Summer League Standouts

Trey Murphy was impressive this summer at the NBA 2K23 Summer League (Image via Sports Illustrated)

This year's NBA Summer League was filled with young talent across every team. So many players shined in Las Vegas, including first-year and second-year players. Let’s take a lot at who stood out and who could make an impact on their roster.

Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets

Thomas is a second-year player out of LSU and averaged 8.5 points per game last season for the Nets. In this year's summer league, Thomas led tall players in scoring, averaging 27.4 points per game. He showed in a variety of ways how he could score the basketball while getting his teammates involved. With Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant likely departing from Brooklyn this offseason, look for Thomas to make an immediate impact for the Nets.

Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans

Murphy is a second-year player out of Virginia that played a late-season role in the Pelicans' run to the playoffs. In Murphy’s rookie year, he averaged 5.4 points per game. This summer, Murphy is averaging 26.5 points and seven rebounds per game. With Zion Williamson, I would look for the Pelicans to shock some people this year, and Murphy could be a bigger part of another Pelicans playoff team.

Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

Banchero was the number one pick in this year's 2022 NBA Draft. The rookie out of Duke averaged 17.2 points per game for them but lost in the Final Four to UNC. In this year's summer league, he averaged 20 points per game with five rebounds and six assists. After watching Banchero play in the summer league, I see a lot of similarities in his game to the all-time great Carmelo Anthony. I see a very bright future for Banchero and what the Magic are building. 

Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers

Mathurin was the sixth pick in this year's NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. Mathurin attended the University of Arizona, averaging 17.7 points per game. In the summer league, he averaged 19.3 points per game. Mathurin is my early prediction for Rookie of the Year as he reminds me a lot of former lottery pick Victor Olidipo. I could see Mathurin being the breakout player the Pacers need to put them back in contention down the line.

Honorable Mentions: JD Davison, Jaden Hardy, Keegan Murray, Tari Eason, Blake Wesley.