The NBA Summer League came to an end with the Portland Trail Blazers taking the silverware home after beating the New York Knicks. During the summer league many rookies and sophomores took the stage, while several players secured a contract with an NBA team ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season.
Here is the top breakout starts from Las Vegas:
Quentin Grimes-NY Knicks
The New York Knicks swingman Quentin Grimes was generally the most consistent performer through five games in Las Vegas. The 22-year-old showed off his electric play throughout two weeks of action in Vegas.
He averaged 22.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 4.0 assists per contest. He shot 41 percent on 17 tries per contest and 30 percent from beyond the arc. His highlight game of the week came during the Knicks’ first loss of the summer vs the Blazers.
He registered 24 points and six rebounds on 52.9 percent shooting but the Knicks fell short. In his last game in Las Vegas, he had 19 points, but the Knicks lost to the Portland Trail Blazers in the championship game.
Keegan Murray- Sacramento Kings
Keegan Murray spent the most time in the court among other top 2022 NBA Draft picks during the Las Vegas Summer League. With the Magic shutting down Paolo Banchero after two games. Murray was the best rookie in the Summer League tournament.
In four appearances, he averaged 23.9 points on 50/40/80 shooting splits adding 7.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 31 minutes of play per contest. Murray put the league on notice since his summer debut.
He delivered 29 points on 52% shooting in a loss against the Thunder on Friday and registered his first double against the Suns with 21 points and 19 rebounds. The Kings might have something in Murray and the Summer League performance has been evident for that.
Cam Thomas -Brooklyn Nets
The Brooklyn Nets might have underachieved in Las Vegas, but scoring guard/forward Cam Thomas showcased his abilities in many ways during the last two weeks. He led his team in scoring and was the second-best in that category behind Moses Moody (27.5 ppg) of the Warriors.
Moody only played two games before the Warriors shut him down, while Thomas did average 27.4 points through five summer appearances. While his shot-creating ability has been second to none this summer, Thomas has made his presence felt at the free-throw line with 10.8 attempts per game.
He shot 44 percent from the field on 19 attempts per contest and registered 4.2 assists per contest. Thomas definitely has a place in the Nets’ rotation next season, even if Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving start their seasons in Brooklyn.
Sandro Mamukelashvili- Milwaukee Bucks
Sandro Mamukelashvili, the No. 54 pick in the 2021 draft, has made the most of his opportunity this summer and showed his improvement from last season. He took a lead role in the Bucks’ Summer League roster and delivered.
Mamukelashvili opened his second week with a jaw-dropping 28-point performance to go alongside nine rebounds in a loss against the Celtics. He continued to enforce his will by tallying a double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds in a win against the Timberwolves.
He finished averaging 17.0 points on 45/47/80 shooting splits and he was the best player in the Bucks’ roster along with Lindell Wigginton, who also had a great run in the Summer League and he will likely continue in Milwaukee.
Marko Simonovic-Chicago Bulls
Marko Simonovic showed the huge steps he made in the physical and basketball aspect during the past year and had some impressive outings during the NBA Summer League. If he remains consistent from beyond the arc he could crack in the Bulls’ rotation at some point.
He appeared in five games during the Las Vegas Summer League and averaged 15.6 shooting 50 percent from the field. He was also getting 8.8 rebounds per contest and dishing 2.0 assists per game.
His shooting from deep was the only real concern for the Serbian big as he only shot 9 percent from deep. In any case, he used his size and basketball IQ to create points for himself in any case and showed true improvement from last season.
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