2022 NBA Summer League

[brevity]

As primarily a college basketball fan, my favorite two NBA events each year are the Draft and the Summer League. The action starts next Saturday, July 2, so here's what we know. All times Eastern.

SAN FRANCISCO

The Warriors host the California Classic in San Francisco July 2-5. Also playing are the Heat, Kings, and Lakers.

SATURDAY, JULY 2

Lakers vs. Heat, 5pm (NBATV)
Warriors vs. Kings, 7:30pm (ESPN2)

SUNDAY, JULY 3

Heat vs. Kings, 5pm (NBA TV)
Warriors vs. Lakers, 7:30pm (NBA TV)

MONDAY, JULY 4

(No games)

TUESDAY, JULY 5

Warriors vs. Heat, 3pm (NBA TV)
Kings vs. Lakers, 5:30pm (NBA TV)

SALT LAKE CITY

The Jazz host the SLC Summer League in Salt Lake City July 5-7. Also playing are the Grizzlies, Sixers, and Thunder.

TUESDAY, JULY 5

Grizzlies vs. Sixers, 7pm (ESPN2)
Thunder vs. Jazz, 9pm (ESPN2)

WEDNESDAY, JULY 6

Grizzlies vs. Thunder, 7pm (ESPN2)
Sixers vs. Jazz, 9pm (ESPN2)

THURSDAY, JULY 7

Thunder vs. Sixers, 6pm (NBA TV)
Grizzlies vs. Jazz, 8pm (NBA TV)

LAS VEGAS

Then all 30 teams will play a total of 75 games in Las Vegas July 7-17, opening with a late night doubleheader featuring 4 draft lottery headliners: Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith Jr, Shaedon Sharpe, and Jaden Ivey.

THURSDAY, JULY 7

Rockets vs. Magic, 10pm (ESPN)
Trail Blazers vs. Pistons, 12:30am (ESPN)

The full schedule for all Summer League games in San Francisco, Salt Lake City, and Las Vegas can be found here.

I will add Summer League team rosters once they are officially announced. None of the teams have done so yet, but both Rookie Wire and UDFA Tracker keep track of Summer League roster announcements. We already know that Theo John has a Summer League contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Alex O'Connell will play summer ball for the Sacramento Kings.

UNC's Brady Manek is also signed to a Summer League deal. For which team? I'm sure you'll need only one guess.

[DoubleBlue]

Thanks for the summary and preview, brevity. I see all the game times are shown are Eastern, so maybe some live viewing is possible.

I'll answer your question on Manek with this: https://tarheelswire.usatoday.com/20...summer-league/

[howardlander]

I'll answer your question on Manek with this: https://tarheelswire.usatoday.com/20...summer-league/

I'm a little surprised Manek wasn't drafted, even if at the end of the second round. He has an NBA skill and good size. If Joe Ingles can help the Jazz, I won't be surprised if Manek makes an NBA roster in the next couple of years.

[cbolden1]

I'm a little surprised Manek wasn't drafted, even if at the end of the second round. He has an NBA skill and good size. If Joe Ingles can help the Jazz, I won't be surprised if Manek makes an NBA roster in the next couple of years.

He and his agent, if they knew they were a pick in the 50s prob told teams not to draft them. 1) So they can sign to any team the want ( best fit) and 2) if they get signed to a 2way and outperform it during the season they need to signed to a nba contract.

[JasonEvans]

He and his agent, if they knew they were a pick in the 50s prob told teams not to draft them. 1) So they can sign to any team the want ( best fit) and 2) if they get signed to a 2way and outperform it during the season they need to signed to a nba contract.

Doesn't really work that way. A kid picked in the 50s is almost certainly going to sign a 2-way deal and it can always be converted to a regular NBA contract if the player performs at that level. And it is always better to be drafted than an undrafted free agent. Being drafted means the team has made a real investment in you. You will certainly get a better training camp contract than an UFA. It would be quite unusual for a player at the end of the draft to tell a team, "don't take me." I'm not sure what the motivation would be to do that.

