Ranking the Top 30 NBA Prospects at 2022 Las Vegas Summer League
Over the years, the NBA's official 30-team summer league in Las Vegas has grown in popularity and excitement.
This year's event is a borderline star-studded affair. The youngest player to ever log a triple-double, Josh Giddey, is set to play for the Oklahoma City Thunder. NBA champions Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody will suit up for the Golden State Warriors.
And we haven't even gotten to a deep 2022 class that includes Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith.
To determine who are the 30 best prospects in Vegas, we pored over the rosters for all 30 teams, looked at past production and draft analysis and tried to predict the future. Even in the age of information, that last endeavor is always subjective.
Editor's Note: Though Cade Cunningham is on Detroit's summer-league roster, he reportedly will not play, which is why he doesn't appear in this ranking.
Players 30-26
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30. MarJon Beauchamp (Milwaukee Bucks)
G League alum MarJon Beauchamp has excellent size (6'5" with a 7'1" wingspan) for an NBA wing. That, plus his effort on defense and knack for rebounding, make him an interesting option as a specialist.
If he figures out how to shoot (his G League three-point percentage was a foreboding 27.3), he has a chance to become a rotation player.
29. Joshua Primo (San Antonio Spurs)
Joshua Primo was the youngest player in the NBA last season, and it typically showed when he was on the floor. The San Antonio Spurs were worse when he played, and his true shooting percentage was 7.9 points below average.
He's still just 19, though. And with flashes in his rookie season, his 6'6" frame and a 38.1 three-point percentage in college, there's still reason to believe Primo can be a competent floor-spacer from the wing.
28. David Roddy (Memphis Grizzlies)
By body type and position alone, the 6'5", 255-pound David Roddy is already an uncommon player. He's built like a young Charles Barkley, but he plays more like a guard. And his unique combination of strength and skill helped him fill up the stat sheet.
As a sophomore at Colorado State, Roddy averaged 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 threes, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks. With the ability to do a little bit of everything, Roddy has the potential to be a big-time gap-filler.
27. Malaki Branham (San Antonio Spurs)
Malaki Branham exceeded expectations at Ohio State, where he averaged 13.7 points and 1.2 threes while shooting 41.6 percent from deep and looking like a prototypical 2.
At 6'5" with a 6'10" wingspan, Branham has the potential to be a longtime, natural scorer if his shooting translates (and an 83.3 free-throw percentage suggests it will).
26. Jake LaRavia (Memphis Grizzlies)
Roddy doesn't represent Memphis' only shot at something of a utility man. It also drafted Wake Forest's Jake LaRavia, a 6'9" forward who put up 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks in 2021-22.
There isn't much volume behind this number, but he also shot 38.4 percent from three.
Players 25-21
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25. Christian Braun (Denver Nuggets)
Players in the 6'6" to 6'8" range who are willing and able to guard players up and down an opposing lineup are all the rage right now. Those who also have a few skills on the other end are in even greater demand. Kansas' Christian Braun potentially checks all those boxes.
His effort, intensity and athleticism figure to translate first, but 2.8 assists, 1.3 threes and a 38.6 three-point percentage for the national champion Jayhawks suggest offense could be around the corner too.
24. Mark Williams (Charlotte Hornets)
More traditional 5s may not be as prevalent as they once were, but teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics deploying two-big starting fives (and in Cleveland's case, maybe even three-big) may stem the tide. The Minnesota Timberwolves also signaled a willingness to buck the trend by trading for Rudy Gobert.
All this to say that there is still a place for someone like Mark Williams in the NBA.
At Duke, the 7'0" freshman averaged 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in just 23.6 minutes per game. And he shot 72.1 percent from the field.
If you can find them, skilled bigs who can run the offense are great, but the old-fashioned rim protector is far from extinct.
23. Ousmane Dieng (Oklahoma City Thunder)
His 39.8 field-goal percentage and 27.1 three-point percentage for the New Zealand Breakers in 2021-22 suggest how raw Ousmane Dieng is, but he's still just 19 years old.
And a smooth-looking shot and solid ball-handling for a player of his size (6'10") are enough to be intrigued (OKC was with the 11th overall pick).
22. Nikola Jovic (Miami Heat)
As tempting as it might be to compare the 6'10" Serbian whose name is only one letter different from two-time MVP Nikola Jokic's, Nikola Jovic is undoubtedly a different player (and probably doesn't have multiple MVPs in his future).
