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The NBA Summer League continues with a seven-game slate for Wednesday, beginning with a matchup between the Bucks and Nets at 4:00 pm ET. While Summer League rarely translates directly to NBA play, the Las Vegas circuit boasts plenty of intrigue in the form of talented, young players and older veterans trying to secure a roster spot. I’m eyeing a few games for today’s Summer League slate for my best bets.
Memphis vs Miami
Thehttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/teams/mem/memphis-grizzliesGrizzlies’ Summer League team is among the most stacked rosters in Las Vegas, with six players who saw playing time in the NBA last season. It all starts with sharpshooterhttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/58679/desmond-baneDesmond Bane, who is quickly developing into one of the league’s premier three-point shooters. Bane ranked in thehttps://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2021_per_game.htmltop-15 of three-point percentage last season with a true shooting percentage ofhttps://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2021_advanced.html60.0% and made thehttps://www.nba.com/news/lamelo-ball-anthony-edwards-headline-2020-21-all-rookie-teamsAll-Rookie Second Team. The wing from TCU scored 32 points on six made threes in the team’s first summer league game, ahttps://www.nba.com/game/bkn-vs-mem-1522100011/box-score#box-score91-84 win over thehttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/teams/bkn/brooklyn-netsBrooklyn Nets.https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/58345/xavier-tillmanXavier Tillman also played for the Grizzlies in the NBA last season and is a huge part of the team’s 1-0 record in Las Vegas this summer. The former Michigan State center stuffed the stat sheet with 15 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals against Brooklyn, and he gives Memphis an interior presence to match up with any bigs Miami can put on the floor. Tillman shares the frontcourt with stretch bighttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/50973/killian-tillie/statsKillian Tillie, a second-year player from France who hit six of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc against the Nets and scored 20 points.
Miami is 1-0 in Las Vegas and went 2-0 in the California Classic despite only three players on the roster with NBA experience. One of those players, Gabe Vincent, hasn’t appeared in a game after competing for Nigeria in the Tokyo Olympics but could make his Las Vegas debut tonight. After averaging 4.8 points per game with the Heat last season, Vincent is expected to be the team’s backup point guard behind offseason acquisitionhttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/29203/kyle-lowryKyle Lowry. According to RealGM’shttps://basketball.realgm.com/nba/depth-chartsroster projection, Miami still has a few open roster slots, so the Summer League could be a chance for players to earn time with the regular season squad. One player who already made the most of this opportunity is former undrafted big manhttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/61878/omer-yurtsevenOmer Yurtseven, who played for the G-League’s Oklahoma City Blue last season. Yurtseven, a 23-year-old seven-footer from Turkey, impressed at thehttps://www.nba.com/summer-league/2021/sacramento/player-statsCalifornia Classic with averages of 26 points, 13.5 boards and two blocks in two games. His solid play convinced the Heat to sign Yurtseven to a two-year, $3.5 million contract after the California Classic, but the big man sat out Miami’s first Las Vegas match with a blister, and his status for tonight’s game is in doubt.
Edge: Memphis -2.5
Memphis should have the advantage with their starters on the floor, as all five Grizzlies starters had a plus-minus of at least 13 in the win over Brooklyn, while none of Miami’s starters had more than 13 points against the Nuggets in their first summer league game. Memphis also earned 31 free throw attempts in the team’s first matchup in Las Vegas after leading thehttps://www.nba.com/summer-league/2021/sacramento/team-statsSalt Lake City Summer League in attempts from the line, so the Grizzlies should have an advantage if they continue to draw fouls. With Summer League rules dictating that players have up to 10 fouls before being disqualified, defenses are much less concerned about limiting fouls, which bodes well for an aggressive team like Memphis. Miami only took nine freebies and committed 29 fouls in their first win in Las Vegas, so I’m picking the Grizzlies to get to the line early and often on their way to covering as 2.5-point favorites.
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Toronto vs Golden State
Toronto boasts one of the best players at the Las Vegas Summer League in guardhttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/58676/malachi-flynnMalachi Flynn. The team’s 2020 first-round pick started 14 of his 47 games played last season and wonhttps://www.nba.com/news/anthony-edwards-malachi-flynn-named-kia-nba-rookies-of-the-monthApril Rookie of the Month honors withhttps://www.nba.com/stats/player/1630201/traditional/averages of 12.7 points, 4.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 15 games. Flynn led Toronto with 23 points in their first game in Las Vegas, anhttps://www.nba.com/game/tor-vs-nyk-1522100002/box-score89-79 win over thehttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/teams/ny/new-york-knicksKnicks. Toronto could add big manhttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/58317/precious-achiuwaPrecious Achiuwa for their matchup with Golden State after acquiring him this offseason in the Kyle Lowry sign-and-trade. Achiuwa averaged eight points with Nigeria in the Olympics and was a late addition to Toronto’s Summer League roster this week.https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/63426/scottie-barnesScottie Barnes also made his summer league debut against New York and put up a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards to go along with five assists, two steals and a block. The 20-year-old fourth overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft air-balled his first three shots and had some moments where he showed his youth, but Barnes’ length will be a problem for opposing ball handlers in Summer League and beyond.
