. He definitely looks stronger and had much less difficulty holding his position, but he just has terrible hands and doesn't catch passes or rebounds, and when he does, guys just knock the ball away. I sure hope they figure out how to improve his hand strength; it remains my biggest concern about his ultimate upside.

I thought AJ looked terrible. Or rather, he looked terrible at the PG position. He just does not have the handle to advance the ball against strong defensive pressure. He could not get the team into their sets. He's always fun on a fast break though.

Will Riley looked lost on defense.

[AFM]

I didn't think AJ looked terrible. He's definitely not a PG. I think he'll be a 6th man scorer, if he's able to make it in this league. His athleticism is crazy and he can blow by fellas like they're statues.

I like Sarr but he would be a HOFer if he had a brain transplant. Imagine him banging on fellas like Shawn Kemp.

[closg00]

Agree on AJ, he isn't a PG either, but he's the only guard attacking the basket

[payitforward]

I mean it is just one game, and a summer league game at that, but when our team of the future gets routed by a collection of players who will never play in the NBA and a few unheralded rookies and sophomores, I begin to think some of you are underestimating how poorly this tank is going.

I'm guessing you mean the rebuild rather than the tank.

I don't agree. I'd agree with "slowly," however. I'm just unclear how it might have been (or be) proceeding at greater speed.

Seems to me that a judgemental term like "poorly" would have to be supported by pointing to actions other than those taken which wd have been better.

E.g., I'd love to hear from you whom you'd have taken instead of Bilal in '23. Whom instead of Sarr, Bub, & George in '24. What else has Will done "poorly" as opposed to what else might have been done.

I'm not argueing with you btw. You may be right. & obviously you have in mind a standard to which we should compare this "poorly" executed rebuild. I look forward to hearing about it.

[NatP4]

I didn't think AJ looked terrible. He's definitely not a PG. I think he'll be a 6th man scorer, if he's able to make it in this league. His athleticism is crazy and he can blow by fellas like they're statues.

I like Sarr but he would be a HOFer if he had a brain transplant. Imagine him banging on fellas like Shawn Kemp.

AJ did struggle to bring the ball up or get us into offensive sets against pressure. That jumpshot is completely broken.

It’s a shame because he really does have an explosive first step. Seems like more of a career G-league guy IMO.

[dckingsfan]

I just watched the game this morning and I think everything is fine. I don't care at all about the score. I was just looking at how guys matched up physically, the looks they were capable of getting in isolation, and the individual defense they were playing. All that stuff looked fine to me. The problems were in their lack of teamwork on offense, and their poor rotations on defense. That doesn't bother me a bit. They'll clean that stuff up later.

Our guys are still very young and trying to prove themselves as individual players. Most of them still think they can be stars in this league so they are trying to show their stuff. Of the 6 guys on our team who played 18+ minutes, their ages were: 19, 19, 19, 20, 20 and 21. They were going up against a Phoenix team that was basically a bunch of older guys who know their future in the league, if they have one, is to be a role player. So they play the right way and avoid hero ball. Of the 8 guys on Phoenix who played 18+ minutes, their ages were: 18, 22, 22, 22, 23, 24, 24, 26

Kyshawn George looks like he has taken a leap. The game is easy for him now. NatP4 is right. He is too good for summer league.

Bub didn't shoot well, but he was the only guard on the roster who could get us into our offensive sets against a lot of ball pressure. He showed that his handle is reliable and should be able to handle point guard. I thought his defense was good too. One time, he got switched onto Maluach and wouldn't let Maluach get within 15 feet of the basket.

Tre Johnson probably had the best rookie Summer League debut of any Wizard since Wall. He wasn't perfect or anything, but he is obviously an NBA player and he will get buckets at the next level. I was fairly pleased with his on-ball defense, but had a few lapses off ball.

Sarr did everything right except grab the freaking ball. I thought his screening was much better. He definitely looks stronger and had much less difficulty holding his position, but he just has terrible hands and doesn't catch passes or rebounds, and when he does, guys just knock the ball away. I sure hope they figure out how to improve his hand strength; it remains my biggest concern about his ultimate upside.

I thought AJ looked terrible. Or rather, he looked terrible at the PG position. He just does not have the handle to advance the ball against strong defensive pressure. He could not get the team into their sets. He's always fun on a fast break though.

Will Riley looked lost on defense.

I was really encouraged by the speed of our guards and wings on D (sans Riley). And yes, George was really good. I think he is going to take a huge leap this season - and next.

I wasn't as encouraged by Bub as you were - I think given the competition, he should be able to make initiating the offense easy. And AJ just can't at this point. But - it takes the most time for PGs and bigs to develop - and they are still very young.

Sarr. Sigh. He was repeatedly out of position on D and always going for the blocks. He doesn't seem to have the mindset to bang down low and grab defensive rebounds - or maybe it is that he doesn't have the hands. I am really worried it is both. I know you think he has to play C. I am now just hoping for a 3&D PF. Okay, just summer league.

My conclusion on the game is that we just had no interior D (it wasn't an age thing for me).

[joshuacf]

I didn't think AJ looked terrible. He's definitely not a PG.

Correct. He's a secondary ball handler at best. His skillset is defense, running the floor, attacking the basket, etc. No reason he can't be a nice bench piece in the NBA with a bit of time.

[leswizards]

I mean it is just one game, and a summer league game at that, but when our team of the future gets routed by a collection of players who will never play in the NBA and a few unheralded rookies and sophomores, I begin to think some of you are underestimating how poorly this tank is going.

I'm guessing you mean the rebuild rather than the tank.

I don't agree. I'd agree with "slowly," however. I'm just unclear how it might have been (or be) proceeding at greater speed.

Seems to me that a judgemental term like "poorly" would have to be supported by pointing to actions other than those taken which wd have been better.

E.g., I'd love to hear from you whom you'd have taken instead of Bilal in '23. Whom instead of Sarr, Bub, & George in '24. What else has Will done "poorly" as opposed to what else might have been done.

I'm not argueing with you btw. You may be right. & obviously you have in mind a standard to which we should compare this "poorly" executed rebuild. I look forward to hearing about it.

You asked me that in another thread and I answered it.

So, let me generalize my complaints about this front office’s draft strategy. There are basically three types of players who get drafted in the NBA:

First, high base high ceiling players. Think Cooper Flagg. Only way to draft these players is to have top pick in draft that features 1 or more of them.

Second, high base low ceiling players. Nikola Topic probably would have been high base high ceiling, but injuries knocked him down to high base low ceiling.

Third, low base high ceiling players. Almost all of this front office picks have been in this category. These kinds of players are the least likely to actually make it the nba.

It is akin to building a retirement portfolio based on lottery tickets.

[NatP4]

That’s the only way to rebuild. Have to maintain draft positioning/tank, and take swings until you actually have all star level talent to build around.

The one draft they actually landed a top 3 pick in featured none of those “high base/high ceiling” guys.