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Happy 35th birthday to Damian Lillard! The last couple of months haven’t been great for the nine-time All-Star, but he still has more years left in his Hall of Fame career. Here’s a fun video of four ridiculous game-winning buzzer-beaters from him. Get better soon, Dame, and happy birthday!
Vegas Notebook
Everything to know about summer league
Bouncers, I have returned from the first weekend of Las Vegas Summer League, and let me tell you: It remains a spectacular experience. The city of Vegas is alive with NBA energy, the actual basketball is weird and there’s a pizza stand that sells four items: pepperoni pizza, cheese pizza, an acai bowl and ranch dressing. And yes, John Hollinger bought the worst combination imaginable.
I’ve got a lot of notes and impressions from the Vegas action, but for today, let’s go over the lottery picks we saw (and didn’t see) with an updated assessment/overreaction to those selections. (To be clear, yes the term “assessment” is a bit sarcastic … don’t get too upset just yet):
- Cooper Flagg, Mavericks, (No. 1 pick): The first game was rough but had some promise for Flagg. The second outing was much smoother, so the Mavericks felt comfortable shutting him down for the rest of the summer. Creating shots will be key to Flagg’s early stardom, but him catching the ball on the move is already so much fun for non-opponents. Assessment: Solid first pick.
- Dylan Harper, Spurs, (No. 2 pick): We finally got Harper’s debut on Saturday, during which he completely delivered. He looked fantastic. His body control is absurd, and his defense was very aggressive. He’s going to fit perfectly with the Spurs. Assessment: Great pick.
- VJ Edgecombe, 76ers (No. 3 pick): The 19-year-old Edgecombe played one game in the Salt Lake City Summer League and now has a thumb/wrist injury that kept him out of Vegas. If Las Vegas is supposed to be the main draw, maybe other summer leagues shouldn’t come first when it comes to the top prospects? Overreaction: He’s a Sixer dealing with an injury, so this is a perfect pick (more on Philly’s injury luck below).
- Kon Knueppel, Hornets, (No. 4 pick): He’s played two games so far. He was atrocious in the first matchup and looked more comfortable in the second one. I still think he plays much shorter than he’s listed (6-foot-5), and there’s some concern about creating separation for his shooting ability. Overreaction: This was a big reach with the remaining talent on the board.
- Ace Bailey, Jazz, (No. 5 pick): Three games into Vegas meant three missed games by Bailey. Much like Edgecombe above, the less popular summer leagues took precedence for seemingly no reason, and the Vegas spectacle missed out on his talent. Assessment: I still love the selection.
- Tre Johnson, Wizards, (No. 6 pick): He’s an absolute bucket and looks so comfortable getting his shot off. I don’t know if he’s going to be a star in the NBA, but he’s another good prospect for the Wizards. Overreaction: He should’ve gone in the top five.
- Jeremiah Fears, Pelicans, (No. 7 pick): The 18-year-old has 29 points on 33 shots and two assists to 10 turnovers so far. I think he’s better than this – a lot better – but the decision-making hasn’t been great. Overreaction: The new Johnny Davis just dropped.
- Egor Demin, Nets, (No. 8 pick): I’m not overly impressed by this guy the Nets definitely reached for at eighth overall. To his credit, though, he’s shooting 40 percent from 3. That’s something you want to see. Assessment: He’s more Joe Ingles than Josh Giddey, mate.
- Collin Murray-Boyles, Raptors, (No. 9 pick): We saw only one game from him, during which he had five turnovers and eight fouls in 22 minutes. That’s not exactly inspiring play. Overreaction: Former Raptors vice president Masai Ujiri pulled a Shabazz Napier.
- Khaman Maluach, Suns, (No. 10 pick): He looked pretty rough and raw in his first summer league game, reinforcing the idea he’ll be a project. I still love his potential, though. Assessment: The Mark Williams trade was brilliant for bringing Maluach along slowly … if Williams stays healthy.
- Cedric Coward, Grizzlies, (No. 11 pick): We’ve yet to see him play since being drafted. Given his ongoing shoulder rehabilitation, we can’t blame other summer leagues. Assessment: Still love the pick and trade.
- Noa Essengue, Bulls, (No. 12 pick): He bounced back really well in his second game after a rough debut, but scroll down a bit to see what he’ll unfortunately be remembered for in Vegas. Overreaction: They should have taken Yang Hansen or Joan Beringer.
- Derik Queen, Pelicans, (No. 13 pick): Bad draft-night trade aside, he’s been active and rebounding well. He just doesn’t blow you away in a manner that will have you believe he can play next to Zion Williamson. Assessment: I still don’t understand what they were doing.
- Carter Bryant, Spurs, (No. 14 pick): The Spurs’ other 2025 first-round pick looked pretty good defending Flagg at times, especially early in Saturday’s game, but he can’t shoot a lick yet. Overreaction: There are like five guys I’d have taken over Bryant.
- Honorable mention: As for Essengue’s unfortunate Vegas memory, Pacers second-year player Johnny Furphy (yes, that’s a real basketball player’s name and not a host of some Australian children’s show) had the best dunk of Vegas Summer League (so far). Look at this destruction:
My goodness! Maybe this is why some of these rookies have been kept out of games.
