Every year, there are a few NBA players who just should not be at Summer League. This is not a rule thing, this is a “why on earth are you here we already know you are a good player” thing. Of course, teams have a reason for sending guys out to Las Vegas no matter what, but inevitably, there are a few players who are very obviously not going to play a ton from the moment rosters drop.
After scrolling through the rosters that teams put together for Summer League, we identified six guys from five teams that should show out in Las Vegas — and, if they do that, get pulled pretty quickly so they can avoid an injury that impacts their ability to suit up during the regular season.
Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
What in the world is Brandon Miller doing here? Even by the normal standards of being too good for Summer League, Miller is WAY too good to be at Summer League, as he averaged 17.3 points per game last season en route to finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting. I would be shocked if he plays more than a game or two, unless the Hornets are hell-bent on getting him tons of low-stress playmaking reps.
Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, Golden State Warriors
Porziemski started 28 games for the Warriors last season, while Jackson-Davis started 16. They both seemed to just get how to play within the Warriors system, as they were each willing to do whatever was asked of them. Maybe the team want Podziemski to get more reps on the ball, or maybe the team wants to see Jackson-Davis impose himself against rookies. But they shouldn’t play too terribly much after the first game.
Cam Whitmore, Houston Rockets
Whitmore going is strange because he fell in the 2023 NBA Draft in part because of concerning medicals revolving around knee issues, so you’d think they’d want to limit how much he’s playing. But regardless, Whitmore had a nice rookie year for the Rockets, as he averaged 12.3 points and 3.8 rebounds in only 18.7 minutes of work. He’s primed for a big second year, and I’d be shocked if he doesn’t show that in Las Vegas.
Ben Sheppard, Indiana Pacers
Sheppard is probably the player on this list who could most use a full Summer League, I’m just including him because we saw how he earned Rick Carlisle’s trust in the playoffs. That is extremely hard for a rookie, and he even started the team’s final two games against the Boston Celtics. Getting him reps is a good thing, but still, I fully expect him to be one of the best players in Vegas.
GG Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies
No one did a better job taking advantage of how hurt everyone was in Memphis last year than Jackson, who showed off the ability to fill it up — he averaged 14.6 points per game on the season, which got up to 20.4 a night once he started to get a consistent starting role towards the end of the year. He’s so young that he should get some Summer League reps, but if the ability to score that he showed off down the stretch is real, he is going to just overwhelm opposing Summer League players.
