The NBA Summer League is usually a time for rookies and young players to get experience and this year in Las Vegas, Utah and Orlando, some names to watch out for include Jahlil Okafor, Emmanuel Mudiay, Stanley Johnson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jerian Grant, Cliff Alexander, Marcus Smart, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Pat Connaughton and Kristaps Porzingis.
The first summer league starts in Orlando from July 4-July 10 and things continue with the Utah league from July 6-9. The Las Vegas Summer League is the last one to go and that has the most teams and will be from July 10-20 for their schedule. The top two picks in the draft could face off in one of the games between the Lakers and Timberwolves with Towns and D'Angelo Russell potentially playing.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Jahlil Okafor is expected to play in the summer league for the Sixers and he could appear in Utah and Las Vegas. Okafor was the number three overall pick in the draft after the Lakers took Russell and he now is the future along with Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. Okafor is a strong offensive player and the biggest thing he needs to work on coming into the NBA is his defense.
Porzingis was the number four overall pick and he has been put on the roster for the Knicks summer league team. According to ESPN.com, Porzingis is dealing with a "minor hip issue" and that could keep him out for the start of the summer league. It's likely Porzingis will play for the Knicks at some point as long as the injury is not serious and the report said that the rookie will start working out again "in a few days."
Towns was the number one overall pick in the draft for the Minnesota Timberwolves and he will play his first games with the team this summer. According to the Courier-Journal, Towns will make his "next level debut" on July 10 in the Las Vegas Summer League, which will be a matchup against the Lakers. That game marks the opening day for the league and Russell is expected to be playing for the Lakers, while Andrew Wiggins could join Towns as well.
Willie Cauley-Stein and Nik Stauskas will be playing with the Sacramento Kings in the Summer League and they will be participating in the Las Vegas run of games. Stein was the sixth overall pick and he could be a major contributor for the Kings depending on what the team does this offseason. Stanley Johnson was a top 10 pick for the Detroit Pistons and while some draft experts did not like that selection, he has the chance to show off what he can do this summer.
