Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images
The end of the NBA Summer League is approaching, but promising rookies continue to make a splash in Las Vegas.
On Thursday, Los Angeles Lakers rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James faced the Cleveland Cavaliers, No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr and the Washington Wizards took on the Sacramento Kings, and a handful of other fun matchups.
After another day of Summer League, here’s a recap of Thursday’s action as well as the reaction from the social media world.
Brooklyn Nets 102, Orlando Magic 100
Washington Wizards 73, Sacramento Kings 69
Memphis Grizzlies 88, New Orleans Pelicans 77
Denver Nuggets 86, Indiana Pacers 71
Los Angeles Lakers 93, Cleveland Cavaliers 89
Los Angeles Clippers 105, Utah Jazz 88
Minnesota Timberwolves 93, Houston Rockets 83
Alex Sarr’s struggles continue
It was another night to forget for the second overall pick.
On Wednesday, Sarr never found the basket, shooting 0 of 15 from the field, 0 of 7 from three-point range and missing both of his free throws. He only showed his defensive skills with nine rebounds and three blocks.
On Thursday, things didn’t get any better, as Sarr shot 1-for-6 from the field, with 11 rebounds and four assists. That brought his shooting total over the last two games to 1-for-21, which isn’t exactly the number you’d expect to see from the No. 2 overall pick.
In his four Summer League games, Sarr has scored 22 points on 9-of-47 shooting and is shooting 11.7 points from three-point range.
Even though Summer League games don’t matter when the regular season begins, that didn’t stop Wizards fans from being extremely concerned about Sarr’s poor performance in Las Vegas.
Bleacher Report @Bleacher Report
Second overall pick Alex Sarr’s last two Summer League games 😮
0 PTS, 0-15 FG, 9 REB
2 PTS, 1-6 FG, 11 REB pic.twitter.com/CmMjVa3VJK
Dalton Knecht delivers another solid performance, Bronny continues to improve
The Lakers are probably getting more and more satisfied with their draft picks after the last few days.
Dalton Knecht has proven time and again that he’s on his way to becoming a solid rookie, and he added to that confidence Thursday with 20 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-16 shooting. One of the only concerns with Knecht’s game so far has been his defense, but that’s something he can develop in his first season.
NBA fans once again congratulated Knecht on another great performance.
Jake Brittain @jakebrittain31
Dalton Knecht might be the best player in this class #NBA2KSummerLeague Summer League
There’s no denying that Bronny James has had a rough start to Summer League, but he’s turned it around over the last two games and is now showing that he can be a solid NBA player.
The son of NBA legend LeBron James had another great performance with 13 points, five rebounds and two blocks on 5-of-10 shooting. The performance follows what was his best NBA performance to date on Wednesday, when he scored 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting.
James seems to have figured things out after struggling early on, and he’ll look to continue showing he’s more than just LeBron’s son in the days to come.
After the game, fans praised James for carrying over his momentum from Wednesday’s game.
🏆LakersGuru🏆 @GuruLakers
Bronny gets close to clutch 2 nights in a row
This part of my life here… pic.twitter.com/3UtkZHdIqe
Nets’ second-round pick stands out
Bronny James wasn’t the only second-round pick to have a strong performance Thursday.
Jalen Wilson, the 51st overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, shined in the overtime win over the Orlando Magic. The Brooklyn Nets forward scored 33 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on 6-of-7 shooting from three-point range.
He also had the chance to reach the target score in overtime and give the Nets the victory.
NBA @NBA
JALEN WILSON WINS IN OVERTIME ‼️
He finished with 33 PTS… capped off by this STRONG finish in traffic 💪 pic.twitter.com/ObDAUv1kYZ
Wilson played just 43 NBA games in his rookie season, averaging five points per game, but he showed in Summer League that he could have a big sophomore year.
Reed Sheppard calms down, struggles early in game against Timberwolves
Reed Sheppard was one of the most impressive rookies of Summer League, but the Houston Rockets’ third-round pick struggled in the first half against the Timberwolves.
He finished the first half with nine points but turned the ball over six times, which hasn’t been a major problem for him in Summer League. That poor start to the season has earned Sheppard plenty of criticism on social media.
Reed Sheppard’s Muse @RSheppardMuse
1ST QUARTER STATISTICS:
0/2 FG
3 AST
5 TO
3 FLS
Bad start, but I’m sure it will get better 😃 pic.twitter.com/4dkJzRlhIw
Wes @bloghawk
Reed Sheppard will be a great pro for a long time, but damn, it’s always going to be tough for a 6-foot-3 guard among the trees unless you’re a Steph Curry-level wizard.
Sheppard had a hard time adjusting to Minnesota’s size and physicality tonight. It will take him some time to adjust.
With young players, you sometimes expect a bad game, and Rockets fans are hoping that was the case for Sheppard on Thursday.
