The Orlando and Vegas Summer Leagues are like hits of adrenaline for those who follow the NBA. Due to the makeshift teams and hectic schedule, the standard of summer league is not the greatest. However, it does give us a small window to look upon the upcoming 2014 rookie class. The summer league is also a chance for second or third year pros to gauge how much prospects have improved aspects of their game. However, it should be noted that a player’s performance in a summer league is not always an accurate gauge of how their NBA career will pan out; for instance, last year’s Summer League MVP Josh Selby (27.5 ppg) was traded by Memphis and then waived by Cleveland. But the off-season provides a relief from barren times for the NBA fan and most will enjoy watching any basketball they can. The summer league is especially useful for the lottery teams as their summer league rosters are normally containing a number of the team’s future franchise cornerstones. So despite the fact that not one of the 2013 draft prospects has even played a minute yet, let’s all get carried away and see who we think is best placed to lead our Rookie Ladder!
1) Ben McLemore- Sacramento Kings
With Anthony Bennett, Noel and Len all injured, this first rookie ladder looks to be quite different than what we expect to see at the end of the season. McLemore slipped to seventh on draft night but was still regarded perhaps the most talented player in the draft with the highest ceiling. Something tells me that he is going to be playing with somewhat of a chip on his shoulder. The summer league setting should suit him as I imagine the coaching staff will want to get him involved a lot more than he was at Kansas. If he alters his mental approach to the game, he has the stroke and athletic ability to clinch MVP of the Vegas Summer League.
2) Victor Oladipo- Orlando Magic
The only reason Oladipo is not number one is because it seems that he will be playing some Point Guard in the Orlando Summer League. This will take some adjustment for any Shooting Guard but especially so for Oladipo who already had weak handles for the SG position. I would not worry long-term about Oladipo though as I think his tenacious defensive approach will earn him a good number of points, steals and blocks in the scrappy summer league setting.
3) Otto Porter- Washington Wizards
Solid, reliable, connector, and safe. These are all words used to describe Porter, and for this reason, I think he is undervalued by the majority of NBA fans. Porter will be on a talented roster with Bradley Beal starting at SG who should take the attention of the other team. This will benefit Porter and will allow him to do what he does best: fill every single stat in the box score!
4) Trey Burke- Utaha Jazz
A lot of Burke’s weaknesses won’t be exposed in the summer league setting; aspects such as his lack of height, speed and athleticism won’t be exposed as not everyone is quite as big or as quick as the normal NBA players. This, coupled with a talented summer league roster (Jeremy Evans, Jerel McNeal, and Rudy Gobert), will make the most out of Burke’s passing ability.
5) Cody Zeller- Charlotte Bobcats
Zeller will get ample playing time next to Bismack Biyombo, and similar to Burke, his weaknesses will not be as exposed as the guys in summer league are not quite as big or athletic, which is the kind of guy Zeller struggles against. Zeller is down at five for a similar reason as Oladipo is at one: he will log heavy minutes at the PF and will probably take more jump shots during this tournament than he did in his entire past season at Indiana (12). This positional shift will take time to get accustomed to, but he will still put up solid numbers.
6) CJ McCollum- Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland staff got everything out of Lillard in last year’s summer league and put him in a great position to obtain the ROY award. McCollum has all the assets to be a very good guard in this league, but I expect some of his time this summer league to be a tad rusty. McCollum has not played a competitive game since January, and I also expect him to work on his point guard skills which could limit what he does best: scoring.
7) Kelly Olynyk- Boston Celtics
Olynyk is a very skilled big man. I am a big fan of his and think that he could really excel at summer league with most of the Boston offense running through him. Olynyk should see a lot of the ball and get a lot of playing time for the Boston team which doesn’t seem as stacked as others around the league.
8) Gorgui Dieng- Brooklyn Nets
Dieng is an NBA ready big. He may not have the potential of other prospects, but I view him as a guy similar to Taj Gibson in this situation. Dieng is going to be expected to contribute straight away behind presumably Nikola Pekovic.
9) Shabazz Muhammad- Minnesota Timberwolves
Shabazz is going to score some points, and we all know that. The real question is if he buckles down defensively and gets his teammates involved. If he expects to maintain playing time on the floor in Minnesota, then he is going to have to really apply himself in these areas. He should have a good summer league and will be playing with a relatively talented roster who will be able to get him some open looks.
10) Glen Rice, Jr.- Washington Wizards
This is my surprise pick. You may think I am crazy, but just hear me out. Rice got MVP for the D-League Finals last year; he is used to playing against bigger guys and shooting the NBA three. Rice will also be playing on a talented roster with Porter and Beal who should be able to really get the best out of him on offense. Rice will be used to this level of competition, and I think he is slightly more NBA ready than other prospects such as Michael Carter-Williams or Kentavious Caldwell-Pope.
By James Plowright
Follow @jamesplowright
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