Summer League Thread

[OakleyDokely]

reminds me of Ross on Faried

Watch on YouTube

[OakleyDokely]

Good on Essengue for trying to block it at least. Too many guys dive for cover when they see it coming. Although, he probably didn't think Furphy had it in him.

[God Squad]

Man i always thought Dick would be a better player then Furphy now and the future but Furphy seems to have taken a step. I feel like this is a big year for Gradey to either take that next step or maybe open up a spot for someone else

Perfect post for why I hate this board sometimes.

Ridiculous notion.

[God Squad]

Carter Bryant makes rookie OG look like a polished offensive player.

The kids going to be a menace on defense, but his jumper has no consistency right now. Honestly, scoring the basketball in general seems tough for him.

[God Squad]

What's up with this board and trying to shame posters for their opinions on draft picks lately? I find it very weird and low-hanging fruit during a debate.

1. "Oh well, you didn't want Scottie Barnes".

2. "Well, you thought Suggs was gonna be a star"

3. "Ha, you wanted to draft player X over player Y."

Goofy behaviour.

[WuTang_OG]

Good on Essengue for trying to block it at least. Too many guys dive for cover when they see it coming. Although, he probably didn't think Furphy had it in him.

Def not

Read on Twitter

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[Clutch0z24]

Carter Bryant strikes again: 5pts (2/11, 0-3 3pt), 5 boards, 0 assists, 1 steal, 2 blocks, 2 turnovers, 6 fouls, -11. 5 points on 11 shots! And yet, an improvement over the previous game's 0-7, 0-5.

I don't mean to pick on the guy, and his defense did look great in that last game, but boxscore lines like that would drive this board right over the edge. Glad he's someone else's project.

Agreed He is shooting 20 percent on FG/3pt shots combined....12% from 2fg, 8% from 3.....I mean you can like the defense but no amount of defense will keep you on the court in meaningful mins if you can't do anything on the offensive end...Even defensive specialists like Bruce Bowen/Herb Jones could at least do some stuff on the offensive end...

That being said i remember the hype for the guy but you only want this kind of a prospect if you are already a deep playoff team....Way too limited....Some people said he would look better on the offensive end in the NBA due to the coaches holding him back which i was saying the offensive limitations is a concern....But i think we are seeing why he wasn't being played and i think its the lack of offensive consistancy.

[ATLTimekeeper]

The Spurs are going to be a thing this year and so there is a big PR push to hype them up. Carter Bryant is the recipient of the Rudy Fernandez "this team is stacked for ages" treatment, but at this stage he is a Derrick Jones Jr type of player.

[djsunyc]

The Spurs are going to be a thing this year and so there is a big PR push to hype them up. Carter Bryant is the recipient of the Rudy Fernandez "this team is stacked for ages" treatment, but at this stage he is a Derrick Jones Jr type of player.

i was gonna say thybulle then saw he actually hit like 35% of his 3's his rookie year so your djj comp is much better.

[deck]

What's up with this board and trying to shame posters for their opinions on draft picks lately? I find it very weird and low-hanging fruit during a debate.

1. "Oh well, you didn't want Scottie Barnes".

2. "Well, you thought Suggs was gonna be a star"

3. "Ha, you wanted to draft player X over player Y."

Goofy behaviour.

I find it funny when people call others out as 'casuals' as if it is bad thing that people have a life outside of watching basketball.

[WuTang_OG]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6492184/2025/07/14/raptors-ulrich-chomche-summer-league-nba/

LAS VEGAS — Ulrich Chomche was standing in the middle of the visitors locker room in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center last February, obviously delighted to have played a role in a Toronto Raptors road win.

Those were rare enough last year. However, to win in Philadelphia, against his countryman Joel Embiid, soaking up a few possessions guarding the former MVP, had to be cool. Chomche had just two rebounds and a block in 12 minutes, but he played meaningful minutes. He was the subject of a media scrum for his efforts.

