Phil Long/Associated Press
The summer of basketball continues. Less than 48 hours after the Olympic gold-medal match between France and the United States, NBA basketball is back—NBA Summer League basketball, that is.
After the 2020 NBA Summer League was canceled because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the first showcase of this year’s top picks and players hopeful to make an NBA roster is back in Las Vegas. Barring any unforeseen injuries, the cream of the crop of this year’s draft should be on display, with No. 1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, No. 2 pick Jalen Green and third overall selection Evan Mobley all expected to play.
Each team will play a total of five games from Sunday, and the top two teams through the first four contests will play a championship game August 17. Each of the remaining 28 teams will play a fifth “consolation” game August 16 or August 17.
NBA Summer League TV and Live-Stream Schedule
Boston vs. Atlanta, 4:00 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Toronto vs. New York, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Charlotte vs. Portland, 6:00 p.m. ET, NBATV
Houston vs. Cleveland, 6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Washington vs. Indiana, 8:00 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Oklahoma City vs. Detroit, 8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Denver vs. Miami, 10:00 p.m. ET, NBA TV
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Players to Watch
Cade Cunningham, F, Detroit
There were rumors floating around ahead of the draft that the Detroit Pistons could pass on Cunningham and instead select Green or Mobley. But that never materialized, and Detroit finally has a franchise centerpiece to build around.
Of the lottery picks, Cunningham is the most physically ready to immediately contribute at the NBA level, and it would be a shock to not see him in Detroit’s starting lineup at the beginning of the regular season.
Jalen Green, G, Houston
Despite being the No. 2 overall pick in the draft, Green’s name likely isn’t familiar to a lot of people because he opted to play for the G League Ignite instead of going to college. Basketball analysts debated all last season about whether Green’s decision would hurt his draft stock because of the lack of exposure.
He—along with fellow first-round pick Josh Christopher—will be a significant building block as Houston restarts from the ground up after the disastrous handling of James Harden last season.
Evan Mobley, F, Cleveland
Of the top three picks, Mobley might be walking into the best situation with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sure, there’s been a lot of upheaval, and the front office still needs to determine what it’s going to do with Kevin Love. But unlike Cunningham, Mobley will not be the focus of the offense from Day 1.
The Cavs should return both Darius Garland and Collin Sexton, who both had career-best scoring years last season. They re-signed Jarrett Allen, whose shot-blocking and rebound presence alongside Mobley’s should give Cleveland one of the best young frontcourt duos in the league.
Immanuel Quickley, G, New York
After falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 25th pick in last year’s draft before being traded to New York, Immanuel Quickley was regarded as a player who would need time to develop and who would likely spend time in the G League. Instead, he impressed the Knicks coaching staff and made himself into a key role player, averaging 11.4 points per game and shooting nearly 39 percent from behind the arc.
Coming into the league, outside shooting was considered one of Quickley’s most glaring weaknesses, but he soon developed into a reliable bench scorer for head coach Tom Thibodeau. After not being able to participate in last year’s Summer League, Quickley will have a major chance to showcase himself this year.
Follow Keegan on Twitter @ByKeeganPope.
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