He moves a bit more like a guard and has already shown a willingness to be a volume three-point shooter at the California Classic Summer League, where he averaged 2.0 threes and shot 42.9 percent from three.
21. AJ Griffin (Atlanta Hawks)
AJ Griffin may have more scoring upside than he was able to show at Duke, where he averaged 10.4 points among plenty of NBA talent.
Prototypical wing size (6'6") and a 44.7 three-point percentage on 4.1 attempts per game suggest he can move the needle as a floor-spacer.
Players 20-16
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20. Ochai Agbaji (Cleveland Cavaliers)
There's always a bit of concern when a player doesn't put up huge numbers till his senior season when he's a 21-year-old producing against teenagers, but Ochai Agbaji still has enough potential as a three-and-D wing to threaten the top 20 for this list.
Agbaji is 6'5" with a 6'10" wingspan and a 39-inch vertical. Those are good indicators for perimeter defense, especially when he's passed the eye test on that end of the floor for a few years too. If the career-high 40.7 percent he shot from three as a senior holds, he'll be in good shape.
19. Cam Thomas (Brooklyn Nets)
The shoot-first, sub-6'5" guard is not a player archetype that's gaining in popularity, and Cam Thomas' 27.0 three-point percentage as a rookie is concerning, but there are plenty of encouraging signs too.
Over a 12-game stretch in February and March, Thomas averaged 17.9 points in 27.7 minutes and showed off the scoring upside that made him a 5-star recruit. If the Brooklyn Nets find acceptable trades for Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant (and assuming Thomas isn't in either deal), he'll get a lot more opportunities to show that off in 2022-23.
18. Trey Murphy III (New Orleans Pelicans)
After a strong closing kick that put him firmly in the New Orleans Pelicans' playoff rotation, Trey Murphy looks like a long-term option for the team as a floor-spacer.
Over his last 16 regular-season games, Murphy averaged 10.1 points and 2.0 threes while shooting 45.1 percent from deep.
17. Jalen Williams (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Wing size and guard skills are a great combination in today's game. And Jalen Williams, at 6'5" (without shoes) with a center-like 7'2" wingspan, has it.
A warning similar to the one on Agbaji applies to Williams, but his numbers as a junior (18.0 points, 4.2 assists and 1.3 threes with a 39.6 three-point percentage) are impressive.
16. Aleksej Pokusevski (Oklahoma City Thunder)
The learning curve has been steep for Aleksej Pokusevski, but it does look like he's starting to figure some things out. If the end of 2021-22 is any indication, he still has the potential to be one of the league's most interesting playmakers.
Over his last 10 appearances of the season, the 7-footer averaged 13.3 points, 5.9 assists and 1.8 threes. His ability to handle the ball at the top of the floor, exercise patience in the pick-and-roll, see passing lanes and hit players with a variety of passes gives him a high ceiling.
There's still some concern over his frame and shooting ability, but the combination of size and playmaking alone bumps him way up this list.
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Players 15-11
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15. Jeremy Sochan (San Antonio Spurs)
He didn't show a ton of upside as a scorer and shooter at Baylor, where he averaged 9.2 points and shot 29.6 percent from three as a freshman, but Jeremy Sochan checks so many other boxes.
He has the prototypical size of today's combo forward (6'8" with a 7'0" wingspan). He's willing and able to defend a variety of positions and player types. He rebounds. He can even create and pass a bit. In an era where a wide range of skills is often necessary to have a long career, Sochan can thrive as a utility player.
14. Ziaire Williams (Memphis Grizzlies)
His three-point percentage (31.4) and low steal and block rates are cause for mild concern, but starting 31 games for a 56-win team as a 20-year-old might trump that.
Ziaire Williams, a 6'8" forward who showed hints of playmaking ability in his lone season at Stanford, didn't look out of place among Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. And the early reps in those lineups should serve him well as he continues to develop.
13. Johnny Davis (Washington Wizards)
Johnny Davis has the potential to be a bit of a throwback scorer who can tally points with a variety of shots from inside the arc, like a pre-2018-19 T.J. Warren.
If he hones his three-point shooting and works on his vision and passing a bit, he has a chance to be a dangerous offensive weapon.
12. James Wiseman (Golden State Warriors)
This may feel like a steep fall for the No. 2 pick in the 2020 draft, but after sitting all of 2021-22 with injuries, all we really have to analyze is a statistically poor rookie campaign.
