NBA Summer League disappointments: Nets’ draft class, the Pelicans and more - The Athletic

The NBA summer league in Las Vegas featured exceptionally poor basketball performance across multiple teams. Shooting was dismal: only four teams made over a third of their 3-point attempts, no team shot 50% from the field overall, Cleveland averaged just 8 made 3-pointers out of 33 attempts per game, and Orlando shot only 37.8% from the field. Toronto averaged 29.6 fouls per 40-minute game, Golden State had a 20% turnover rate, and Houston hit just 61.6% on free throws while making the bizarre decision to have Kevon Harris shoot technical fouls over Reed Sheppard twice. Washington posted an offensive rating of 95.5 despite playing projected rotation players.

Three top-five draft picks missed significant Vegas action due to injuries sustained in earlier summer leagues, and fifth pick Ace Bailey didn't play at all, raising questions about scheduling extra games before the main event. Most teams also shut down key players after just a few games. Television coverage was heavily criticized for constant split-screen in-game interviews that made the actual games difficult to follow.

Excessive turnovers were common, with an epidemic of players stepping out of bounds being particularly notable. The NBA's court spacing challenges, especially near the corners, contributed to this, exemplified by Phoenix's Boogie Ellis committing the violation twice in one game. New Orleans lost all five games for the second consecutive year, finished 29th in point differential, saw first-round pick Derik Queen suffer a three-month wrist injury, and relied on recently waived player Antonio Reeves as their best performer.

Boston's Jordan Walsh drew attention for a hard foul where he hurled Pelle Larsson into the Celtics' courtside front office, followed by a loud "Wooo!" upon ejection. Despite this incident and his non-guaranteed contract status, Walsh later redeemed himself with four double-figure scoring games. The article concludes by noting that summer league performance has limited correlation to NBA success, emphasizing that poor showings aren't career death sentences despite social media hype around rookies.