Here is a compilation of Summer League Notes from all 30 NBA teams.
If there is an (O) at the beginning of a note, that is my own observation or opinion. Anything else is something that was shared with me directly. All quotes were interesting enough for me to share without paraphrasing it.
- Atlanta Hawks
1. The Hawks love John Collins and feel like he could have been the steal of the draft. They believe he has the form and touch to extend his range to the three-point line and should score inside immediately.
2. Atlanta is really excited for the future and believe they are in good shape to turn things around quickly while also being competitive this year.
3. They are still looking for another guard and a third PG.
- Boston Celtics
1. The Celtics insist Jayson Tatum would have been the pick at No. 1 overall had they stayed there and are thrilled with what he's shown early.
2. Tatum doesn't have a hitch in his shot as many believe. He's double jointed at both the wrist and elbow, so it creates what looks like a hitch, but is actually his natural shooting motion.
3. Boston believes Jaylen Brown will take a huge jump this year and be in the mix for Most Improved Player.
4. Ante Zizic will need some time, but will be better in the second half of the season than the first half. As some worry that he's played basically for a year straight, they want him to get some down time in August to recuperate.
5. With their roster getting full, someone will get squeezed out of Semi Ojeleye, Jabari Bird, Abdel Nader and Guerschon Yabusele. They are still undecided on how to handle the situation.
- Brooklyn Nets
1. The Nets believe Jarrett Allen will have an impact as the backup behind Timofey Mozgov and should recover fine in time for training camp. Brooklyn also thinks Mozgov will better than most think. “He’s not done. Overpaid sure. But he’s not done.”
2. The Nets are excited to have D’Angelo Russell and think he’ll have a big impact and can be a 20 PPG scorer.
3. Brooklyn believes they have great competition on the wing with lots of guys that will fight for minutes, which is what they want.
4. (O) – Expect the starting lineup to be Mozgov, Carroll, LeVert, Russell and Lin. The lineup is small, but they went small most of last year.
5. Tried RFA route again with Otto Porter. “As long as we have cap space, it is worth it to try. Didn’t cost us anything and took a FA off the market and ate up a bunch of cap space for a team we eventually need to pass.”
- Charlotte Hornets
1. http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=1592660
- Chicago Bulls
1. The Bulls think Kris Dunn and Cameron Payne will bring the best out of each other at point guard in competition.
2. Chicabgo believes Zach LaVine could be ready for start of year, but will not rush him. They obviously view him as a key piece in rebuild.
3. The Bulls aren’t sure who will start up front. “We’ll let them battle it out in camp and go from there.”
4. Lauri Markkanen should be a solid scorer right away. While he’s likely to come off the bench, he’ll play a lot.
- Cleveland Cavaliers
1. The Cavs’ offseason went as expected as they retained Kyle Korver, added a couple of vets (Jeff Green & Jose Calderon) and got Cedi Osman over.
2. It is unclear how much Cedi Osman will play initially with a pretty big logjam on the wing.
3. The Cavaliers would still like to talk about Carmelo Anthony, but will not gut roster to make it happen.
- Dallas Mavericks
1. Orlando notes: http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=1592675
2. Dallas believes Dennis Smith Jr. could win ROY. He’s an “@%^-kicking mother-#@$%^&”.
3. Early on in Las Vegas, Smith got matched with Josh Jackson and his eyes got big and he got a big smile on his face and destroyed him off the dribble.
4. (O) – Smith is on a mission to make those who passed on him in the draft pay.
5. The Mavericks think Josh McRoberts will help some this year. “Dirk (Nowitzk) can’t play 82 games. McRoberts gives us some shooting and passing from that spot we didn’t have last year.”
6. They love Johnathan Motley and his intensity. He’s got a Two-Way contract, but will spend almost the entire year developing in the NBAGL.
- Denver Nuggets
1. The Nuggets are beyond excited to have Paul Millsap. “He changes everything for us. We’ll be a playoff time and these young guys need to experience that pressure to grow into something great.”
2. The Nuggets fully realize Nikola Jokic is the league’s best bargain, but “that only has one more year. We had to get Millsap now to take advantage before we pay the big guy.”
