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5 players to watch in 2017 Las Vegas Summer League

By Max Holm

Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 23: Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers along with general manager Rob Pelinka present Lonzo Ball his jersey during a press conference on June 23, 2017 at the team training faculity in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JUNE 23: Magic Johnson, president of basketball operations of the Los Angeles Lakers along with general manager Rob Pelinka present Lonzo Ball his jersey during a press conference on June 23, 2017 at the team training faculity in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

With the Orlando and Utah Summer Leagues in the books, over half of NBA teams head to Las Vegas Summer League, where elite, young talent will be on display.

Ah, NBA Summer League. It’s the time of year for steaming hot takes and an unbelievable jump to conclusions, all within the hot climates of Florida, Utah and Nevada. With the final installment of three Summer Leagues ready to kick off Friday in Las Vegas, it’s the opportunity to see many rookies and younger players for the first time.

The young stars will be out and that’s who will drive the ticket sales, in addition to some nice poker tables nearby. While Las Vegas will be blistering hot, hopefully the competition will be too. Summer League is typically pretty poor basketball, which makes sense. Most teams are flooded with fringe (or less than fringe) NBA talent who have never played together. We mostly watch for the team we root for and to see the rookies and sophomores.

Sophomores like Jaylen Brown have already been balling out in Utah and Orlando. A sensational summer for a soon-to-be second year player isn’t necessarily a sign of what’s to come though. A sophomore with a bright future should be dominating these leagues.

What’s more intriguing is how the rookies handle their first taste of NBA athleticism, length and tenacity. Summer League is especially hard for them because most of their teammates don’t have contracts. It’s hard to match the intensity of someone fighting for a job. With that being said, the following players should give us plenty of excitement in Las Vegas Summer League.