Summer League Championship preview
After 11 days in Las Vegas a Summer League Champion will be crowned as the Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the Houston Rockets to wrap up the tournament.
The last week and a half in Las Vegas has been a whirlwind, and on Monday night we will finally crown a champion of the NBA 2K24 Summer League from the Thomas & Mack Arena.
Rockets vs. Cavs on Monday night
Sure, it may not be the most prestigious tournament, but for two teams that have a load of young talent getting to this point in the tournament could be a very promising sign of things to come. The Rockets and the Cavs have been regulars in the NBA Lottery over the last few Drafts, but last year Cleveland’s youngsters made a run to the playoffs for the first time in a long time.
That’s what the Rockets will be hoping for this season or in the very near future, but the focus, for now, will be getting one last look at their youngsters in the championship game from Vegas tonight.
The Cavs just edged out the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday night, but needed overtime to do so. It was Isaiah Mobley who was the hero, hitting the game winning shot to secure the win and punch Cleveland’s ticket to the championship game after going 5-0 over the last 10 days.
Houston’s young crop of talent
The Rockets started their Summer League campaign with a buzzer beating win over the Portland Trail Blazers, and since then they have gone 4-0 to qualify for Monday’s title game. They secured their spot in the final with a 115-101 win over the Utah Jazz who were also undefeated going into Sunday’s game with Houston.
The Rockets have a stacked squad full of top picks over the last few years. Jabari Smith Jr. got things started off with a bang, scoring 71 points in his first two games, this averaging 7 rebounds and 4 assists before his Summer League shift ended earlier last week.
Tari Eason was also making headlines for the Rockets through the first weekend in Vegas. Like Smith Jr. he played just two games, but in those two games the soon to be sophomore averaged 23 points , 9.5 rebounds and 4 assists.
With the fourth pick of this year’s NBA Draft, the Rockets selected Amen Thompson from the G-League Ignite. He played just one game but had 16 points, 4 rebounds and five assists before spraining his ankle and having his Summer League cut short.
Houston’s second pick of the first round this year was Cam Whitmore. After sliding down the draft board and failing to be picked by a Lottery team, the former Villanova Wildcat had something to prove to all the teams that passed on him. He is one of only four players to have played in all 5 games and averaged over 20 ppg.
Can Cavs stay undefeated?
Cleveland got to the championship game thanks to a trio of players looking to make it to the regular season roster next year. Sam Merrill, Emoni Bates and Isiah Mobley are all averaging over 15 points a game.
Merrill leads the Cavs in scoring with 18.8 ppg after playing just 5 games with Cleveland last year. He was drafted in 2020, but has yet to get regular minutes in the first few years of his career. He played 30 games in his rookie season, but is looking more of a role with the Cavs after playing just 11 games in the last two NBA seasons.
Emoni Bates has been the man for the Cavs. The Memphis Tiger was one of the last picks of the second round, but has shown that he could be ready for the next stage, scoring double digits in all five Summer League games. He is averaging 16.8 ppg and 6.2 rpg in all five of Cleveland’s games.
Isaiah Mobley is hoping to join his brother Evan on the Cavs regular season roster, and with a solid Summer League showing, he will certainly give coaches something to think about. He is averaging 15.8 ppg and 7.8 rebounds in after playing in all five games leading up to tonight.
We all know that winning the Summer League doesn’t mean much, but for a lot of the players on the court tonight, this could be their last chance to impress until camps open in early fall. And that means the world for those fighting for a spot on a roster next season.