Every year, the Summer League is the time for every player to earn himself a place on an NBA team for the next season. It doesn’t matter whether someone is a lottery pick, undrafted, or coming from overseas. Everyone has the same goal.
These players managed to stand out from the rest, and in some cases, prove to their team that they’re capable of more than they were drafted for.
Dishonorable mention: Grayson Allen
He’s the first player ever to be ejected from a Summer League game.
Carsen Edwards
Edwards was an early second round pick for the Celtics, and therefore it was key for him to prove himself in the Summer League. That way, he could (maybe) earn himself a spot in the rotation for the upcoming season.
And Edwards definitely didn’t disappoint. In just a few games, he averaged more points than any Celtic ever in the Summer League in the last fifteen years. Of course, Edwards was already a top notch scorer with Purdue, but the teams still had to see whether this would transfer to the next level. And it did. So, the Celtics were convinced, and signed him to a 4 year, $4,5 million contract. He’ll be a good bench scorer for the Celtics, which is exactly what they need.
Josh Magette
Magette never gives up, that’s for sure. After an excellent performance in the Summer League, he’s earned himself a two-way contract with the Orlando Magic. Of course, that means that he’ll spend most of his time with the Lakeside Magic, but he’ll get the opportunity to prove himself to be NBA worthy.
It hasn’t been easy for Magette, as he started his professional career in the Netherlands, then signed a G-League contract (then still named D-League), had a stint in Greece, went back to the G-League, played in the Summer League, had another stint in the G-League, finally made his NBA debut in 2017 with the Atlanta Hawks. Then, he left the NBA all together and signed with Cedevita Zagreb in July 2018, but was already released by November. A month later, he joined CB Gran Canaria in the Euroleague. Finally, he returned to the NBA Summer League with the San Antonio Spurs, and ended up signing a contract with Orlando.
Tyler Herro
Herro was drafted because of his sharpshooting skills, but proved in the Summer League that he was a lot more than just his shooting abilities. He surprised the Heat and his opponents with his playmaking abilities, and showed that he could easily beat his man off the dribble.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
On the one hand, the Summer League was a bit disappointing for the New Orleans Pelicans, as Zion Williamson was soon shut down because of a knee injury. On the other hand, this gave Nickeil Alexander-Walker the opportunity to show his skills to the public.
The 17th pick of the draft proved himself to be very aggressive on the court, and a good match for Zion. His style of play definitely made him stand out from the other guards in the Summer League.
Tacko Fall
Fall has quickly become a fan favorite in the NBA, and in Boston. Besides that, it didn’t take long before most people were convinced he should get the chance to prove himself on an actual NBA Roster.
So far, the Celtics haven’t signed him yet, but if they don’t another team will most likely pick him up. Of course, Fall still has a lot to learn and develop to get a lot of minutes with the league, but so far, he has shown a lot of upside and potential to be able to grow to that level. Most of all, Fall has proven to everyone that he’s much more than his height, as he was very productive during his time with UCF, and doesn’t slow down the offense as much as most people his size do.
