NBA Summer League 2022: What are the best games to watch in the last week?
As the Summer League continues to make noise across the NBA, here are some of our must-watch games to look out for in the last week in Vegas.
The Las Vegas Summer League is not just an opportunity for young NBA stars to show off their talent and get a little taste of playing in the league, but it’s also the unofficial red carpet event of the NBA bringing us all the entertainment. All eyes are on the NBA Draft picks and thousands of basketball fans make up their minds on their new favorite players. And while the Summer League is an off-season competition, few players have seemed to make an impactful NBA career without playing well in the NBA Summer League, be it their first or second summer on the circuit.
All 30 NBA teams participate at the event and play five games each. After each team plays four of those matchups, the two teams with the best records face off in the championship game on Sunday, July 17. The other 28 teams play their last games on July 16-17.
With one more week of action-filled summer matchups, here is a list of the games we think you cannot miss:
Orlando v Oklahoma City | July 11th, 9:00 ET
This week Chet Holmgren has proven himself as the absolute best player on the court when the Oklahoma City Summer League squad took on Utah in Salt Lake.
And just like Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith Jr. on opening night, Holmgren and Banchero will certainly put on a show in this matchup. Those two have college history together and as the top three prospects of this year’s NBA Draft (including Smith), we know they will be covering each other in a survival-of-the-fittest manner that proves just why they are. This is a must-watch matchup.
Lakers v Clippers | July 12th, 11:00 ET
This battle probably isn’t as exciting as the one above, but there are a few names to look out for. Clippers Jason Preston and Lakers Mac McClung will look to put on a scoring display this week as they relive cross-gym rivalry that we saw a glimpse of in the California Classic. Son of the legendary Shaquille O’Neal, Shareef O’Neal, is another guy to look out for as he showed strong potential in the Classic as well, notching over 20 points under his belt.
After struggling with health issues and taking a redshirt year to take care of himself, the 22-year-old has demonstrated a flair for finding his way to points and being around the basket. Something about O’Neal in a Lakers shirt also strikes a nostalgic sentiment.
Miami v Philadelphia | July 13th, 9:00 ET
Let’s start with Nikola Jovic. The 19-year-old who has proven, once again, that Serbian basketball players know how to use their sizes and lengths to make some serious moves. The confident Jovic scored over the top of defenders in the California Classic and elevated for three before giving his opponents a chance to react.
Next would be Trevelin Queen who was the G League MVP last season. The six-foot-six wing will be hoping to prove his worth once again to Philadelphia and to the NBA.
While these two swingmen are the ones making headlines this week, they’re probably not the only two names we’ll be hearing of going into the 2022 season.
Memphis v Boston | July 14th, 5:30 ET
The Grizzlies have acquired a six-foot-seven forward who has brought a distinctive style of play to Memphis, as well as to the NBA: Kenneth. Lofton Jr. The 19-year-old will probably steal the show against Boston, showcasing the skillset he brought to Team USA at the Under-19 FIBA games; he scored 15 points in the second half of the championship game against France.
As for the Celtics, they, and everyone else, knows all eyes will be on their lone draft pick J.D. Davison, who has some of the most explosive high-school dunks ever.
And there you have it. All the games we think are worthy of your full attention. Just before you leave, check out the NBA players and celebrities attending NBA Summer League 2022 games here.