Another day of NBA Summer League action in Las Vegas saw a handful of exciting performances from promising rookies.
Several top picks like Reed Sheppard of the Houston Rockets, Donovan Clingan of the Portland Trail Blazers and others were in action, as well as some later draft picks who prove their worth early on.
Here’s a look at some notable players’ performances as well as how the social media world reacted to the rookies.
Results of day 4
Portland Trail Blazers 97, Philadelphia 76ers 95
Memphis Grizzlies 108, Dallas Mavericks 88
Detroit Pistons 87, Houston Rockets 73
Miami Heat 102, Oklahoma City Thunder 73
Sacramento Kings 82, Utah Jazz 70
Boston Celtics 88, Los Angeles Lakers 74
Reed Sheppard continues strong start to Summer League
Reed Sheppard is off to a blistering start in Summer League and is quickly showing why he was a top-three pick.
The Kentucky product and third-round pick of the Houston Rockets scored 15 points and grabbed four rebounds, along with three steals. That performance followed a 23-point performance in his debut and a 22-point outing against Alex Sarr and the Washington Wizards on Sunday. Even on a slightly down night for him, Sheppard continued to impress fans.
Although his team fell short of a victory on Monday, Sheppard proved why he can help the Rockets compete in the playoffs in his rookie season.
After another strong performance, fans began to argue that Sheppard should have been the first overall pick in the draft.
Donovan Clingan continues to show defensive strengths
The Portland Trail Blazers knew they were getting a solid defensive player in Donovan Clingan, and he continued to prove it on Monday.
The UConn rookie scored eight points, grabbed 11 rebounds and knocked down three shots in a win over Jared McCain and the Philadelphia 76ers. Clingan’s offense is clearly developing as he shot 4-of-11 from the field, but his defensive potential allows him to find success early.
Clingan also added a highlight to his list during Monday’s game.
Clingan’s defensive presence has made Trail Blazers fans eager to see him play this season.
Kyle Filipowski Gets Back to Life After Slow Start
Kyle Filipowski had a rough start to Summer League, going scoreless in his debut and collecting just four points in his second game.
He had a better performance Monday, breaking double digits in a loss to the Sacramento Kings. He finished with 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting, also adding five rebounds and a block.
Filipowski was considered by many to be deserving of a first-round pick, but he showed early on that he might have been more worthy of the second-round pick the Jazz used to replace him. After the game, Utah fans expressed concerns about Filipowski.
Dalton Knecht Shines as Bronny’s Struggles Continue
The Los Angeles Lakers rookies have two very different stars heading into Summer League in Las Vegas.
After scoring 25 points on Friday, Dalton Knecht scored 19 on Monday in a loss to the Boston Celtics. The former Tennessee star also added three steals and a block. With the Lakers selecting Knecht with the 17th pick starting to look like a steal of the draft, fans took to social media to praise another strong performance from him.
Bronny James’ performance was much more different from that of his fellow rookie.
The son of NBA legend LeBron James continued his poor shooting streak, going 0-of-3 from three-point range and not making a single shot on the board. James showed promise as a potential three-pointer before the draft, but he hasn’t made a single three-point shot so far in Summer League.
James finished Monday’s game with just two points and three rebounds.
James will have Tuesday to regroup and will be back in action on Wednesday, where he will look to turn his fortunes around in Summer League.
