After a year away, NBA Summer League is back in Las Vegas starting this weekend as all 30 teams descend on the desert for the annual tournament that was once mostly just summer meetings for executives and team personnel, with basketball mixed in, that has become a marquee event on the calendar.
For most people, Summer League is a place to see shiny new rookies play NBA basketball for the first time and make wild overreactions off a five-game sample on a hastily thrown together team that rarely has great fits. However, for players on the fringe, Summer League can be vital to making it onto a training camp roster or getting an overseas contract, as teams from around the world send scouts and executives to watch the action in Vegas.
It’s important to remember that fact when you are considering betting on NBA Summer League action, which is, objectively, a rather terrible decision, but there can be some edges found. The public loves the teams with big name rookies, but when taking into account Summer League title odds, those top rookies are rarely played big minutes throughout the tournament, as teams want to get their feet wet, excite the fanbase, and then shut it down to keep everyone healthy. Teams with more guys trying to get into the NBA or, even better, back into the NBA are typically the ones that shine in the tournament, and this year’s title favorites are a great example of that.
SUMMER LEAGUE FUTURES YESSSSSS courtesy of @SuperBookNV pic.twitter.com/L2ndxTxxpZ
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) August 4, 2021
The Portland Trail Blazers are 8-1 to win the Summer League title, which is a preposterous number in a 30-team tournament, but you can see why with a glance at the roster. Not only are youngsters like Nassir Little (who has played real NBA minutes in Portland) on there, but two very familiar veteran faces are as well in Michael Beasley and Kenneth Faried. The two vets seem ready to showcase why they should get back on an NBA roster, and if the Blazers let those two cook, they figure to absolutely dominate some of these young teams.
The Pistons being second on the odds sheet at 10-1 isn’t a surprise given their roster boasts Cade Cunningham, Killian Hayes, Saddiq Bey, Luka Garza and Sekou Doumbouya, which is a strong selection of youngsters. The question, of course, is how much do they play those guys. Bey is an established NBA player, so I’d expect him to not be playing much after the first few games, and the same can be said for Cunningham as the face of the franchise. Hayes might get extended burn as could Doumbouya, so there’s still talent, but I wouldn’t expect their two best players to be available in the bracket portion of the proceedings.
In any case, wagering on Summer League futures is an aggressive play, just because of the volatility of rosters and how frequently guys get shut down. To anyone participating in such wagers, godspeed.
