The 2023 NBA Summer League circuit is underway, with 10 teams playing in the Salt Lake City Summer League and the California Classic. However, after those two summer leagues wrap up on Thursday night, the basketball world will turn its attention to Las Vegas for the NBA 2K24 Summer League, which features all 30 teams and this year’s rookie class.
No. 1 overall pick Victor Wembanyama is the headliner for this year’s Summer League action in Las Vegas, as he will look to put on a show donning a San Antonio Spurs uniform for the first time. Wembanyama is the betting favorite to win tournament MVP at +900 on DraftKings Sportsbook over Brandon Miller (+1000) and Scoot Henderson (+1100). We also can’t forget about Amen Thompson (+1100), who was selected fourth by the Rockets. Thompson, along with fellow rookie Cam Whitmore (+1700), should put up their fair share of points in the Summer League.
However, history tells us the No. 1 overall pick doesn’t often win tournament MVP in the NBA summer league. Since 2006, only two No. 1 picks (Blake Griffin in ’09 and John Wall in ’10) have won MVP, so bettors might be able to find value with other rookies/second-year players or potentially take the field at +850. The field may be the safest bet, as it’s hard to gauge which singular player will be that standout star.
Below, we’ll break down the favorites to win tournament MVP at the Las Vegas Summer League and identify some sleepers to watch out for.
2023 NBA Summer League tournament MVP odds
All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook
Player
Odds
Field
+850
Victor Wembanyama
+900
Brandon Miller
+1000
Amen Thompson
+1100
Chet Holmgren
+1100
Scoot Henderson
+1100
Ausar Thompson
+1300
Cam Whitmore
+1700
Jarace Walker
+2000
Taylor Hendricks
+2200
Cason Wallace
+2200
Anthony Black
+2200
Jordan Hawkins
+2500
Jaime Jaquez
+2500
Jaden Hardy
+3000
Kenneth Lofton
+3000
Keyonte George
+3000
Bilal Coulibaly
+3000
Kris Murray
+3500
Kobe Bufkin
+3500
Gradey Dick
+3500
Dereck Lively
+3500
Jalen Hood-Schifino
+4000
Brandin Podziemski
+4000
Emoni Bates
+4500
Jett Howard
+4500
Jaden Ivey
+5000
Olivier-Maxence Prosper
+5000
Marcus Sasser
+5000
Ben Sheppard
+5000
2023 NBA Summer League tournament MVP odds: Favorites
Victor Wembanyama (+900). To no one’s surprise, Wembanyama is the favorite to win the tournament MVP in the Summer League. Wemby is coming off an impressive 2022-23 season with Metropolitans 92 in the LNB Pro A league. The French phenom averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game.
The 19-year-old No. 1 pick will have an opportunity to make a statement in his Summer League debut on Friday against Brandon Miller and the Hornets. It remains to be seen how many games Wembanyama will be playing in Vegas after playing 44 contests this season with Mets 92. However, if the 7-foot-4 center dominates in the games in which he is active, he’ll make a strong case to win MVP. At the same time, bettors might be inclined to take the field +850 with the caveat of Wembanyama not playing a lot in Vegas.
Brandon Miller (+1000). Miller made his NBA summer league debut on Monday night against the Spurs in the California Classic. The former University of Alabama standout led Charlotte with 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range. He also added five rebounds and three assists. It was a good start for the young forward, who did not play well in his final college game in the NCAA tournament.
With the Hornets playing in the California Classic, it will be interesting to see how many games Miller plays in Las Vegas. Nevertheless, Miller has a chance to put on a show against Wembanyama on Friday and then will face Scoot Henderson and the Blazers on July 11. If Miller has strong showings in those games, he could leapfrog Wembanyama and become the favorite. However, since 2006, only one No. 2 pick has won Summer League MVP (Lonzo Ball in ’17).
2023 NBA Summer League tournament MVP odds: Sleepers
Jaden Hardy (+3000). If bettors are looking for a second-year player who could potentially take over the NBA Summer League, look no further than Hardy. The former NBA G League Ignite guard played well in his rookie season with Dallas, scoring 8.8 points per game on 43.8 percent shooting from the field and 40.4 percent from beyond the arc.
However, the Mavericks have big plans for the 21-year-old guard, as Summer League head coach Jared Dudley said Hardy will get 18-20 shots a game, according to the team’s website. If that’s the case, we should expect big scoring performances from him. In his Summer League debut last year, Hardy scored 28 points against the Bulls. With a year of NBA and G-League experience under his belt, he should be ready to take the next step.
Emoni Bates (+4500). The NBA Summer League was made for a player like Bates, who is a certified bucket and can score at a high level. Bates had a lot of hype coming out of HS and had his game being compared to Kevin Durant. However, he didn’t live up to the high expectations in his two seasons at Memphis and Eastern Michigan. Bates averaged 19.2 points and 5.8 rebounds per game this past season at EMU, but he shot just 40.5 percent from the field and 33 percent from three-point range.
Despite not having the best two seasons in college, Bates gets a chance to make some noise as a second-round pick with the Cavaliers. The Cavs have a solid Summer League team that features Sam Merrill, Sharife Cooper, and Isaiah Mobley, who have NBA and NBA G-League experience. It might be challenging for Bates to stand out at first, but if he can bring that same scoring ability he showed at EMU, the sky is the limit for the 19-year-old wing.
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