With the Summer League just around the corner, it gives front offices and fan bases alike the ability to watch their upcoming prospects. There’s always a few standouts on each team, and Digits is here to dive into the player to watch from each team.
Atlanta Hawks: Kobe Bufkin -- Bufkin, a 6’5 wing from Michigan, was the Hawks’ selection with the 15th pick. With the Hawks looking to pair two-way players alongside Trae Young, Bufkin was an excellent pick. Since he will have the ball in his hands more in the Summer League, watch for how effective he is off of the dribble.
Boston Celtics: Jordan Walsh -- A prospect that I was higher on than consensus, Walsh is an athletic defensive-focused player with potential two-way upside that the Celtics snagged with the 38th pick. His defense is the main intrigue, but what may be more interesting to watch for is how his offense looks.
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Brooklyn Nets: Noah Clowney -- The Nets’ 21st overall pick, Clowney brings defensive versatility right now and has the potential to develop into a 6’10 3&D big who can still roll and play the traditional big role. He’s still only 18 and was one of the drafts’ youngest players.
Charlotte Hornets: Brandon Miller -- Maybe he didn’t deserve to go second overall, but Miller is still one hell of a prospect. Being a 6’9” player who can shoot and get to his spots as well as Miller is super intriguing as a prospect. It will be exciting to see how he does in the Summer League. He’s clearly talented.
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Chicago Bulls: Terry Taylor -- The first player not to be a 2023 draftee on this list, Taylor is a 6’5”, 230 pound wing who plays similar to a big. The Bulls employed him as a guy to sit in the dunkers spot and as a roll-man when with the main roster, so it should be interesting to see him with the ball in his hands during the Summer League.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Sharife Cooper -- Cooper was the 48th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft but is still yet to find his spot on an NBA roster for an extended period of time. He is coming off of a G-League season where he was just named to the All-G League 2nd Team, averaging 21.3 points and 6.3 assists per game. Maybe he can perform well enough to stick on a roster.
Dallas Mavericks: Derrick Lively -- Lively may have only averaged 5 points and 5 rebounds per game at Duke, but this year’s 12th overall pick has incredible feel as a roller and defender, where he will be able to make his impact in the league. Being a lottery pick, it’s only fitting that he’s the clear player to watch on the Mavs.
Denver Nuggets: Julian Strawther -- It feels likely that the Nuggets’ 29th pick, Strawther, will be playing a rotational role for the Nuggets this season. The former Gonzaga Bulldog is deadly as a movement shooter, but it will also be fun to see him with the ball in his hands during the Summer League.
Detroit Pistons: Ausar Thompson -- The fifth overall pick in this draft, Thompson has some pretty darn high upside. People doubt Thompson’s ability since he played in for Overtime Elite rather than professionally overseas or collegiately, but the athletic phenom should prove himself come Vegas.
Golden State Warriors: Brandin Podziemski -- Podziemski is just such a Warriors player. This years’ 19th overall selection is a knockdown shooter and skilled shot creator at 6’4”. It should be fun to watch him drain threes in the Summer League, as the Warriors’ shooting will absolutely translate from the actual NBA season to the Summer League.
Houston Rockets: Jabari Smith Jr. -- The 2022 3rd overall pick playing in the Summer League actually came as a surprise, and that’s why he’s the Rockets player to watch over Amen Thompson. With an NBA year under his belt and the ball in his hands a tad bit more, it should be interesting to see how he performs on both ends of the floor. He should be among the Summer League’s best players pretty easily.
Indiana Pacers: Bennedict Mathurin -- Like Jabari Smith Jr., seeing Mathurin on the Pacers’ Summer League roster is shocking. It’s why he’s here over this years’ 8th overall pick Jarace Walker. Mathurin should be the Summer League’s leading scorer, period. He feels too talented to be here, and the Pacers will likely shut him down after one or two games.
Los Angeles Clippers: Moussa Diabate -- On a two-way contract for the Clippers, Diabate was just a member of the All-G League 3rd Team, averaging 15.9 points, 12.4 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks. He’s entering his sophomore season this coming year and may find some time on the floor for the Clippers during the regular season.
Los Angeles Lakers: Jalen Hood-Schifino -- Hood-Schifino was the Lakers’ 17th overall pick out of Indiana and will likely see playing time as a rookie. He’s at his best in the P&R, but I’m also interested to see how he plays outside of that context. He should perform well, regardless. For more on JHS, I did a Twitter thread on him, which can be found here.
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Memphis Grizzlies: Kenneth Lofton Jr. -- Quite frankly, I expect Lofton Jr. to just dominate. Not only was he a member of the All-G League 1st Team who averaged 20.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, but the 6’7”, 275 pound big had a 42 point game in the NBA at the end of the regular season.
