NBA Player News

Oubre, who was diagnosed with a sprained left elbow on March 11, appears to be closing in on a return to action. While he will not play in Wednesday’s game against the Bulls, the ability to resume on-court workouts and participate in pregame shootaround is a step in the right direction. Quentin Grimes, who returns to action after a one-game absence, should remain in the starting lineup until Oubre is cleared.

Martinelli didn’t start in his first summer league game, but he ended up playing 22 minutes off the bench. He was able to contribute some buckets and made some hustle plays. Martinelli was the 55th pick in the draft last month, and while he should get more opportunities this summer, it is unlikely to carry over into a large role next season for the Clippers.

Miller stuffed the stat sheet in college, and the only limitation was his lack of a deep-range shot. However, he knocked down his only three-point attempt in this game and made three of his four free throws. Low volume doesn’t mean much, but it was nice to see him hit some jumpers. Of course, the shot-blocking was still there, and if he is a rotation player in year one, that is an area he may be able to contribute in for fantasy managers.

Wagler’s first game as a Clipper was certainly disappointing. The physicality clearly impacted him and prevented him from getting to his spots. That was a big part of his game in college and was why the Clippers took him with the No. 5 overall pick. There’s no reason to sound the alarms yet, but he is certainly going to have to get stronger to have success in the NBA. He’ll look to bounce back against the Jazz on Sunday.

Sharp was productive during the California Classic, and he brought that with him to Las Vegas. He led the Kings in scoring, with most of that coming at the free throw line. He’s showcased a knack for swiping steals and knocking down triples. Both of those will play well in fantasy hoops. Among second-round picks, Sharp has been one of the most enticing in this class and could end up carving out a role early on.

Karaban didn’t play in the California Classic because of an ankle injury, so this was his first summer league game. It’s safe to say that it was a disappointing start to his Kings tenure. He missed all six of his shot attempts, including all four of his three-pointers. He’s an experienced player that should be much better than he was in this game, especially since he likely wasn’t 100 percent healthy.

Acuff once again carried the offensive load for Sacramento, though he was once again inefficient as a scorer. He did more as a playmaker, matching his assist total from his two previous games in this one alone. He also contributed some defensive stats and had some solid moments on that end of the floor. However, Acuff has shot below 40 percent from the floor in all three of his summer league appearances. He’s an immensely talented offensive player, but his fantasy impact will be limited by his field goal percentage, especially early in his career.

Alexander signed a two-way contract with Utah just a couple days prior, which made this his first game for his new team. Akexander wasn’t able to carve out much of a role in Denver or New Orleans, and he’ll likely once again spend most of his time in the G League. However, he had some solid moments in this game, including a pair of late triples.

Though he clearly isn’t a finished product, Williams has shown progress entering his third season. He looks like how a third-year NBA player should look in summer league. Williams was solid in this game and should be a rotation piece for Utah this season, though the amount of depth they have may make it difficult for him to carve out a large role.

Peterson was a star during summer league in Salt Lake City, and that commanded the attention of Washington’s defense for the entire game. From the beginning, the Wizards applied full-court pressure when Peterson brought the ball up and made his life incredibly difficult. Though he still had some star flashes, this was by far his worst performance of the summer. He was reckless with the ball at times and committed nine fouls. He’ll look to bounce back against the Clippers on Sunday.

The rookie out of Tennessee logged 20 minutes in his first summer league outing. He didn’t contribute much in the box score, but he was effective on the offensive glass. Okpara should continue to get more opportunities as summer league progresses.