The Summer League is still in full swing, the first teams are already pulling various youngsters out of circulation. We’re looking at some players who are just too good for the Summer League.
GUARD: JOSH GIDDEY (Oklahoma City Thunder)
| games | MIN | PTS | FG% | 3P | REB | AST |
| 5 | 26,4 | 12,8 | 39,3 | 1/14 | 6,2 | 8,8 |
Possibly the best player this summer was the Aussie, who posted a couple of triple-doubles last season and (in a terrific rookie class) just missed out on an All-Rookie First Team nomination. The fact that the 20-year-old now played in Las Vegas AND also in Salt Lake City was because that Giddey should develop chemistry with No.2 pick Chet Holmgren.
For now, the plan seems to be working. The Giddey Holmgren pick’n’roll looked very chic in the first few games, and the two seem to get along really well off the field. 8 of his 44 assists (!) over five games went to Holmgren, be it from pick’n’roll or pick’n’pop.
There has long been no doubt that Giddey is a good passer. What was more interesting was that the guard now seems stronger. That’s important, after all Giddey doesn’t have the most explosive first step and can keep his opponents in check better with more muscles.
The drives look easier, and the OKC guard surprised with several poster dunks. 50 percent from the two-man area can still be improved, but at the same time they are a bit better than last season. Scoring remains Giddey’s swing skill as to how good he can really get.
His basketball IQ is tremendous, he sees and executes passes few others can match. But the throw urgently needs to be improved, in the Summer League again only 1/14 went through the trap from Downtown – and yet Giddey was the dominant player in the games in which he played.
GUARD: CAM THOMAS (Brooklyn Nets)
| games | MIN | PTS | FG% | 3P | REB | AST |
| 4 | 29,7 | 28,0 | 42,7 | 6/21 | 1,8 | 3,8 |
The Summer League is heaven for guards. There is a lot of one-on-one play and at this level there is hardly anyone better than the Nets-Guard. After an average of 27 points in the previous year, the 20-year-old has even raised his average by 1.7 points. Almost 19 throws on average plus 12 free throws per game, Thomas is the much-cited “walking bucket”.
It sometimes looks playfully easy as Thomas pulls to the basket or immediately punishes when a defender goes under the pick. Although Thomas has only hit 6 of his 21 threes so far, almost all of them were self-created.
On the other hand, there are already almost 4 assists per game, the year before it was 8 over 4 games with 15 turnovers. Steve Nash, who praised Thomas’ performance after the second Summer League game, also likes it. The Canadian spoke of the fact that it was encouraging that Thomas was looking for his shot so aggressively and also involved his teammates.
And Thomas? He just gently rolls his eyeswhen he was asked about his coach’s comments: “That’s the way it is,” was the brief comment from the Nets Guard. Could a year with Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving be a bad influence on the scorer?
FORWARD: MOSES MOODY (Golden State Warriors)
| games | MIN | PTS | FG% | 3P | REB | AST |
| 4 | 28,1 | 19,3 | 37,9 | 7/26 | 2,8 | 2,5 |
Moody’s numbers were a bit depressed by the initially weaker performances at the California Classic, but in Vegas the No. 14 pick of the previous year is clearly the best player in the dubs. Among other things, the wing recorded 34 points (on only 13 (!) throws) in the first game in Sin City, indicating that he might be more than just a pure 3-and-D player.
The 20-year-old showed some good drives to the basket, attacked closeouts, took pull-ups from the middle distance and cleverly tied in his teammates here and there. In short, Moody could play a bigger role for the Warriors next season, absorbing some of Gary Payton II’s lost minutes.
Moody is slightly taller than Payton, has longer arms and is a bit more versatile in attack. Of course he is not as disruptive as Payton – there are only a few in the NBA – but the sophomore has other advantages and could definitely become an important player alongside the old hands.
Consistency is the big issue here, as is so often the case with young players. Can he deliver consistently night after night? There will likely be ups and downs, but the Vegas performances at least indicated that Golden State has something in Moody over the long term that even Payton couldn’t deliver.
