The 2018 NBA Summer League was an opportunity to see what young prospects had to offer. These five players had disappointing performances.
When teams brought their rosters to Utah, Sacramento or Las Vegas for 2018 NBA Summer League, they did so hoping for a number of outcomes. They wanted their top draft picks to shine, their other roster players to prove they belonged, and for one unexpected player to break out and make the team.
While team officials understand that summer games are relatively low in meaningful information, that doesn’t stop the fans from getting heavily invested. If a player has a huge game, he is the next breakout star; if a player disappoints he might be a bust. The cycle is addictive and pervasive.
Many players enter with high expectations, and end up falling short. Poor shooting nights, minor injuries, ball-hoggery or any of a number of bad habits and bad performances can leave fans walking away with a sour taste in their mouths. Games at Summer League are meant to validate a fan’s hopes and dreams about a player, not crush them.
The brevity of Summer League means players don’t have a chance to play their way out of slumps, either, so the takeaways come after tiny samples. Yet even in those short windows many players impress, leaving the disappointments even more stark. Here are some of the players who disappointed the most in 2018 NBA Summer League play.