While there were eight games on the NBA2K Summer League schedule for Wednesday, the big news of the day was made in Los Angeles. LeBron James let the people know what his plans are for next season, and it came as no surprise to anyone. In Las Vegas, the Pacers and Pistons were among the teams deciding to shut down key young talents, while Utah watched one of its first-round picks go down with a sprained ankle. Let’s get into the Daily Dose.
LeBron will return for a 21st season
While he may have hinted at the possibility of retirement after the Lakers were eliminated from the playoffs in the Western Conference Finals, few expected James to actually go through with it. Sure enough, he announced that he will play next season during Wednesday’s ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. James revealed his decision while accepting the award for Best Record-Breaking Performance, as he broke Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career points record during last season. Entering the 2022-23 campaign with a Yahoo ADP of 16.1, LeBron played in 55 regular season games and finished ranked just inside the top 25 in 9-cat, per-game value.
The one question at this point is the status of James’ right foot, which was an issue for a significant portion of last season. There have been no reports regarding his foot since the Lakers’ season came to an end, so who knows if LeBron needed to undergo surgery. He’s played in 55, 67, 45, 56, and 55 games during his five seasons with the Lakers, but LeBron is one player whose per-game value is too high to hold him to the 65-game standard when assessing his fantasy impact. At this point in his career, fantasy managers simply have to accept that they’re highly unlikely to get 65 games out of LeBron, but what they do get will be very good from a value standpoint.
Jazz’s George goes down with a sprained right ankle
Since struggling in his first game of the summer, Jazz guard Keyonte George has been one of the NBA’s best performers. But his summer league experience likely came to an end during the second quarter of Utah’s win over Denver on Wednesday, as George sprained his right ankle. The injury appeared to be very bad at the moment that it occurred, but the rookie guard was able to walk off under his own power. Even if George declares himself fit to play, there is no need for the Jazz to risk anything in a summer league setting.
There’s hope that George can develop into Utah’s point guard of the future. Given how well he played in Las Vegas, the future could be closer than originally anticipated. With Jordan Clarkson , Collin Sexton , and Talen Horton-Tucker all under contract for next season (Kris Dunn ‘s contract isn’t guaranteed), Utah can bring George along gradually once the regular season begins. But he’ll get rotation minutes, that much is certain. Drafting George with an eye toward the post-trade deadline portion of the schedule would be an approach that would pay off if the Jazz fall off the pace for a playoff spot, as was the case last season.
Pacers sit Nembhard, Mathurin, and Jackson
Andrew Nembhard , Bennedict Mathurin , and Isaiah Jackson were all held out of the Pacers’ game against the Thunder, with the team announcing beforehand that all three are done for the summer. Nembhard was the best of the trio, which is no surprise given his making 63 of the 75 games he played in as a rookie. With the addition of Bruce Brown , Nembhard could be asked to come off the bench next season, but he can still offer solid fantasy value, as we’ve seen T.J. McConnell do in the past. Mathurin appears likely to start, while Jackson will serve as Myles Turner ‘s primary backup.
The absence of those three players meant more opportunities on the ball for first-round picks Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard , with the former producing a line of 20 points, nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one 3-pointer in the loss to the Thunder. As for Sheppard, he shot 2-of-9 from the field and finished with five points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals, one block, and one 3-pointer in 29 minutes. Of the two, Walker appears to have the clearer path to fantasy relevance next season, even with the Pacers acquiring Obi Toppin from the Knicks. The Pacers don’t lack options on the wings, which could make it difficult for Sheppard to crack the rotation right away.
Pistons sit Ivey, Duren, and Wiseman vs. Raptors
Detroit also decided to rest a few players, as Jaden Ivey , Jalen Duren , and James Wiseman all missed Wednesday’s win over the Raptors. Two of the beneficiaries from that decision were first-round picks Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser , who both had the ball in their hands more than they would have as part of a full rotation. Thompson, who should be one of the first Pistons off the bench when the regular season begins, was virtually everywhere and finished with 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, four steals, two blocks, and one 3-pointer in 31 minutes. Coming off the bench may limit Thompson’s fantasy value early on, but the potential will make him one of the first rookies off the board in dynasty leagues.
Sasser was comparatively quiet, finishing with 15 points, three rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and one 3-pointer in 28 minutes. It isn’t difficult to envision a scenario in which either Sasser or Killian Hayes is completely out of the rotation come October. Regarding Hayes, would the Pistons look to kick the proverbial tires on a trade? That wouldn’t be a bad idea, especially if the front office believes that Sasser is the better option for rotation minutes.
