What top draft picks will play in the 2023 NBA Summer League? Wembanyama, Henderson, Miller...
The NBA Summer Leagues start on July 3rd and run all the way until July 17th as teams and fans alike get their first look at their stars of the future.
The NBA Summer League tips off today in Salt Lake City and in Sacramento. The mini tournaments will serve as an appetizer to the main event which will take place in Las Vegas at the end of the week.
First look at rookie class
There is not usually too much buzz surrounding the Summer League, but this year is different. The superstars of the league will be enjoying their vacations, although it’s not unusual to see some of the NBAs biggest names head to Vegas to check out the top talent entering the league.
With no stars on the court and no head coaches on the sidelines, it is usually a bit of a diluted month of basketball, but there are a handful of rising stars that have created a buzz in this rookie class. This July, there will be a few more interested eyes tuning into ESPN2 and NBATV to get a first glimpse of guys like Victor Wembanyama, Scoot Henderson and others.
Before all 30 teams hit the hardwood in Vegas, there will be mini leagues in Utah and California. Memphis, OKC, Philidelphia and Utah play three games each in Salt Lake City. In Sacramento, the Warriors, Heat, Spurs, Hornets, Lakers and Kings will play a couple games each as they prepare for the big show in Vegas.
Big match ups to come
We probably won’t get our first look at Victor Wembanyama in Sacramento when the Spurs play Charlotte on Monday, July 3rd nor on the 5th against the Lakers to close out the California circuit.
The NBA 2K24 Summer League starts on the 7th of July and that’s when we can expect to see the biggest names of this year’s draft class on display for the fist time. There’s a chance that Wemby skips the first two games in Cali to debut against the No. 2 overall pick Brandon Miller and the Charlotte Hornets on July 7th.
Remember that the French league playoffs just ended shortly before the NBA Draft, so the 19 year old may be sitting from the sidelines in Sacramento. The Spurs and Wemby will face off against the Portland and Scoot Henderson who went third overall, on the 9th of July.
How much will we see of Top 5 picks?
Another must see match up for all you NBA freaks out there is on Sunday, July 9th when the Pistons and the Rockets go head-to-head in a game that features the Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar who went No. 4 and No. 5 in the Draft.
It’s hard to tell when the highlights names will be playing and how much they will be playing in the Summer League. It’s unlikely that too many franchises will jeopardize their high draft picks too much over the course of the next month, but we are more than certain to get a good preview of what’s to come from the stars of tomorrow.