3. Denver wished it had worked out with Jusuf Nurkic but had to move on before it got unsalvageable.
4. They think their depth will make a major difference throughout a long season with 14 quality NBA players.
5. (O) – Expect Jameer Nelson to continue to start, but it might be somewhat token before Jamal Murray, or they hope, Emmanuel Mudiay slides in.
- Detroit Pistons
1. http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1592627
- Golden State Warriors
1. The Warriors are very excited for Jordan Bell as they believe he can be their next super versatile guy, but realize it may take a year. He’ll log minutes in the G-League.
2. The Warriors think Damian Jones might get some backup center minutes, but he has to earn them.
3. (O) – Kevon Looney looks like he might not make it as he’s lost some athleticism and struggled at times.
4. Patrick McCaw played really well and will be a key rotation guy, likely replacing Ian Clark. “We need him to play, which sucks because he’s really good and it going to be really expensive to keep next summer.”
- Houston Rockets
1. The Rockets love the Chris Paul trade, but also excited to keep Nene and sign PJ Tucker. “They give us some toughness we didn’t have last year. They’ll fight a guy if they have to.”
2. Houston is still trying to put together something for Carmelo Anthony and think he’d fit in great as a version of “Olympics Melo” where he plays a secondary role.
3. Excited for both Cameron Oliver and Zhou Qi, but “there might not be enough minutes. They’ll both play with the Vipers (NBAGL) plenty. But they can both play.”
4. (O) - Isaiah Hartenstein is a long term project. He has size and touch, but needs lots of work on his body and to figure out how to play.
- Indiana Pacers
1. http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=1592636
2. Everyone in Las Vegas was still talking about the Paul George trade. It was one of the first topics of every new conversation. As the two weeks of Summer League went on, most have been less critical of the Pacers’ return, as details come out that they weren’t getting great offers.
- Los Angeles Clippers
1. They think they’ve rebounded well from trading Chris Paul with good depth up and down the roster and more versatility.
2. “Gallo (Danilo Gallinari) is going to get close to 20 PPG. We haven’t had a scoring SF in forever.”
3. “Bev (Patrick Beverley) is going to give us some big time defense. CP was great on D, but Beverley is just as good.”
4. (O) - If they let him go, Milos Teodosic is going to be one of the most fun players in the league. Especially because:
5. They intend to play at a faster pace. A lot of their pace was controlled by Paul and he didn’t like to run.
- Los Angeles Lakers
1. The Lakers are beyond excited for Brandon Ingram’s improvement. He hasn’t added much weight, but he’s added a ton of strength. They believe he’ll be a 20 PPG sooner rather than later.
2. (O) - Lonzo Ball’s passing is unreal. He has that passing gene. Not just direct assists, but his ability to create hit ahead passes is amazing.
3. (O) – Ball will struggle to get his jumper off on the dribble. Not as much off a lefty dribble, because it comes right up into his shooting pocket perfectly. Off a righty dribble, his wind up is exaggerated and he’ll struggle to get the shot up against tight defense. On spot ups, he’ll be fine.
4. They believe Kyle Kuzma will be a rotation guy by the end of the year. He’s been very good in Las Vegas.
5. Julius Randle is going to have a monster year. Brook Lopez will give him space and Ball will find him. He’s also shredded. His body looks incredibly impressive.
- Memphis Grizzlies
1. Wayne Selden has stepped up big time. He’s barely left the gym since the end of the season. He may be the best SG on the Grizzlies’ roster.
2. They believe they have the depth to get through the injuries that have cropped up over the last few years after adding Tyreke Evans and Ben McLemore.
3. They believe they’ll keep JaMychal Green, but he could just sign the Qualifying Offer and be a UFA next summer.
4. Memphis openly talked about how much they will miss Zach Randolph and Vince Carter and “It isn’t just on the floor. In the locker room and community they are major losses. Not be morbid, but it feels like someone died if Tony (Allen) leaves too, man. Man.”
- Miami Heat
1. Orlando notes: http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=1592663
2. Gian Clavell might have played well enough to earn a camp invited. They loved his shooting and toughness.
3. Bam Adebayo should be ready to play backup center minutes and eventually could play some power forward next to Hassan Whiteside.
