Who to watch in Summer League: Western Conference

By Raphielle Johnson

As is always the case with the NBA, it doesn’t take much time for the league to transition from the end of one season to the beginning of the next. With the draft completed and many significant moves in free agency made, the next stop on the calendar is the NBA 2K25 Summer League in Las Vegas, with games beginning on Friday, July 12. As has been the case in recent years, all 30 teams will be represented, playing five games apiece, with the championship matchup scheduled for July 22.

Making concrete determinations based on summer league play is reckless, as most players in action are simply fighting for an invitation to training camp. But that doesn’t mean fantasy managers should overlook what they see, from production to the roles that players are assigned (and how those roles will either align or differ from what will happen once the games truly matter in the winter). Below is a look at each Western Conference team and a few players fantasy managers should watch in preparation for draft season in late summer/fall.

Northwest Division

Denver (Summer League roster)

With the Nuggets losing a starter (Kentavious Caldwell-Pope) in free agency, summer league is of greater importance as the team looks to round out its rotation. While Christian Braun will not play in Las Vegas, Julian Strawther will, and he’ll need to be more impactful in 2024-25 than he was as a rookie. Due to injuries, Strawther was limited to 50 games last season, averaging 4.5 points in 10.9 minutes. On paper, Braun may be the odds-on favorite to fill the void left by KCP, but Strawther will also be in the conversation. How he plays in Las Vegas will be one of the more critical storylines for teams that hope to contend next season.

Hunter Tyson and Jalen Pickett also played sparingly for the Nuggets in 2023-24, and a good showing at summer league would go a long way for both ahead of training camp. Denver also bid farewell to its backup point guard (Reggie Jackson), leaving the team light on numbers behind Jamal Murray. In theory, that opens the door for Pickett to earn a more prominent role in the Nuggets rotation.

The player on…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/watch-summer-league-western-conference-011925040.html

Author : NBC Sports

Publish date : 2024-07-12 01:19:25

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