NBA Summer League 2021: 5 Breakout players to watch out for
Basketball action is never away for long over the offseason with the exciting NBA Summer League set to tip off this weekend. While Team USA competes for its gold medal on Saturday in Tokyo, the attention of NBA teams back home will be on their young stars competing in the annual tournament in Las Vegas.
Most of the league's rosters have already been announced for the NBA Summer League which will last from the 8th of August until the 17th. Included are the hottest prospects from this year's draft class, as well as sophomores who missed out on the tournament last year due to the pandemic and some undrafted players too.
The Memphis Grizzlies are the current holders of the trophy after their victory in 2019 and are beginning to see the fruition of their young stars as they develop into first-team starters. Let's take a look at which players could make a name for themselves prior to the 2021-22 NBA campaign.
5 Players who will be looking to impress at the 2021 NBA Summer League
#1 Cade Cunningham
No draft pick will be under greater scrutiny in the NBA Summer League than Cade Cunningham. The consensus No.1 pick overall joins the Detroit Pistons as one of the most-highly rated college prospects in recent times and will be looking to hit the ground running.
At Oklahoma State, Cunningham averaged 20 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 steals while shooting at 40% from downtown. He won both the Big-12's Freshman and Player of the Year awards and had previously led Team USA's U19 team to World Cup glory.
The Pistons have assembled an impressive roster, filled with several sophomores who already have experience playing with the first team but who missed out on summer tournaments last year due to the pandemic.
Cunningham will play alongside the Pistons' first-round picks from last season, Saddiq Bey and Killian Hayes, as well as their 15th pick in 2019, Sekou Doumbouya.
#2 Paul Reed
The Philadelphia 76ers will be hoping Paul Reed can lead their Summer League team to glory, as he almost did with their G-League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
Reed finished the NBA campaign with the Sixers first team after coming away with the G-League MVP award. While with the Blue Coats, the power forward averaged 22.3 points, 11.9 boards, two steals and 1.8 blocks per game. His shooting was particularly impressive, connecting with 59% of field-goal efforts and 44% of threes.
When he returned to the 76ers later in the NBA season, Reed had a standout performance against the Orlando Magic in which he scored 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.