4. Expect Kelly Olynyk to start because they need his shooting in the starting five. But James Johnson may end up playing more minutes per game.
5. They believe they are clearly a playoff team but “We can’t do the #$%^ we did to start last year. That was embarrassing and cannot happen again.”
- Milwaukee Bucks
1. The Bucks love D.J. Wilson’s athleticism, but they know he will take some time. He should log time with the new G-League team.
2. Jabari Parker is working very hard, but they will not push him. Much like Khris Middleton, they’ll wait until he is clearly ready before letting him play.
3. Thon Maker is ready to make a big jump. He’s going to be a candidate for MIP.
4. They’ll continue to look for trades, as they do not want to be a tax paying team. Not with an extension looming for Parker.
5. They intend to use their new NBAGL team heavily. “We wanted one and got it for a reason. It will be a tool for us to develop our young guys. Injured guys can even play a ‘rehab’ game or two there too.”
- Minnesota Timberwolves
1. The Wolves think Justin Patton will be ready for camp, but won’t push him. There’s no need as they have enough depth up front.
2. Maybe more than any team, Minnesota wants the season to get started. “We added all these vets and all we lost was Ricky (Rubio) and Bazz (Shabazz Muhammad). Love those guys, but we upgraded big time.”
3. More on their excitement for the season: “Our young cats are good already. We would have been a playoff team anyway. Now we’ll get homecourt.”
4. They are still looking for wing depth, as they have none. But it will be a later on, minimum only type of guys.
- New Orleans Pelicans
1. The Pelicans are worried about their SF depth. “We need another guy. Maybe Q (Quincy Pondexter) can play, but we can’t count on that. Someone is gonna want to get on board.”
2. They think Jrue Holiday might be best at SG, but are happy with E’Twaun Moore and Jordan Crawford there. This was their logic in signing Rajon Rondo.
3. “Anthony Davis is going to be in the mix for MVP this year. We’ll be a playoff team and a good one too. He’s going to be right there. Write that down.”
4. They believe DeMarcus Cousins and Davis will be fine together because “They can both pass. But more importantly, they are willing passers. And both of them can shoot it too. Underrated shooters from the outside.”
- New York Knicks
1. http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=1592621
- Oklahoma City Thunder
1. http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=334&t=1592672
- Orlando Magic
1. http://forums.realgm.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=1592669
- Philadelphia 76ers
1. “J.J. (Redick) and Amir (Johnson) are our grownups this year like Gerald (Henderson) was last year. But those two can play and will help us a lot.
2. Philadelphia has major plans for Amir Johnson to help push all the young bigs. “Our guys are all super skilled, but they aren’t always the smartest and toughest because they are young. Amir will teach that to them.”
3. The 76ers still plan to let Ben Simmons be the main facilitator, but have backed off the point guard talk some. Sounds more like they want to just be position-less and just play.
4. They were worried and bummed out about Markelle Fultz getting hurt in Las Vegas. It happened right in front of me and looked really bad. All were thrilled it was nothing serious.
5. The 76ers think Fultz can probably score 10-15 PPG right off the jump because of his multiple ways to score. The question will be his defense. “Can’t get beat and hope for the comeback block every time. Won’t work here (NBA).”
6. They are excited for Furkan Korkmaz, but he may not play much. “We have a lot of guys in front of him and he’s young and needs to work on his body. But he’s not afraid and can shoot it. We’ll see how it plays out.”
7. They want to get something done with Joel Embiid extension-wise, but are content to let it play out for now. They fully expect it to take a max deal or matching a max offer sheet. They probably won’t allow it to get to the offer sheet point.
- Phoenix Suns
1. The Suns think Dragan Bender is ready for a big year. “The game was just way too fast for him last year. He’s adjusted and you can see him making plays now.”
2. Marquese Chriss is coming along quickly but “He’s gotta add consistent range on his jumper. He’s got all the tools. It will come eventually.”
3. Phoenix is really excited for Josh Jackson. They think he’ll play because of his defense and ability to run the floor, but his halfcourt offensive game will take time to develop.
4. The Suns are thrilled to bring Alan Williams back. They think he’ll play a bigger role this year. With the right minutes, the Suns believe he would lead the league in rebounding.