Two rookies headlinehttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/teams/gs/golden-state-warriorsGolden State’s Summer League team in Las Vegas.https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/61631/jonathan-kumingaJonathan Kuminga, the seventh overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft, is already adept defensively afterhttps://stats.gleague.nba.com/player/1630228/career/starting 13 games with the G-League Ignite last season as an 18-year-old against professionals. His offensive game is much more undeveloped, as Kuminga missed all four of his three-point attempts in his Las Vegas debut and shot just 37.5% from the field and 57.1% from the free throw line after leading thehttps://www.nba.com/summer-league/2021/sacramento/player-statsCalifornia Classic in turnovers with six giveaways. Kuminga is one of my favorite players from this draft class, but he isn’t ready to be a major contributor on offense until he improves his shot and limits turnovers. The free throw issues are especially troubling, as Kuminga had thehttps://www.nba.com/game/orl-vs-gsw-1522100014/box-score?type=usagesecond highest usage rate against Orlando and missed three shots from the line in a two-point loss. Fellow rookiehttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/63525/moses-moodyMoses Moody also struggled with shooting efficiency, as he made only six of his 13 shots in the loss after shooting under 40% from the field at the California Classic.
Edge: Toronto -3
Golden State is more focused on getting their rookies up to speed than winning games in Las Vegas, so they will likely continue to funnel touches through their inefficient young scorers. Toronto’s roster is well-balanced with a variety of contributors between rookies and players with NBA experience, so they should have no problem getting past a Golden State squad that allowed Orlando to hithttps://www.nba.com/game/orl-vs-gsw-1522100014/game-charts?shotchart=shotzone40% of their above-the-break threes in the team’s first Las Vegas game. Flynn could continue his hot streak in this matchup, as the second-year guard thrives on above-the-break threes and hithttps://www.nba.com/game/tor-vs-nyk-1522100002/game-charts?awayPlayerShots=1630201&shotchart=shotzonefour of his five shots from that area against the Knicks.
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Utah vs Dallas
Utah centerhttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/58672/udoka-azubuikeUdoka Azubuike dominated thehttps://www.nba.com/summer-league/2021/utah/player-statsSalt Lake City Summer League with averages of 13.7 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks on 87% shooting from the field. Azubuike, a first round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, only appeared in 15 games with the Jazz last season but could take on a larger role this year after the team traded backup centerhttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/29576/derrick-favorsDerrick Favors. Azubuike and the Jazzhttps://www.nba.com/game/phx-vs-uta-1522100016/box-score#box-scoreoutrebounded Phoenix 46-29 to win by six in their first Las Vegas Summer League game. Guardhttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/62546/trent-forrestTrent Forrest averaged 14.3 points and nine assists in thehttps://www.nba.com/summer-league/2021/utah/player-statsSalt Lake City Classic before putting up 10 points, seven dimes and seven rebounds in the Las Vegas opener. The win over Phoenix was a defensive battle, with only 120 total points scored and the teams combining to shoot under 30% from the field.
Dallas struggled defensively in their first Las Vegas game, a blowouthttps://www.nba.com/game/dal-vs-phi-1522100010/box-score95-73 loss to thehttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/teams/phi/philadelphia-76ers76ers. The Mavericks never led after the first three minutes and trailed by as much as 38 before the Sixers pulled most of their starters for the second half. The 76ers attacked the rim with ease against a Dallas roster with only one center, EJ Onu. He only played seven minutes against the 76ers, and the Mavericks were outscored by a team-worst 16 points with Onu on the floor. Offensively, the Mavericks missed nine of their first ten three-pointers and committed 23 turnovers. The only bright spot of the loss was the performance of 2020 second round pickhttps://www.nbcsportsedge.com/edge/basketball/nba/player/58324/tyrell-terryTyrell Terry. Terry, a 20-year-old guard from Stanford, scored a game-high 22 points against the Sixers after appearing in 11 games with Dallas as a rookie last season.
Edge: Utah -5.5
The Jazz are unlikely to continue their cold shooting against a porous Mavericks defense. The Jazz earned 18 points off turnovers against Phoenix, which should translate well against the turnover-prone Mavericks. Azubuike could have a big game against Dallas after they allowed the 76ers to make 72.7% of theirhttps://www.nba.com/game/dal-vs-phi-1522100010/game-charts?shotchart=shotzone22 attempts at the rim last game. I like Utah to cover as 5.5-point favorites against the Mavericks in Las Vegas Summer League action.