Those were his last minutes of the season. The 57th pick in the 2024 draft suffered a partial proximal ACL tear within the week and lost out on some guaranteed minutes as the Raptors got creative late in the year with their lineups.
Chomche has already learned to turn the negative into positive.

“I’ve been working on my touch, catching the ball and finishing at the rim,” he said on Sunday at Las Vegas Summer League when asked what he was able to do during his rehab. “I’ve been watching video of Yao (Ming) setting screens.”
It’s paying off. The Raptors gave him a two-year, two-way contract last summer, knowing he would need time to level up from the NBA Academy to the G League, never mind being able to play in the best league in the world. In his second Summer League, Chomche, who boasts a 7-foot-4 wingspan, has looked much better. In his 42 minutes in two wins, the Raptors have outscored their opponents by 29 points. He’s tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and two blocks.

Last year in Summer League, Chomche looked like the uber-raw rookie he was. In his first game action since the injury, he has looked a lot more comfortable. He has played almost exclusively drop coverage, but that makes his enormous frame tough to navigate. His limbs are in passing and driving lanes. He doesn’t automatically try to block everything, sometimes prioritizing maintaining rebounding position. If he can’t grab rebounds, he at least gets a hand on them to give a teammate a chance.
He is not Jakob Poeltl as a handoff hub or screener, but he is making simple reads. He was strong enough to catch a desperation alley-oop pass from Ja’Kobe Walter in traffic against the Bulls on Friday, drawing a foul. In his second game, he found Walter from the elbow for a layup against the Magic.

Against the Bulls, he even sealed David Muoka under the net, caught a post pass and turned for a quick hook shot. He blocked Muoka on the other end after a defensive breakdown.

“He’s learned a lot,” Jonathan Mogbo said of Chomche, who doesn’t turn 20 until the end of the year. “Age is just a number. With him, we try to treat him as a grown man. He’s taking bit by bit everyday.”
Halfway through his deal, Chomche has a chance to become a player. Here is what else has emerged at Summer League.
NBATop NBA Stories

Sixers' roster being built to absorb the inevitable absence of superstar center Joel Embiid
Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr and the Wizards found good vibes in summer-league win
'We're making the playoffs': Brandon Ingram is eager to remind the league of his skills
The Raptors will define themselves by their defence
The following on-court actions got the entire Raptors bench to rise from their seats, clap and sometimes even holler.
• Walter leaping about to try to cause a five-second violation on the inbound. The Raptors, by the way, are counting down from five to give the referee some unwanted help.

• Colin Castleton and Jamal Shead both hitting the floor for a loose ball.
• Alijah Martin causing a Bulls guard to turn twice as he dribbled up past half court.
• Shead not letting a Bulls guard get it over the timeline in eight seconds. In that case, Shead turned right for his bench to celebrate with his teammates. An extra Raptor or two might have stepped on the court from the bench. The assistant coaches need to get on that.
Oh: All that happened in the first quarter of the Raptors’ first game.

“That’s my first time getting out with them on the defensive end,” Raptors first-round pick Collin Murray Boyles, who had been dealing with a leg injury, said on Sunday. “I love it. I love the intensity. The energy is contagious and that’s what helps any team.”
“This is what I just told a group: some people are born to be models, like me,” Raptors Summer League head coach James Wade added. “Some people are born to be firemen. Some people are born to be policemen. That group in the locker room, they’re born to play defense. So they have to really buy into it.”

They turned their opponents over 55 times through two games. It seems like they have bought in.
The bench wing battle will be well contested
Assuming the Raptors start their five eight-figure players, three of the top options coming off the bench will be shooting guards, more or less: Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick and Walter.

Injuries will open up opportunities for all of them to play, but it might be a tight squeeze early on. Walter is the least experienced and therefore the Raptors have the most time to decide on him, but he arrived in Vegas looking different — and it’s not just the departed braids. Darko Rajaković noted that Walter put on “12 pounds of muscle” between the end of the season and now. While all such claims should be met with skepticism, Walter showed some extra functional strength dribbling, and as he rose for layups.

