There might be strong feelings surrounding the NBA Summer League. While some see these performances as indicators of potential stardom in the future, others could care less about what transpires there.
This is the first exposure to NBA activity for young players joining the league, and for some, it may be too much. Bronny James, the 55th overall pick in this draft, has been having a difficult time, which has become the main talking point around the 2024 edition.
Alexandre Sarr, a second-round choice, is likewise having trouble.
These outings, however, do not ensure either player’s success or failure.
These five players are the best illustrations of why Summer League isn’t always a competition that defines a player’s career, so they can turn to them for inspiration.
But in the four games he played in Las Vegas during the 2015 Summer League, Towns was unable to make a single three-pointer when it came to his first opportunity to prove it.
In his Summer League debut, he finished with an underwhelming 12 points and three rebounds against the Los Angeles Lakers. Additionally, he had an astounding nine fouls, obviously taking full advantage of the Vegas regulation that a player can only be fouled out after ten.
Sadly for Towns, the situation didn’t improve more.
At the end of the season, he averaged a pitiful 12.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting a pitiful 39.6 percent from the field.
His 1.8 blocks per game were the only thing that saved him. He scored four points, placing him behind Zach LaVine, Lorenzo Brown, and Adreian Payne on the team.
He averaged 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game by the end of his rookie campaign. In addition, he made 34.1 percent of his three-pointers and 54.2 percent of his field goals while winning Rookie of the Year.
Maybe he became more aggressive because of his mentor, Kevin Garnett, who was in his last NBA season.
In any case, Towns had a successful outcome.
Since then, the Dominican star has established himself as a key member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. He contributed to ending the team’s 14-year postseason drought in his third season.
Towns was also a major factor in Minnesota’s first-ever trip to the Conference Finals since 2004.
After a rocky start, Towns has definitely made a name for himself with his four-year, $224 million supermax agreement set to begin for the upcoming 2024–25 campaign.
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