NBA Summer League tipped off on Monday night in Utah and Sacramento as our brief break from basketball action came to an end. Summer League isn’t always the prettiest basketball, but it is professional hoops and it can give fans a glimpse at stars of the future and possible rotation players they’ll see on the main roster this fall.
Summer League rosters are a fascinating mix of talent levels, as the feature a wide array from star prospects out of the draft to second round picks looking to show their worth to undrafted guys scrapping for a training camp invite to veterans looking for the same. However, there is another subset of players that make up a small percentage of these rosters that are already established NBA players, but they find themselves on their squad’s Summer League roster for various reasons.
These are the “Too Good To Be At Summer League” All-Stars, and they are guys often entering their second (or sometimes third) season in the NBA that will stand out immediately when you see them on the court next to everyone else. They may not be more talented than the top prospects, but there’s a stark contrast to the polish of their game compared to the rawness of a 19-year-old out of college.
TGTBASL All-Stars are on the roster to keep fans excited. They’re usually on the rosters of teams that missed the playoffs last year and want to get fans on board for next season by showing how well their young guys can work together. Teams also put them on the roster to be an example to the young guys of how to work and what an NBA player looks like, and, for those with a star rookie about to join the squad, to help build some continuity between a young core.
The 2018 TGTBASL All-Stars are a strong group and are worthy of watching, but don’t expect to see a ton of them in action. Many of them will only play in a couple games early on to wow the fans and then either ride the bench the rest of the way or be sent home outright to avoid the possibility for injury.
Here are your 2018 “Too Good To Be At Summer League” All-Stars:
John Collins, Atlanta Hawks: Collins played in the first game in Utah and it was very clear that he was way too good to be out there. Collins emerged as a quality role player/borderline starter (definite starter for a team as bad as Atlanta) in the NBA as a rookie and he’s simply there to work some with Trae Young. If he plays beyond the first game in Vegas it’ll be a stunner.
Semi Ojeleye, Boston Celtics: Jayson Tatum understandably is not part of the SL roster, but Ojeleye’s presence is interesting considering he was, on a smaller scale, an important part of the Celtics’ conference finals roster. I understand wanting him out there to continue developing, especially as an offensive player, so he might legitimately play a good bit. However, he’s going to look way better than most anyone else on the court and I feel awful for whoever is being defended by him each game.
Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, Brooklyn Nets: LeVert averaged 12.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists last year in his sophomore season, becoming a very solid wing player in the league on both ends of the floor. Why he’s on the Summer League roster I’m not sure, but I’ll be stunned if he plays much past the Nets first few games. Allen, similarly, had a very solid rookie year averaging 8.2 points and 5.4 rebounds and they’ve cleared the way for him to start at center this season. These two exist to show Nets fans they have good talent and to guide the youngsters until they’ve proven their point and can be sent home.
Cedi Osman, Cleveland Cavaliers: The future is now in Cleveland, and Osman is definitely a part of that. He’s not the best player on this list, but expect him to look really good in Vegas to the point where people start questioning why Ty Lue wasn’t playing him in the Finals.
Dennis Smith Jr., Dallas Mavericks: DSJ didn’t have the best rookie year, but considering he dominated Summer League last year and has now learned some tricks of the trade through a season in the Association, I’d be pretty confident in saying he’ll tear it up for however long they let him play. The Mavs might let him play every game and run the show to keep getting him reps and build his confidence, especially with Luka Doncic sitting out.
Jordan Bell, Golden State Warriors: I watched approximately 30 seconds of the Warriors first game in Sacramento before laughing at how dumb it was Bell was out there. He was an important player in the NBA Finals, for goodness sake. I don’t think we’ll see too much of him the rest of the way, but watching him terrorize his poor opponents on defense was fun.
Josh Hart, Los Angeles Lakers: Hart is another of these guys that was a solid role player in the NBA as a rookie and that usually translates to you being way too good for Summer League. He’ll light it up from deep and give the thousands of Lakers fans that flock to Vegas something to cheer about with Lonzo Ball and company off this year’s roster.
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat: Another guy that dominated in his first game this summer and might not be long for the Vegas roster. He’s just so much more physical than the other guys it’s silly. Also, he ran point for fun on one possession and got to the rim almost immediately.
Dragan Bender and Josh Jackson, Phoenix Suns: The Suns are gunning for the LVSL crown if they play everyone on their roster. I get what they’re doing, coming off a dreadful year, but with Deandre Ayton and these two they figure to be the favorites in Vegas if everyone plays. Bender isn’t some amazing NBA player, but he is a third-year NBA big man, and Jackson found his form in the second half of the season after a rough start to his rookie year. Phoenix will be the team to watch this summer and I expect a lot of orange and purple in the stands in Vegas.
De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings: I get wanting Fox on the floor with Marvin Bagley III, but he’s another one of these good young point guards that’s going to be a nightmare for everyone else. He might not play much in Vegas after they do their home stint in Sacramento for the “California Classic” as they show off their new pick-and-roll combo for the home fans.
OG Anunoby, Toronto Raptors: OG is going to destroy some poor folks on the defensive end of the floor. This is another guy, like Ojeleye, that I can understand putting out there because you want him to get reps as the primary offensive weapon, but he’s so much more polished on defense than anyone else out there that it’s going to be silly.
(Luke Kennard was pulled off the Pistons Summer League roster with a knee strain)