Holmgren, Dieng shine in win over Pacers
While Victor Wembanyama has been viewed as the crown jewel of the upcoming season’s fantasy rookie crop, and with good reason, one must not overlook Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren . After missing all of last season with a foot injury, Holmgren has looked very good in summer league action. In the Thunder’s win over the Pacers on Wednesday, he posted a line of 25 points (9-of-15 FGs, 7-of-8 FTs), nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and five blocked shots in 30 minutes. Of course, one would like to see fewer turnovers than the four that Holmgren produced, but big men aren’t exactly known for their assist-to-turnover ratio. Could Holmgren be worth using a top-50 pick on in standard league drafts? I’d argue yes, especially if he can be paired with a big (Jaylin Williams ?) capable of taking on the more physical individual matchups.
The other noteworthy performer for the Thunder on Wednesday was Ousmane Dieng , who saw his most extensive playing time as a rookie with Oklahoma City’s G League affiliate. He finished the win over Indiana with 22 points, nine rebounds, six assists one steal, and three 3-pointers, shooting 9-of-11 from the field. The Thunder don’t lack depth on the wings, which could make things difficult for Dieng as far as single-season fantasy value is concerned. But the upside is what gives him value in dynasty leagues, especially if current starter Lu Dort can’t make strides as a perimeter shooter.
Can Lofton Jr. crack the Grizzlies’ rotation?
Kenneth Lofton Jr. only appeared in 24 games for the Grizzlies last season, the most notable being his 42-point, 14-rebound explosion in the regular season finale against Oklahoma City. One of the G League’s best players last season, Lofton’s had the look of a rotation player this summer. In Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers, he recorded a line of 24 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two 3-pointers in 30 minutes. With it still being unknown when Brandon Clarke (Achilles) will be cleared for game action, there may be playing time available to Lofton on the back end of the rotation. That won’t be enough to make him a player worth drafting in most leagues, but he will be worth keeping an eye on early next season.
Magic’s Howard performs well in overtime defeat
The Magic selecting Michigan’s Jett Howard with the 11th overall pick raised many eyebrows, as he was projected by most to come off the board in the middle of the first round. But for a team in dire need of consistent perimeter shooting, Howard made sense, and he had his best game of the summer in Wednesday’s 82-80 loss to the Knicks. Shooting 8-of-17 from the field and 2-of-3 from the foul line, he finished with a line of 22 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, one block, and four 3-pointers in 35 minutes. While one wouldn’t expect Howard to start due to the presence of Franz Wagner on the wing, there is the potential to add fantasy value in the 3-point category alone.
Fellow rookie Anthony Black had another difficult night shooting the basketball, but the 3-of-10 effort was countered by 14 rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocked shots. Keeping the turnover count (five) down would be preferred, but Black is a player who can add value even if the field-goal percentage isn’t where fantasy managers would like to see it.
Ham likes Hood-Schifino’s potential to help “immediately”
Lakers guard Jalen Hood-Schifino didn’t have the best night shooting the basketball, as he went 7-of-20 from the field in a 95-90 loss to the Celtics. But that didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of Lakers coach Darvin Ham, who said during an interview that JHS has the potential to help the team immediately as a rookie. “His moxie. Just his pace. Can’t speed him up, can’t slow him down,” Ham said when asked about Hood-Schifino . “His size at that position…he’s a kid that has the potential to really help us, and help us immediately.” That’s an encouraging thing to hear, to say the least. The shot will come along, especially when paired with the Lakers’ more established talents.
Max Christie (24/8/3/2/1 with two 3-pointers) appears to be the Lakers’ summer league player best equipped to hop into the rotation next season due to his ability to play on or off the ball. He’s been very good in both Sacramento and Las Vegas. D’Moi Hodge (22/4/1 with six 3-pointers) played well in Wednesday’s defeat, but he’ll likely get the majority of his reps with the Lakers’ G League affiliate as a two-way contract recipient.
What will the Warriors do with their two-way contract slots?
NBA teams now have three two-way slots to work with instead of two, which is of high importance to the franchises that lack cap space. In the case of Golden State, their two-way guys from last season (Anthony Lamb and Ty Jerome ) both played rotation minutes before hitting the 50 games limit, with the former being shifted to a standard contract. With Lamb currently a free agent and Jerome now with the Cavaliers, new Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. has some decisions to make ahead of training camp. Two players who should be on the radar for those spots are Lester Quinones and Gui Santos , who have both played well in Las Vegas.
Quinones finished Wednesday’s overtime loss to the Mavericks with 31 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two 3-pointers, and the game could have been even better for him. He shot 8-of-23 from the field (2-of-10 from three), but a 13-of-17 night at the charity stripe boosted the point total. Give Quinones credit for remaining aggressive offensively without being reckless, as he committed just one turnover in his 38 minutes on the court. As for Santos, he put up 17 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, and two 3-pointers in 34 minutes. Both players were with the Warriors’ G League affiliate last season, so there’s obviously familiarity.