Miami Heat: Nikola Jovic -- Since Summer League last year, Jovic has added about 15-to-20 pounds to his frame. He now appears to be a bigger 6’10 point forward, as he’s a guy who can put the ball on the floor while also shooting over the defense. He’s demi-god-esque if it all comes together for the young and still raw Serbian.
Milwaukee Bucks: Andre Jackson Jr. -- Coming off of a National Championship victory, Jackson was drafted with the 36th pick by the Bucks. He’s a menace as a defender, and with his 6’6” frame with 6’10” wingspan, he can guard multiple positions. Shooting is the concern with Jackson.
Minnesota Timberwolves: Wendell Moore Jr. -- There was a lot of players to pick from here for Minnesota, but the most interesting to me was Moore Jr. The 26th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Moore Jr. didn’t have a rotational role in his rookie year. Still, he has the appearance to become a very good on-ball defender, so what I’m watching for in the Summer League is how his offense looks.
New Orleans Pelicans: Dyson Daniels -- The 2022 8th overall selection, Daniels appeared in 59 games as a rookie and averaged 17.7 minutes. A playmaking and defensive specialist, Daniels will have the ball in his hands a lot more than he did with the Pelicans during the regular season, which should be both fun and interesting to see.
New York Knicks: Trevor Keels? -- Honestly, this team is going to suck. It appears that it’s going to be all undrafted free agents and Trevor Keels, who was on a two-way deal for the Knicks. He appeared in 8 total minutes for the Knicks during the regular season and averaged 13.9 points and 3.4 assists on 53.9 TS% in the G-League.
Oklahoma City Thunder: Everyone -- Chet Holmgren will (hopefully) be making his return from injury. Jalen Williams, who broke out in the second half of the season, is somehow playing in Vegas. The 10th overall pick in this years’ draft Cason Wallace will be out there as a lockdown defender and secondary offensive option. The 2022 NBA Draft’s 11th overall selection Ousmane Dieng, the project player for the Thunder, will also be out there and looking to shine. There’s just so much intrigue with this team.
Orlando Magic: Anthony Black -- The 6th overall pick in this draft, Black brings a combination of passing, slashing, and defense in his 6’7” frame that led him to be the second collegiate player off of the board. The Magic have a super fun Summer League roster that also includes the 11th pick Jett Howard, 2022’s 32nd pick Caleb Houstan.
Philadelphia 76ers: Terquavion Smith -- Like the Knicks, this team has no intrigue. It will consist of essentially all undrafted players. Smith is just one of them, but he’s a great athlete who averaged 17.9 points per game and 4.1 assists in his sophomore season at NC State.
Phoenix Suns: Toumani Camara -- The Suns’ lone pick in this draft at 52nd netted them Camara. At 6’7” with a 7’1” wingspan, Camara should bring some defensive intrigue to the Suns from day one, but his lack of an effective offensive role brings its concerns. With the Suns’ overall lack of depth, Camara may find some playing time as a rookie in the NBA.
Portland Trail Blazers: Scoot Henderson -- Who else would this be? Not only is Henderson a great prospect with his downhill finishing and athleticism, but the 3rd overall pick is also incredibly fun to watch. If you haven’t watched Scoot, please turn on your TV for some Blazers games because he’s the point guard of the future for them, regardless of if Damian Lillard is a Blazer or not.
Sacramento Kings: Colby Jones -- This 21-year-old out of Xavier is already NBA-ready, making this a super intriguing fit in Sacramento. He has the ability to impact the game on both ends, which should excite Kings fans for his spot minutes. As they lacked a first round pick this year, Jones was their first selection.
San Antonio Spurs: Victor Wembanyama -- Do I need to write anything? He’s arguably the greatest prospect we have ever seen: 7’5”, defensive monster, ability to stretch the floor, shot creator, absurdly good handle for his height, an 8’0” wingspan. He’s expected to only play one or two Summer League games, but you absolutely have to watch those games that he’s out there.
Toronto Raptors: Gradey Dick -- Dick was one of the safest players in this draft. He’s already a sharpshooter, and a Summer League setting should be great for him to show off what he can do with the ball in his hands. At 6’6” with a 6’9” wingspan, he has some potential to grow on the defensive end of the floor, too, where he is already decent.
Utah Jazz: Taylor Hendricks -- The Jazz had one of my favorite drafts, and this Summer League team should be fun. Beyond Hendricks, the 6’8” athletic 3&D power forward who is undoubtedly the highlight of this team after being the 9th pick in the draft, they also have 16th selection Keyonte George, 28th pick Brice Sensabaugh, and 2022 lottery pick Ochai Agbaji.
Charlie Spungin , NBA Analyst