“You can see it, right? He’s come in a little bit stronger, bigger,” Wade said. “Body’s ready to absorb more punishment. Even though he wasn’t as big last year, he played very physical. We saw it. Now, his body is caught up to his game.”

To that point, Walter hit a short midrange jumper through contact to break a late tie against Orlando. The Raptors didn’t trail again.
There will likely be room for two but not three of those wings in the rotation. He’s not in the final year of his rookie deal like Agbaji or a former lottery pick like Dick, but Walter has a chance to be the most complete of the three.
In Toronto or Mississauga, Alijah Martin is going to create highlights

If Alijah Martin were 6-4 instead of 6-1, he might have been a top-half first-round pick instead of the 39th selection.
The Raptors took Martin in the second round, surprisingly signing him to a two-way contract instead of a main roster spot. Martin isn’t a true point guard, making his path to a regular spot in the league more difficult.
He is going to make his way onto some top-10 packages. He might be the most explosive Raptors rookie since Terrence Ross, taken 13 years ago.
“Y’all see that dunk, right? OK. Yeah,” Mogbo said Friday.
He was referring to an absolute crowning of Muoka.

“He’s an explosive player,” Mogbo continued. “He’s on the rim. He brings a lot to the table: energy, defence, just brings a lot. He’s a little Energizer bunny.”


Martin is either going to go from a solid to a great shooter or add some more ballhandling skills to become a regular. While he tries to figure that out, he will be fun to watch.


Jonathan Mogbo won’t hand over his rotation spot without a fight
If one Raptor looked too good for Summer League early on, it was Jonathan Mogbo. The 2024 second-round pick went 7 of 8 from the field against the Bulls, and then helped the Raptors shake off a dicey start against the Magic, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds.
When the Raptors took Murray-Boyles with the ninth pick last month, Mogbo seemed like the natural man out. How many non-shooting non-centres can a team play? Mogbo’s agility and ability in transition, however, could keep him on the court while Murray-Boyles acclimates.
“I feel like it’s a challenge for me, guarding the best players out there,” Mogbo said. “I’m not backing off from any challenge. So whoever it is, I’m ready to guard, ready to play, fear nobody.”

Murray-Boyles missed the Raptors’ first game because of an adductor strain. He played against the Magic, a shaky first outing. He had a nice stint in the third quarter with a block on one end and a putback dunk on the other.

[God Squad]

What's up with this board and trying to shame posters for their opinions on draft picks lately? I find it very weird and low-hanging fruit during a debate.

1. "Oh well, you didn't want Scottie Barnes".

2. "Well, you thought Suggs was gonna be a star"

3. "Ha, you wanted to draft player X over player Y."

Goofy behaviour.

I find it funny when people call others out as 'casuals' as if it is bad thing that people have a life outside of watching basketball.

Seriously. Some on this board have a superiority complex, while others have personal grudges against certain posters.

[UnbelievablyRAW]

Watch on YouTube

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Thought he was the obvious 31st pick but Mogbo looks a bit better. Kyle would have been a pretty good stretch big option

[djsunyc]

Read on Twitter

[djsunyc]

https://www.reddit.com/r/torontoraptors/comments/1lzyrur/gradeys_girlfriend_featured_in_the_how_well_do/

[Raptorfan2012]

Watch on YouTube

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Thought he was the obvious 31st pick but Mogbo looks a bit better. Kyle would have been a pretty good stretch big option

2 possibilities; Kyle wanted to be in Utah and/or Raptors didn't like his defense.

[Duffman100]

What's up with this board and trying to shame posters for their opinions on draft picks lately? I find it very weird and low-hanging fruit during a debate.

1. "Oh well, you didn't want Scottie Barnes".

2. "Well, you thought Suggs was gonna be a star"

3. "Ha, you wanted to draft player X over player Y."

Goofy behaviour.

I find it funny when people call others out as 'casuals' as if it is bad thing that people have a life outside of watching basketball.

Seriously. Some on this board have a superiority complex, while others have personal grudges against certain posters.

To be clear, anyone posting on RealGM regularly is far from a casual.