As for Manek and his NBA stock, his footspeed makes him a huge liability on defense for a NBA team. He may be able to shoot his way into a 2-way deal with some team (just because he plays summer ball for Charlotte, it does not mean they are the only team that can sign him) but I would not make it super-likely to happen. Teams often like to use 2-ways on younger players who have a better chance to develop. Don't forget that Manek is going to be 24 when the NBA season starts. He was among the oldest players in the draft. I'd make his odds of getting even a 2-way deal maybe 33%.

[burnspbesq]

Doesn't really work that way. A kid picked in the 50s is almost certainly going to sign a 2-way deal and it can always be converted to a regular NBA contract if the player performs at that level. And it is always better to be drafted than an undrafted free agent. Being drafted means the team has made a real investment in you. You will certainly get a better training camp contract than an UFA. It would be quite unusual for a player at the end of the draft to tell a team, "don't take me." I'm not sure what the motivation would be to do that.

As for Manek and his NBA stock, his footspeed makes him a huge liability on defense for a NBA team. He may be able to shoot his way into a 2-way deal with some team (just because he plays summer ball for Charlotte, it does not mean they are the only team that can sign him) but I would not make it super-likely to happen. Teams often like to use 2-ways on younger players who have a better chance to develop. Don't forget that Manek is going to be 24 when the NBA season starts. He was among the oldest players in the draft. I'd make his odds of getting even a 2-way deal maybe 33%.

I suspect that after summer league is over, we’ll only see Manek mentioned in awhom111’s incredibly detailed Euro summaries.

[JasonEvans]

I suspect that after summer league is over, we’ll only see Manek mentioned in awhom111’s incredibly detailed Euro summaries.

I bet he plays G-League in the hopes of getting noticed and called up at some point. The guys who head to Europe pretty much give up on playing in the NBA for that year and, at age 24, I think Manek will at least give it a run for his first post-college season.

[jimsumner]

I bet he plays G-League in the hopes of getting noticed and called up at some point. The guys who head to Europe pretty much give up on playing in the NBA for that year and, at age 24, I think Manek will at least give it a run for his first post-college season.

If Duncan Robinson can carve out a spot in the NBA, then I don't see why Brady Manek can't.

[scottdude8]

If Duncan Robinson can get a 5 year, 90 million dollar NBA contract, then I don't see why Brady Manek can't make a roster.

Fixed it for you

BTW, how insane is it that right after getting that contract, and having a solid, albeit slightly down, year in which he still started 68 games, averaged 11 points per game, and shot 37% from deep, that Robinson barely saw the floor for the Heat in the playoffs? Unless things change next year that contract is going to turn into a warning sign for anyone looking to pay for a guy who is "just a shooter"...

[bundabergdevil]

If Duncan Robinson can carve out a spot in the NBA, then I don't see why Brady Manek can't.

TBH, I’m a little surprised there wasn’t more interest in him all along. Not first round interest, mind you, but he’s got at least one NBA ready skill.

[kshepinthehouse]

TBH, I’m a little surprised there wasn’t more interest in him all along. Not first round interest, mind you, but he’s got at least one NBA ready skill.

So did Matthew Hurt and he didn’t sniff the NBA either.

[HayYou]

Fixed it for you

BTW, how insane is it that right after getting that contract, and having a solid, albeit slightly down, year in which he still started 68 games, averaged 11 points per game, and shot 37% from deep, that Robinson barely saw the floor for the Heat in the playoffs? Unless things change next year that contract is going to turn into a warning sign for anyone looking to pay for a guy who is "just a shooter"...

That Duncan Robinson contract might work against Manek. And I'm not sure that Ingles is a great comp either. Ingles seems a little more athletic, and a better defender.

I've long thought that Robinson was a change of pace guy, like a knuckleball pitcher. You see guys like that so infrequently, and never back to back, that it works in the short run.