Among the 11,197 individual campaigns of at least as many minutes in the three-point era, Wiseman's minus-5.0 box plus/minus is tied for 11,021st (1,002nd among 1,065 rookie seasons). The Golden State Warriors had a point differential around that of a 13-win team when he was on the floor, compared to that of a 52-win team when he was off.
A lot of that has to do with being an inexperienced rim-roller trying to learn a fairly complex system, though. A year of observing might have actually helped. And when healthy, he possesses a rare combination of size (7'0" with a 7'6" wingspan) and fluidity.
11. Dyson Daniels (New Orleans Pelicans)
Following in the tradition of players like Josh Giddey, Ben Simmons, Joe Ingles and Dante Exum (there are obviously varying levels of success there), Australian Dyson Daniels combines size (6'6" without shoes and a 6'11" wingspan) and playmaking (5.0 assists per 36 minutes in his lone G League season) in a way that makes him a strong theoretical fit in today's game.
Adding the commitment to defense and rebounding that he showed in 2021-22 helps too.
If he becomes an average or above-average outside shooter, it's hard to imagine him flaming out.
10. Shaedon Sharpe (Portland Trail Blazers)
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Sitting out all of what would have been his freshman season at Kentucky makes Shaedon Sharpe one of the bigger mysteries of this year's class of rookies.
It's not hard to see why he was a 5-star recruit, though. He's 6'4" (without shoes) with a 7'0" wingspan, looks like an elite athlete (even by NBA standards) and possesses a silky, effortless shooting stroke.
The best version of Sharpe could very well end up being the best player in Vegas, but it's almost impossible to know which version will show up.
All we've had to analyze is his high school play, and teams had an infamously low hit rate on players who made the leap from that level before rule changes ended that practice.
9. Moses Moody (Golden State Warriors)
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He didn't get a ton of experience as a rookie on a loaded Golden State Warriors team that eventually won the championship, but it's still easy to get excited about Moses Moody's potential.
On the year, he averaged 13.7 points and 2.4 threes per 75 possessions, while shooting 36.4 percent from three. And he even cracked the playoff rotation for the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks.
At the very least, he looks like a player who can contribute in a straightforward three-and-D role (though there's room for improvement on both sides of that equation).
Playing for the Warriors might necessitate a little more commitment to passing and playmaking, though. Of course, there's plenty of time for the 20-year-old to figure that out too.
8. Bennedict Mathurin (Indiana Pacers)
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Prior to being selected with the sixth overall pick by the Indiana Pacers, Bennedict Mathurin made some waves by saying, "[LeBron James] is going to have to show me he is better than me."
As wild as it may seem on the surface for a rookie to challenge the longtime face of the league, it might actually be a window into what might make Mathurin successful.
He brings plenty of confidence to the Pacers, and it's backed up by a frame and offensive game that should fit well in today's NBA.
Mathurin is 6'7" with a 6'9" wingspan. He hit 38.3 percent of his three-point attempts in college, and he showed lead scorer upside as a sophomore with Arizona.
Consistency as an outside shooter will be key, but his game is far from reliant on that. He's a high-end athlete who can attack off the bounce or in transition, too.
7. Jaden Ivey (Detroit Pistons)
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His size (6'4" with a 6'10" wingspan) suggests Jaden Ivey should probably be a 1, but he has more of a shoot-first mentality. And that might make Cade Cunningham an ideal fit alongside him.
Cunningham is sized a bit more like a prototypical wing, and his unselfishness as a playmaker should allow Ivey to focus a bit more on attacking.
That's what he did best for Purdue. Ivey should be able to blow by most perimeter defenders in the NBA, and that's especially true if he has closing defenders who are trying to recover after helping on Cunningham.
To hit his ceiling, though, Ivey will have to supplement his slashing with a more consistent outside shot (his three-point percentage just jumped from 25.8 as a freshman to 35.8 this season). If defenders know they have to honor his range on kick-outs, closeouts will potentially be even more reckless.
6. Keegan Murray (Sacramento Kings)
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There was an awful lot of hand-wringing over the Sacramento Kings' decision to select Keegan Murray over Ivey, and the reaction probably wasn't fair to the forward.
The 6'8" Murray didn't just lead the NCAA in box plus/minus this season. He has one of the highest marks on record among freshmen and sophomores (only Zion Williamson and Anthony Davis are ahead of him).
The production that serves as the foundation for that advanced number is eye-popping.
