Adam Hagy/NBAE via Getty Images
The end of NBA Summer League is nearing, but promising rookies are continuing to excite in Las Vegas.
Thursday saw Los Angeles Lakers’ rookies Dalton Knecht and Bronny James take on the Cleveland Cavaliers, No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr and the Washington Wizards square off with the Sacramento Kings, along with a handful of other fun matchups.
After another day of Summer League, here’s a recap of Thursday’s action as well as how the social media world responded.
Brooklyn Nets 102, Orlando Magic 100
Washington Wizards 73, Sacramento Kings 69
Memphis Grizzlies 88, New Orleans Pelicans 77
Denver Nuggets 86, Indiana Pacers 71
Los Angeles Lakers 93, Cleveland Cavaliers 89
Los Angeles Clippers 105, Utah Jazz 88
Minnesota Timberwolves 93, Houston Rockets 83
Alex Sarr’s Struggles Continue
It was another night to forget for the No. 2 overall pick.
On Wednesday, Sarr never found the basket, going 0-of-15 from the field, 0-of-7 from deep and missing both of his free throws. All he had to show for was on the defensive end with nine boards and three blocks.
It didn’t get better on Thursday as Sarr went 1-of-6 from the field with 11 rebounds and four assists. That brought his shooting total over the last two games to 1-of-21 from the field—not exactly the numbers you want to see from the second pick in the draft.
Across his four Summer League games, Sarr has 22 points on 9-of-47 from the field and is shooting 11.7 from deep.
While Summer League games don’t matter when the regular season rolls around, that didn’t stop Wizards fans from being extremely worried about Sarr’s poor performance in Las Vegas.
Bleacher Report @BleacherReport
No. 2 overall pick Alex Sarr’s last two Summer League games 😮
0 PTS, 0-15 FG, 9 REB
2 PTS, 1-6 FG, 11 REB pic.twitter.com/CmMjVa3VJK
Gaston Glock @iammoezart
Alex Sarr is not it.
Portersburgh @PortersBurgh
How is Alex Sarr going to say don’t draft me first overall and then proceed to play like a undrafted rookie.
retired @alcoholfreefall
i’m genuinely impressed with how bad alex sarr is
Dalton Knecht Posts Another Solid Outing, Bronny Continues to Improve
The Lakers are likely becoming more pleased with their draft selections after the past few days.
Dalton Knecht has continually proved that he’s on his way to being a solid rookie, and he added to that assurance on Thursday with 20 points and seven rebounds on 7-of-16 from the field. One of the only concerns with Knecht’s game so far is his defense, but that’s something that he can develop over the course of his first season.
NBA fans once again praised Knecht for another strong showing.
Jake Brittain @jakebrittain31
Dalton Knecht might end up being the best player from this class #NBA2KSummerLeague
K.C. @Not___KC
Reaves and Knecht are gonna be so cold together
Brian (#1 Max Christie Fan Acct) @RunTheJules
Knecht is gonna THRIVE as a cutter next to Bron/AD
There’s no denying Bronny James had a rough start to Summer League, but he’s turned things around over the past two games and is now showing promise that he can be a solid NBA player.
The son of NBA legend LeBron James had another strong showing with 13 points, five rebounds and a pair of blocks on 5-of-10 from the field. That performance follows up what was his best NBA showing to date on Wednesday when he had 12 points on 5-of-11 from the field.
James has seemingly figured things out after struggling early on, and he’ll look to continue showing that he’s more than just LeBron’s son in the coming days.
After the game, fans hyped James for keeping his momentum going from Wednesday’s game.
Tony Jones @Tjonesonthenba
So Bronny had two really bad games and then two really good games.
Kinda like a 19 year old who has talent that needs developing?
𝓛𝓛💫 @HoodiiBron
BRONNY HATERS REAL QUIET RN pic.twitter.com/zTFw4DOh1j
🏆LakersGuru🏆 @GuruLakers
Bronny closing in the clutch 2 nights in a row
This part of my life right here… pic.twitter.com/3UtkZHdIqe
Mack Perry @DevaronPerry
Bronny is an NBA player, IDC what yall say
Nets’ Second-Rounder Shows Out
Bronny James wasn’t the only second-round pick with a strong performance on Thursday.
Jalen Wilson, the No. 51 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, shined in an overtime win against the Orlando Magic. The Brooklyn Nets forward had 33 points and 10 boards on a scorching hot 6-of-7 from deep.
He also had the shot to reach the overtime target score and give the Nets the win.
NBA @NBA
JALEN WILSON WINS IT IN OT ‼️
He finishes with 33 PTS… capped off by this STRONG finish through traffic 💪 pic.twitter.com/ObDAUv1kYZ
Wilson played just 43 games in the NBA in his rookie season, averaging five points a game, but he’s showing in Summer League that he could be due for a big second year.
KyleSosa🥶🇵🇷 @KyleSosaa718
Wow Jalen Wilson can flat out shoot that thang.
Rai @reyourb4e33
Jalen Wilson is HIM
🕶️ @kevbo9
Jalen Wilson is 20/36 (55.6%) from 3 in four Summer League games https://t.co/GsaZ1fsNGJ
BKNRoss @BKNRoss
Jalen Wilson becoming a great 3PT shooter would be a major development.
So excited to watch him this season.
Reed Sheppard Cools Down, Struggles Early vs. Timberwolves
Reed Sheppard has been one of the most impressive rookies throughout Summer League, but the Houston Rockets No. 3 overall pick struggled in the first half against the Timberwolves.
He finished the first half with nine points, but turned the ball over six times, something that hasn’t been much of a problem for him in Summer League. The bad start led to Sheppard drawing plenty of criticism on social media.
Jackson Gatlin @JTGatlin
We’re seeing again what happens when a defense gets to key in completely on Reed Sheppard.
Good news is he will have A LOT more weapons around him and not nearly as much defensive attention once the season begins.
Reed Sheppard Muse @RSheppardMuse
Q1 STATS:
0/2 FG
3 AST
5 TOs
3 FLS
Bad start, but I’m sure it will get better 😃 pic.twitter.com/4dkJzRlhIw
Wes @bloghawk
Reed Sheppard’s gonna be a great pro for a long time, but man it’s always going to be tough for a 6’3 guard amongst the trees unless you’re a Steph Curry-level wizard.
Sheppard has struggled with Minnesota’s size and physicality tonight. Will take some time to adapt.
With young players, an occasional bad game is expected, and Rockets fans are hoping that was the case for Sheppard on Thursday.
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