Future Stars Shining in Vegas

Another night of Summer League action means another opportunity for the NBA’s most exciting young prospects to prove themselves. Las Vegas offers the chance for sophomores like Jabari Smith, Tari Eason and Jaden Ivey to capitalize on their brief NBA experience and quickly set themselves apart. For the much-hyped rookie class (shoutout Emoni Bates), there is always an adjustment period to this new level of competition — still, sooner or later the cream rises to the top 📈

• Unfortunately for NBA fans, the Spurs shut down Wemby as well after a two game stint for the remainder of Summer League action

• The 7’4 French behemoth struggled mightily in his Summer League debut, but rebounded in a big way in his second game. Wemby showed the type of two-way dominance that made him the most hyped draft prospect since LeBron 🔥 

While we will miss the media frenzy surrounding Wemby’s exploits on and off the court, the Spurs will still be showing off some appealing prospects in Dominick Barlow and Julian Champagnie, who they just quietly signed to a four-year contract, when they take on the Wizards tonight 🔥

It would have been intriguing to see Wemby battle against his countryman and Metropolitans 92 teammate Bilal Coulibaly, but that matchup will have to wait until the regular season rolls around 😢

• Washington shocked the league when they traded up to draft Coulibaly at No. 7, as the 6’6 forward was generally regarded as a mid-first round pick

• Coulibaly is a raw prospect, but his athleticism and high end upside immediately pop off the screen. This block was something else 👀

Another matchup bursting with top prospects is Houston vs. OKC, two squads with some of the best young talent in the league. Suiting up for the Thunder is last year’s No. 2 pick Chet Holmgren, who missed his entire rookie season with a foot injury. Chet, like Wemby, is freakishly tall and thin, which opens up the worry toward further injuries 😬

• However, he’s put on a bit of muscle and looked all the way back in his Summer League action thus far (highlights here)

• Chet would have been going up against Jabari Smith Jr., who was picked directly after him in 2022 and had an up-and-down rookie season. Smith started off cold in Vegas, but quickly caught fire and showed that he more than belongs on this stage 💪

Houston also, of course, is now home to our very own Amen Thompson. Unfortunately, Amen sustained an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter of his debut that will sideline him for the remainder of Summer League. He looked great last week, impacting the game as a scorer, passer and defender. He’ll be back soon 🤝

Summer League action kicks off tonight at 6PM EST, with 12 teams taking the court. Full schedule here for those in need of some hoops 🏀

Trivia Question: Jabari Smith dropped 38 points over the weekend - who has the highest scoring Summer League game of all-time?

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Trivia Answer: Anthony Marrow 47 points for the Warriors back in the 2009 Summer League is the most all-time