But not in a series, like, say, a 7 game playoff series. By game 2 they've started to adjust, and game 3 they have it down wrt combatting the unusual player/style. I've long thought that Harden and Westbrook are like this but as rich man's versions. Westbrook is so athletic that you can't prepare for him in the short run. Harden takes "bad" shots, the type of shots that every coach ever has told their players to allow the opposition to take those shots. Westbrook's extreme athleticism makes up for his poor shooting, and Harden makes a high percentage of these bad shots. But in a 7 game series, teams can adjust for that athleticism and force Westbrook to lean into his skill more so than the regular season. With Harden, he's had so many failures in the post season because teams quickly adjust to his "bad" shots and actually guard them closer. It isn't about stopping or shutting down these stars, but just making them less efficient.

Duncan is a poor man's version of this. He's under-athletic but makes up for it by hustling and knocking down 3s. In the post season, teams take his threat seriously, and his defender guards a little further out and hustles. The Heat hide him on a poor offensive threat when the Heat are on D. During the regular season, it works, because teams aren't flexible enough to exploit defensive weaknesses. If you are playing the Hornets tonight, the Heat in 2 days, and ATL the day after the Heat, you can't switch up for that middle game. You have to play your style and hope to beat the other team by doing what you normally do well. In the playoffs you can tailor your approach and engineer a situation where Duncan is guarding someone who the Heat DOES NOT WANT HIM GUARDING. And you can do it 30 times a game when he's on court.

Ergo, specialists (or guys who do ONE thing at an outlier level) lose a tremendous amount of value in the playoffs. Guys who like MVPs in the regular season turn into mid level all stars in the playoffs. Which seems like it is still OK, but not when their team wins because the guy is an MVP level player. Mid tier All Star isn't good enough in the playoffs for those guys. Lower tier players like Duncan Robinson, who are solid role players in the regular season get unplayable in the Post season.

Think about how few teams have specialists as major contributors late in the post season. Giannis was an athletic specimen who never did anything in the playoffs until he raised his overall skill level to the point where he wasn't just relying on his athletic gifts.

I think the era of Maneks's is waning. You might see a few players like this on bad teams, who are desperately trying to win enough games to sneak into the playoffs, or at least get into serious playoff contention late in the season. But those guys become liabilities in the post season.

I mean, if Duke got to play Manek in a 5 game series, with a night off between games, by game 3 Manek would be a huge liability. Paolo would have been on him like glue, and on O we'd have engineered a system wherein Paolo was iso'ing Manek 30+ times per game. It would be a blood bath. But in a one off, non-repeating game, Manek is enough of an unusual outlier that he's very effective. But every decent NBA team is thinking long term and succeeding in the playoffs. It is becoming apparent that the specialists simply aren't effective in the playoffs, so relying on them in the regular season is not viable.

[bundabergdevil]

So did Matthew Hurt and he didn’t sniff the NBA either.

Describes me, too. I’ve got a NBA work ethic but literally nothing else.

[Bluedog]

I think the era of Maneks's is waning. You might see a few players like this on bad teams, who are desperately trying to win enough games to sneak into the playoffs, or at least get into serious playoff contention late in the season. But those guys become liabilities in the post season.

I mean, if Duke got to play Manek in a 5 game series, with a night off between games, by game 3 Manek would be a huge liability.

Well, it was game 3 vs manek for the season in the final four, but I recognize they weren't back to back. And unfortunately we didn't crush him...

[jimsumner]

So did Matthew Hurt and he didn’t sniff the NBA either.

Went undrafted, went to the G-League and missed most of the season with an injury.

Robinson also went undrafted and worked his way through the G-league.

So, did Seth Curry and his career has turned out nicely.

A little premature to write Hurt off, methinks.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

Describes me, too. I’ve got a NBA work ethic but literally nothing else.

You would do good post game interviews.

[jimsumner]

You would do good post game interviews.

I just try to give 110 percent and take what the defense gives me.

[tommy]

I just try to give 110 percent and take what the defense gives me.

I just try to stay within myself.

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

I just try to stay within myself.

Oh really? Not me. I leave it all out on the floor.

(Always struck me as a really gross saying)

[jimsumner]

Oh really? Not me. I leave it all out on the floor.

(Always struck me as a really gross saying)

Clean up on aisle 7. Clean up on aisle 7.