NBA Summer League in Las Vegas always comes and goes in a blink. Once the NBA Finals end, there is no time to breathe. It's straight to the NBA Draft, and free agency follows days after. The California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer Leagues get underway before you know it, and the entire basketball world travels to Las Vegas after that.
In a summer where Team USA is also gearing up for the 2024 Paris Olympics, it can be tough to keep up with all the offseason action. That's what we're here for. If you didn't get a chance to catch Las Vegas Summer League, The Sporting News has you covered with takeaways from some of the biggest storylines around the NBA.
If you're looking for some thoughts on Bronny James' Summer League performance, TSN's Gilbert McGregor has you covered on that front here. Dalton Knecht, Alex Sarr headline NBA Summer League takeaways Dalton Knecht gives glimpse of Lakers' potential
Bronny James captured most of the attention around the Lakers' Summer League roster, but don't forget about No. 17 overall pick Knecht. After shooting poorly in his first two games, the Tennessee product started to find a groove.
He scored at least 19 points in his final four games, highlighted by a 25-point performance with five 3-pointers against the Rockets. It's easy to picture how new head coach JJ Redick will draw up sets to create open looks for a shooter of Knecht's caliber.
The Wizards' No. 2 overall pick made headlines for all the wrong reasons in Las Vegas. Sarr was the No. 1-ranked player on a lot of 2024 NBA Draft Big Boards — including my own. His high floor as a lob threat and rim protector was a big reason for that, and we saw flashes of how good he can be defensively.
But Sarr proved that beyond dunks and putbacks, the rest of his offensive game is a major work in progress. His outing against the Trail Blazers where he shot 0-for-15 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3 was among the worst performances of the entire summer.
Sarr was trying to do too much. Some of his shots reminded me of Patrick Ewing's famous "What kind of shot is that?" rant when he was a head coach at Georgetown. Summer League isn't the end-all, be-all, though. Sarr should be just fine when he gets back to his regular role with the actual Wizards.
Risacher hasn't received much buzz despite being the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He had an opportunity to make a loud statement at Summer League but ended up being pretty pedestrian for the Hawks.
He averaged 14.5 points over two games and shot 4-for-16 from 3-point range before being shut down due to a quad injury. He didn't show much promise as an impact defender, and there are still questions about his ability to create his own shot or be a go-to scorer.