The Last 24
Another Sixers star sidelined by surgery
🩼 Operation time. Paul George recently had a successful knee surgery and will be re-evaluated before training camp. Will Philly sign someone to make up for this?
🏀 Sweaty path. Before being drafted by the Timberwolves, Beringer used old-school workouts to reach the NBA. “It was a hot-ass gym.”
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🏀 He’s here. You’ll never guess who LeBron James was in Vegas to watch at Summer League. Yes, it was his son, Bronny James – good guess.
💰 Get paid. The Pelicans gave Herb Jones a new contract extension: three years, $68 million.
💸 Staying put. The Cavaliers are keeping their front office together. Koby Altman is signed through 2030.
🎧 Tuning in. The latest edition of “NBA Daily” discusses whether a former No. 1 overall pick should win Most Improved Player honors.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.
The story of the greatest players in NBA history.
MmmBop Hooray
It’s official: Blazers nailed Yang Hansen gamble
Last month, when the Trail Blazers shocked the basketball world by taking projected second-round pick Yang Hansen with the 16th overall pick, we all wondered if they’d lost their minds. Yes, he had the cool distinction of being called the “Chinese Nikola Jokić,” but we also remember when Nemanja Nedović was called the “Serbian Derrick Rose.” Sometimes, those nicknames don’t mean anything for unknown prospects. It’s like a stuffed crust pizza: It sounds great, but you’re likely to be disappointed by the actual results.
The 20-year-old Hansen had a really promising – albeit short – career in the Chinese Basketball Association, averaging 16.6 points, 10.5 rebounds and three assists last season, but the level of competition made for an uncertain transition to the NBA. The tape on him looked fun, but NBA talent can expose a lot of those highlights as nothing more than great trailers for bad movies.
After his first pass of summer league, I was intrigued. Ten seconds into his first game, Hansen dropped a bounce pass dime to a cutting Sidy Cissoko for the dunk:
The Thomas & Mack crowd wasn’t full, but it buzzed until that moment and grew into a frenzy every time Hansen had the ball. A couple minutes later, he whipped a one-handed hook pass just over the outreached mitt of Isaiah Mobley to DJ Carton for a layup, and everybody’s eyebrows were raised:
Hansen’s overall stats through two summer league appearances are solid. In 24.8 minutes per game, he’s averaging 10 points, 4.5 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and four turnovers. He’s made 46.7 percent of his overall attempts, hit 83.3 percent of his free throws and shot 1-of-5 from deep. That lone made 3 was banked in from the right wing.
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The numbers are almost irrelevant, though. Hansen is a galvanizing force on the floor. His perimeter defense leaves a lot to be desired, but his timing and instincts around the rim are already quite impressive. His feel for the game at 20 years old is mind-blowing. The Jokić comparisons are unreasonable because the three-time NBA MVP is one of the best players we’ve ever seen.
However, Hansen shares similar qualities, and it goes beyond passing ability. His physicality will be the key to his success. His touch and control of the ball are tough to deal with because he’s also so strong and physical. Jokić is mostly allowed to physically push defenders around and be the bully on the court. If Hansen is allowed similar liberties, he’s going to dominate his opponent on offense.
It’s rare that summer league will change your mind about a player because the games don’t actually have bearing on long-term NBA potential, but Hansen intrigued me almost immediately. The Blazers clearly knew what they were doing by selecting him so early.
Anonymous Player Poll
WNBA votes on some league superlatives
Remember when we did our NBA anonymous players poll? Do you recall Tyrese Haliburton’s peers (13 of them, at least) calling him overrated and motivating him to nearly lead the Pacers to an NBA championship? Well, the WNBA staff has conducted an anonymous players poll, with new topics being unveiled each day this week.
I wanted to examine the first two questions. I love elitism and trash talk in basketball, so they’re right up my alley. Make sure you’re checking out the series all week long:
Best player in the WNBA?
This one was particularly gratifying for me because my favorite player was named the best by her peers. While I would have guessed A’ja Wilson would win this vote, Lynx forward Napheesa Collier barely boxed out the three-time WNBA MVP for the honor. Collier got 47.2 percent of the vote, while Wilson took home 41.6 percent. Breanna Stewart garnered 5.5 percent as two other players received one vote apiece.
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Collier doesn’t quite have the success of Wilson yet, but she nearly led her team to the title last season, is the best defensive player in the league and could be working on her first career MVP.
Biggest trash talker?
Even though the G.O.A.T. Diana Taurasi has retired, we still have someone from the Mercury winning this category. Alyssa Thomas ran away with it, garnering 39.3 percent of the vote. Lynx guard Courtney Williams (15.1 percent) and Sun guard Marina Mabrey (12.1 percent) came in second and third, respectively. Surprisingly, Caitlin Clark didn’t get more than one vote here.
My favorite quote from the players about Thomas: “Everyone knows AT talks s—. I don’t even guard her, and she talks s— to me.”
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(Photo: Candice Ward / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