As a sophomore for Iowa, he averaged 23.5 points, 8.7 rebounds, 1.9 threes, 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals while shooting 39.8 percent from three. That's a statistical profile that's borderline unparalleled and suggests high-end three-and-D potential.
5. Jonathan Kuminga (Golden State Warriors)
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Like Moody, Jonathan Kuminga's opportunities were severely limited by the talent around him on Golden State's roster. But he showed plenty of potential in those moments.
The 6'7" forward (and maybe even small-ball center) showed switchability as a defender, Amar'e Stoudemire-esque finishes around the rim and even a hint of outside shooting.
He isn't great at anything yet, but he's an elite athlete who showed the potential to fill a lot of boxes. Greatness in one or two of those areas probably means he's a longtime starter. Just honing what he already does might accomplish that too.
Joel Embiid is the only rookie in NBA history who matched or exceeded all of Kuminga's 2021-22 marks for points (20.1), rebounds (7.2), assists (2.0), threes (1.5), steals (1.0) and blocks (0.7) per 75 possessions.
4. Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder)
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Josh Giddey is nowhere near the athlete Kuminga is, but he's already further along as a creator and passer than the majority of NBA veterans. And he's still just 19 years old.
His skill set is more of a team-wide floor raiser, which is why he gets the nod here.
Giddey's 7.4 assists per 75 possessions in 2021-22 is the fifth-highest mark on record for a player in an age-19 or younger campaign.
At 6'8", he can survey the floor in a way smaller playmakers can't, and he seemingly sees every passing angle and scoring option on the floor.
If he becomes an above-average shooter, he'll suddenly be among the most valuable offensive players in the league.
3. Jabari Smith (Houston Rockets)
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A lot of what can be said about Murray applies to Jabari Smith. He has good size for a wing, moves well off the ball and is a good shooter. Good steal and block rates suggest he'll be able to defend.
Being two years younger and two inches taller than Murray is a big deal, though. And the 19-year-old, 6'10" forward from Auburn appears to have a higher upside as a playmaker, too.
Despite not having the ball in his hands enough, Smith averaged 2.9 assists per 75 possessions as a freshman. And with his shooting (he ranked in the 96th percentile as an off-the-dribble jump shooter), defenders would likely have to go over ball screens against him. That should open up driving or dropoff options.
But even if he doesn't develop beyond a versatile defender who can be one of the league's better catch-and-shoot targets, Smith has a higher ceiling than most.
Having a variety of skills is more helpful than it's ever been in the NBA, but shooting is still the most important one to possess.
2. Chet Holmgren (Oklahoma City Thunder)
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There was already plenty of hype surrounding the No. 2 pick in this year's draft, but Chet Holmgren sent that into overdrive in his debut at the Salt Lake City Summer League.
In the first half alone, he had 18 points, four threes and two blocks. He finished with 23 points, seven boards, six blocks and four assists. And he gave everyone watching at least one flashback of one of the greatest players of all time.
Perhaps most importantly, Holmgren wasn't really bullied physically. Opposing bigs could move him from his desired path on occasion, but Holmgren can recover about as well as anyone from that, thanks to a 7'6" wingspan.
Of course, the summer league bigs of the Utah Jazz are a far cry from what Holmgren will face in real games, but he's also a far cry from what they typically face.
On top of the rim protection, Holmgren will also put pressure on his matchup with a well-rounded offensive game that includes an ability to bring the ball up the floor, pass and shoot.
1. Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic)
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Picking between Paolo Banchero and Holmgren (and even Smith) might be a fool's errand. There are alternate timelines in which any of the three winds up the best player from this class. There really isn't a wrong answer.
For today, though, Banchero gets the nod.
Offensively, he can do a little bit of everything. Scoring from the post, the mid-range or from beyond the three-point line are all in his wheelhouse. And he doesn't have to be spoon-fed by a guard in any of those contexts. Creation, both for himself and others, is also part of the arsenal.
And when you combine that with Banchero's size, you get a very unique talent. In fact, Ben Simmons is the only other 6'10"-plus freshman on record who averaged 17-plus points and three-plus assists. And it doesn't look like Banchero will enter the NBA with the same aversion to scoring.
His game, size and statistical profile may be evocative of infamous struggles like those of Derrick Williams and Michael Beasley, but that ability to create for others should help him avoid the pitfalls they fell into.
If Banchero can develop into an average defender, he has perennial All-Star potential.
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.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")