[ATLTimekeeper]

Watch on YouTube

;pp=ygUPa3lsZSBmaWxpcG93c2tp

Thought he was the obvious 31st pick but Mogbo looks a bit better. Kyle would have been a pretty good stretch big option

This dude was running the break making Jokic-level bullet passes last night. I think he's legit. Mogbo looks like a decent bench piece, though.

[Yallbecrazy]

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6492184/2025/07/14/raptors-ulrich-chomche-summer-league-nba/

LAS VEGAS — Ulrich Chomche was standing in the middle of the visitors locker room in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center last February, obviously delighted to have played a role in a Toronto Raptors road win.

Those were rare enough last year. However, to win in Philadelphia, against his countryman Joel Embiid, soaking up a few possessions guarding the former MVP, had to be cool. Chomche had just two rebounds and a block in 12 minutes, but he played meaningful minutes. He was the subject of a media scrum for his efforts.

Those were his last minutes of the season. The 57th pick in the 2024 draft suffered a partial proximal ACL tear within the week and lost out on some guaranteed minutes as the Raptors got creative late in the year with their lineups.
Chomche has already learned to turn the negative into positive.

“I’ve been working on my touch, catching the ball and finishing at the rim,” he said on Sunday at Las Vegas Summer League when asked what he was able to do during his rehab. “I’ve been watching video of Yao (Ming) setting screens.”
It’s paying off. The Raptors gave him a two-year, two-way contract last summer, knowing he would need time to level up from the NBA Academy to the G League, never mind being able to play in the best league in the world. In his second Summer League, Chomche, who boasts a 7-foot-4 wingspan, has looked much better. In his 42 minutes in two wins, the Raptors have outscored their opponents by 29 points. He’s tallied 19 points, 10 rebounds, six steals and two blocks.

Last year in Summer League, Chomche looked like the uber-raw rookie he was. In his first game action since the injury, he has looked a lot more comfortable. He has played almost exclusively drop coverage, but that makes his enormous frame tough to navigate. His limbs are in passing and driving lanes. He doesn’t automatically try to block everything, sometimes prioritizing maintaining rebounding position. If he can’t grab rebounds, he at least gets a hand on them to give a teammate a chance.
He is not Jakob Poeltl as a handoff hub or screener, but he is making simple reads. He was strong enough to catch a desperation alley-oop pass from Ja’Kobe Walter in traffic against the Bulls on Friday, drawing a foul. In his second game, he found Walter from the elbow for a layup against the Magic.

Against the Bulls, he even sealed David Muoka under the net, caught a post pass and turned for a quick hook shot. He blocked Muoka on the other end after a defensive breakdown.

“He’s learned a lot,” Jonathan Mogbo said of Chomche, who doesn’t turn 20 until the end of the year. “Age is just a number. With him, we try to treat him as a grown man. He’s taking bit by bit everyday.”
Halfway through his deal, Chomche has a chance to become a player. Here is what else has emerged at Summer League.
NBATop NBA Stories

Sixers' roster being built to absorb the inevitable absence of superstar center Joel Embiid
Tre Johnson, Alex Sarr and the Wizards found good vibes in summer-league win
'We're making the playoffs': Brandon Ingram is eager to remind the league of his skills
The Raptors will define themselves by their defence
The following on-court actions got the entire Raptors bench to rise from their seats, clap and sometimes even holler.
• Walter leaping about to try to cause a five-second violation on the inbound. The Raptors, by the way, are counting down from five to give the referee some unwanted help.

• Colin Castleton and Jamal Shead both hitting the floor for a loose ball.
• Alijah Martin causing a Bulls guard to turn twice as he dribbled up past half court.
• Shead not letting a Bulls guard get it over the timeline in eight seconds. In that case, Shead turned right for his bench to celebrate with his teammates. An extra Raptor or two might have stepped on the court from the bench. The assistant coaches need to get on that.
Oh: All that happened in the first quarter of the Raptors’ first game.

