LAS VEGAS — There’s too much going on at the Las Vegas Summer League to keep up with all of it, but here is some stuff from my notebook from the past couple of days.
• This is good news for Rockets fans: Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason are too good to be at Summer League.
They have proven it for a couple of games now, and it’s time for the Rockets to shut them down. They are not learning anything from this level of play, even if they are putting on a good show for fans.
Smith had a rough first half of his opening game, but in the six quarters since then he has been the best player in Las Vegas. He scored 33 points and hit the dramatic game-winner for the Rockets on Friday then Sunday he scored 38 points on 13-of-25 shooting with seven rebounds and six assists.
Smith’s shot has always been smooth, but his improved handle is helping him get those shots off. Smith is a walking mismatch (especially at Summer League, where he is too fast for other bigs to stay in front of him, or he overpowers smaller guards on switches.
“I think it’s just confidence, you know,” Smith said of his improved handles. “I feel like I’ve been spending a lot of time on it, just trying to take bumps and being able to be decisive with your moves. Not just necessarily having an array of moves, but just being able to handle the ball, take bumps and having a few go-to moves.”
He’s impressed Rockets Summer League coach Ben Sullivan.
“I’ve liked his competitiveness. I’ve liked his maturity,” Sulivan said, one of the new coaches that has come in with Ime Udoka. “I’ve liked the dynamic skill set that he’s brought on offense — he’s posted up, he’s handling pick-and-rolls, he’s set screens, he’s picking and popped. We’ve kind of moved them all around on different areas of the floor and he’s shown an ability to handle all that.”
Eason finished Sunday with 26 points and nine rebounds. He played all 82 games as a rookie and looks like a two-way forward ready for an increase in minutes next season.
Let’s hope Eason gets those minutes, considering the Rockets are paying Dillon Brooks $86 million to fill a similar role. Udoka has some versatility to play with on the Rockets roster next season.
• Dunk of the Day on Sunday (that I saw) goes to Shaedon Sharpe for Portland.
Sharpe’s jumper has been off here in Vegas (4-of-18 shooting Sunday), but his decision-making and passing have looked improved.
• Max Christie will get a regular run with the Lakers next season and looks ready for some added responsibility. When a player consistently makes good decisions and shows an ability to make plays off the bounce, it stands out in the Summer League. Christie stands out.
The same things could be said of Jalen Hood-Schifino, who plays with his head up and sees the floor well.
• Watched another Brandon Miller game and… meh.
The no. 2 pick in June wasn’t terrible, but he wasn’t inspiring. It’s Summer League, it’s about improvement not what a person shows in these games, but Miller has plenty of room to improve.
• I wasn’t at the workouts/interviews where Cam Whitmore’s performance made teams nervous enough that he slid to 20th in the last NBA Draft. I have been at Summer League and he looks good in this setting — like the high-lottery talent he was projected to be. The Rockets’ rookie had 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting Sunday.
“He has a real, real unique game, plays really hard,” Smith said of his teammate. “He’s young, he’s just real explosive. So I just tried to tell him to keep it simple and let the game come to him.”
• With all the focus on Victor Wembanyama, there have been a lot of eyes on the Spurs’ second-year player Dominick Barlow and he has shown some promise.
Barlow was one of the best undrafted players a year ago, coming out of Overtime Elite and signing a two-way deal with the Spurs. He’s got an NBA build and size, and in a credit to the Spurs development program he has looked like someone who could be part of their future rotation in the Wemby era. He had 17 points and six rebounds on Sunday, his second straight solid outing here in Vegas.