- Portland Trail Blazers
1. Zach Collins showed some stuff, but he needs a lot of work. Portland has solid depth and he can take a year or two to develop.
2. Caleb Swanigan is more ready to play now than Collins. “Zach (Collins) is the better prospect long term, but Caleb (Swanigan) can play now. He’s not afraid of anyone and he’ll bang. And he’s working on adding range to his jumper.”
3. The Blazers really had hoped to use a pick to shed a contract, but found no takers. “We weren’t going to give up all our assets. The contracts and tax are tough to swallow, but not impossible. Better to ride it out than waste assets.”
4. They plan to use Evan Turner on the ball a lot more. “It took us half the year to figure out how to use him. Once we did, we took off as a team. He’s basically our backup PG now. He’ll have a much better year.”
- Sacramento Kings
1. “We had the best draft of anyone. We got three guys who will all be long term rotation pieces. No one else can say that.”
2. The Kings are really excited for De’Aaron Fox/George Hill pairing. Fox will back up Hill initially, but they can also play together too. With some depth lacking at SF, they’ll go three guards with Fox, Hill and Buddy Hield.
3. “We added the vets because too many young guys isn’t great in a locker room. Philly learned that the hard way. We kept the deals reasonable, so it won’t hurt us. And all three are great teachers.”
4. They think they can push for the playoffs, but aren’t stating that as a goal at this point. “We just want to be exciting and improve. We believe we have done both.”
- San Antonio Spurs
1. (O) – I very much got the sense something bigger was planned. They didn’t get guys to opt out to add just Rudy Gay and Joffrey Lauvergne. But they can still finagle the cap to do something big.
2. Brandon Paul is going to be a steal for them. He was very good overseas last year and in Summer League. He’s the next great Spurs find.
3. They are worried about depth up front. While they’re still looking at options there, Pau Gasol will be back for sure and probably Lee. Boris Diaw could return as well now htat he’s a free agent.
- Toronto Raptors
1. Once healthy, OG Anunoby could be the long term starter at SF. “He gives us toughness and defense. If his shot comes along, he’s a lock eventually.”
2. They think Delon Wright and Norman Powell are both ready for bigger roles. They wanted to keep PJ Tucker and Cory Joseph, but had to go in a different direction because the tax would have gotten crazy.
3. Toronto is really excited they kept Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka. “We have a great core. If we’re healthy, we’re in the mix with Cleveland and Boston at the top of the East.”
- Utah Jazz
1. The Jazz were clearly sad to see Gordon Hayward leave but “We rebounded nicely. Kept Joe (Ingles) and some others on the way (turned out to be Jonas Jerebko, Thabo Sefolosha and Ekpe Udoh). Our defense will carry us, but we might have to work a bit more to create offense. But Rodney (Hood) will step up big time.”
2. They think Donovan Mitchell will be a big time star. “He’s going to be like Dame (Damian Lillard) or CJ (McCollum) with the way he’ll score the ball. We traded up for a reason and that is because this kid has star written all over him.”
3. The Jazz believe Rudy Gobert can carry more offensive responsibility, while remaining the best defender in the NBA.
4. “Ricky (Rubio) is going to help us a lot. We need a little flash occasionally. Sometimes we were too structured. And he’s a great fit with our defense.”
- Washington Wizards
1. The Wizards had to match Otto Porter. “We couldn’t replace him. Nothing left to give out and we weren’t overpaying for (Bojan) Bogdanovic. Otto is fine value for what we paid. He keeps getting better.”
2. Kelly Oubre Jr. is putting in work on his shot. “He’s going to be even better. He gets a bad rap at times, but he’s a tough kid who works hard. Sure he lost it on (Kelly) Olynyk, but enough was enough.”
3. Washington is disappointed John Wall hasn’t signed the DPVE, but they understand why. “We’ll get it done. He wants to be here. We want him here. This isn’t ending ugly.”
4. The Wizards predicted a big year for Jodie Meeks. “If he’s healthy, he’s one of the best shooters in the game. Best thing is with him behind Brad (Beal), we don’t have to change the offense at all. He can run all the same routes as Brad does.”
5. Washington was amazed they could get Tim Frazier so cheaply. They believe he’ll give them a quality backup behind Wall, which they have lacked for a while now.