“That’s my first time getting out with them on the defensive end,” Raptors first-round pick Collin Murray Boyles, who had been dealing with a leg injury, said on Sunday. “I love it. I love the intensity. The energy is contagious and that’s what helps any team.”
“This is what I just told a group: some people are born to be models, like me,” Raptors Summer League head coach James Wade added. “Some people are born to be firemen. Some people are born to be policemen. That group in the locker room, they’re born to play defense. So they have to really buy into it.”

They turned their opponents over 55 times through two games. It seems like they have bought in.
The bench wing battle will be well contested
Assuming the Raptors start their five eight-figure players, three of the top options coming off the bench will be shooting guards, more or less: Ochai Agbaji, Gradey Dick and Walter.

Injuries will open up opportunities for all of them to play, but it might be a tight squeeze early on. Walter is the least experienced and therefore the Raptors have the most time to decide on him, but he arrived in Vegas looking different — and it’s not just the departed braids. Darko Rajaković noted that Walter put on “12 pounds of muscle” between the end of the season and now. While all such claims should be met with skepticism, Walter showed some extra functional strength dribbling, and as he rose for layups.

“You can see it, right? He’s come in a little bit stronger, bigger,” Wade said. “Body’s ready to absorb more punishment. Even though he wasn’t as big last year, he played very physical. We saw it. Now, his body is caught up to his game.”

To that point, Walter hit a short midrange jumper through contact to break a late tie against Orlando. The Raptors didn’t trail again.
There will likely be room for two but not three of those wings in the rotation. He’s not in the final year of his rookie deal like Agbaji or a former lottery pick like Dick, but Walter has a chance to be the most complete of the three.
In Toronto or Mississauga, Alijah Martin is going to create highlights

If Alijah Martin were 6-4 instead of 6-1, he might have been a top-half first-round pick instead of the 39th selection.
The Raptors took Martin in the second round, surprisingly signing him to a two-way contract instead of a main roster spot. Martin isn’t a true point guard, making his path to a regular spot in the league more difficult.
He is going to make his way onto some top-10 packages. He might be the most explosive Raptors rookie since Terrence Ross, taken 13 years ago.
“Y’all see that dunk, right? OK. Yeah,” Mogbo said Friday.
He was referring to an absolute crowning of Muoka.

“He’s an explosive player,” Mogbo continued. “He’s on the rim. He brings a lot to the table: energy, defence, just brings a lot. He’s a little Energizer bunny.”


Martin is either going to go from a solid to a great shooter or add some more ballhandling skills to become a regular. While he tries to figure that out, he will be fun to watch.


Jonathan Mogbo won’t hand over his rotation spot without a fight
If one Raptor looked too good for Summer League early on, it was Jonathan Mogbo. The 2024 second-round pick went 7 of 8 from the field against the Bulls, and then helped the Raptors shake off a dicey start against the Magic, finishing with 12 points and eight rebounds.
When the Raptors took Murray-Boyles with the ninth pick last month, Mogbo seemed like the natural man out. How many non-shooting non-centres can a team play? Mogbo’s agility and ability in transition, however, could keep him on the court while Murray-Boyles acclimates.
“I feel like it’s a challenge for me, guarding the best players out there,” Mogbo said. “I’m not backing off from any challenge. So whoever it is, I’m ready to guard, ready to play, fear nobody.”

Murray-Boyles missed the Raptors’ first game because of an adductor strain. He played against the Magic, a shaky first outing. He had a nice stint in the third quarter with a block on one end and a putback dunk on the other.

I thought Chomche had a MCL injury. This article says ACL?

[deeps6x]

What's up with this board and trying to shame posters for their opinions on draft picks lately? I find it very weird and low-hanging fruit during a debate.

1. "Oh well, you didn't want Scottie Barnes".

2. "Well, you thought Suggs was gonna be a star"

3. "Ha, you wanted to draft player X over player Y."

Goofy behaviour.

I find it funny when people call others out as 'casuals' as if it is bad thing that people have a life outside of watching basketball.

Some people don't. Sad but true.