Victor Wembanyama and undrafted player among top rookies at NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League
Some of the NBA’s top draft picks have shined while others struggled over the first eight days of action at the Las Vegas Summer League.
One of the top performers was selected outside the lottery, another was drafted in the second round and one didn’t get drafted at all.
All eyes have been on No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama since the 7-foot-5 phenom arrived from France. His first game wasn’t as good as his second, but he still demonstrated his vast array of skills.
Wembanyama averaged 18.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 4.0 blocks in two games for the San Antonio Spurs. He was sixth among rookies in scoring. He was tied for first in rebounding and blocked shots. However, he shot just 40% from the field, 30% from 3-point range and 68.8% at the free-throw line.
The rookie scoring leader in Las Vegas is Hunter Tyson, a 23-year-old small forward who was selected with the 37th overall pick after five years at Clemson. Tyson is averaging 21.8. points and 6.0 rebounds in four games for the Denver Nuggets. He is shooting 58.3% from the field and 51.7% from 3-point range on 7.0 attempts per game.
Utah Jazz guard Keyonte George, who came out of Baylor as the No. 16 pick in the draft, is second among rookies in scoring and assists. George is averaging 21.7 points and 6.3 assists while shooting 52.3% from the field and 44.4% from 3-point range.
One of the biggest rookie standouts has been Javon Freeman-Liberty, a 23-year-old Chicago Bulls guard who went undrafted out of DePaul. Freeman-Liberty is third among rookies in scoring, averaging 20.5 points per game along with 4.0 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He shot 49.1% from the field and 45% from 3-point range over the first four games for Chicago.
Cam Whitmore, who came out of Villanova as the 20th overall pick in the draft, is fifth among rookies in scoring. He is averaging 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals in four games for the Houston Rockets.
Kobe Brown, the 30th pick in the draft out of Missouri, is seventh among rookies in scoring (17.5 ppg), sixth in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and fourth in steals (2.3 spg) while shooting 40.7% on 6.8 3-point attempts per game.
Brandon Miller, the No. 2 pick in the draft, is averaging 17.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks. He is shooting just 35.4% from the field and 26.1% from 3-point range, but he has converted 80% of his free throws while getting to the line five times per game.
No. 3 pick Scoot Thompson (Portland Trail Blazers) and No. 4 pick Amen Thompson (Rockets) only appeared in one game before suffering injuries. Thompson’s twin brother, No. 5 pick Ausur Thompson, has looked good over three games for the Detroit Pistons, averaging 12.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.7 steals and 2.3 blocks.
This story was originally published July 15, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
