NBA Summer League Stars Who Are the Real Deal

The NBA Summer League takes place every year for several different reasons, depending on who you are and what you're trying to accomplish. For some, it's a tryout—players on the league's fringe vying for a guaranteed contract and going hard for all the scouts, coaches and general managers in attendance. 

For the players who are already relatively established, summer leagues in both Orlando and Las Vegas provide opportunities for self-improvement in a fast-paced, professional simulation. The competition isn't quite on the NBA's regular-season level, and that allows these players to work on one weakness in their game instead of focusing 100 percent on simply winning the contest. 

That could be a pull-up jump shot, a turnaround hook from the right block or a spot-up three-pointer from the corner. Here are five players who are in the latter company—the "real deal" guys who are good enough at times to toy with summer league competition while simultaneously improving their skill set. 

Ranked in no particular order, these players are looking to get better, even though they're already the best out there competing.

Jeff Taylor, Charlotte Bobcats

Projected to be an uber-athletic "3 and D" fixture for the Charlotte Bobcats when they drafted him with the 31st overall pick in 2012, Jeff Taylor struggled in his rookie season, averaging 6.1 points per game with a 10.3 PER.

But in his first summer league game this year, Taylor scored 24 points on 17 shots. His insane athleticism has made every fan in attendance slobber all over himself. Facing the San Antonio Spurs, he also hit a go-ahead three-pointer with seconds in the game to give Charlotte a temporary one-point lead (it lost after San Antonio's Cory Joseph hit a game-winning jumper on the next play).

Taylor has also been incredible on defense, jumping passing lanes for dunks on the other end and consistently containing his man off the bounce.

Two games into summer league 2013, Taylor is averaging 21.5 points on 50 percent shooting. 

Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons

Some players are too valuable to risk suffering a serious injury by participating in summer league. Andre Drummond is a perfect example coming off a shortened rookie year, but he still has so much to develop in a frame that overflows with promise.

Drafted with the ninth overall pick in the 2012 draft by the Detroit Pistons, Drummond possesses the rare combination of size and athleticism scouts and general managers devote their lives to searching for.

Still not even 20 years old, Drummond averaged 13.8 points, 13.2 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per 36 minutes in his rookie season. He’s carried that type of production over into summer league, as he led all players in Orlando with an average of 15 rebounds in three games, to go along with 2.7 blocks and 2.7 steals per game.

Free throws remain a sincere worry (he shot 37.1 percent last year and an even more devastating 29.5 percent on 88 attempts at the University of Connecticut), but if Drummond is able to stay on the court for at least 30 minutes a night in 2013-14, the Detroit Pistons should see serious improvements as a team.

John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks

A former lottery pick with all the physical tools to eventually become one of the league’s premier back-line defenders, John Henson has already given the Milwaukee Bucks plenty of reasons to increase his playing time next year after some fantastic play in his first summer league game of the year.

Henson scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, making seven of his 10 field goals and looking like a player right on track to meet his potential.

Despite all the frontcourt signings this team has made over the past years, months and weeks, Henson should separate himself as a breakout talent next season.

Reggie Jackson, Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder have spent free agency in a state of inertia, and Reggie Jackson is a major reason why.

In the 2013 NBA playoffs, Jackson showed everyone his abilities as a scorer in huge situations, filling in for an injured Russell Westbrook and doing his best with a surge in minutes. 

In the Orlando Summer League, Jackson continued to show why Oklahoma City's bench has its primary scorer for the foreseeable future. He set an Orlando Summer League record with 35 points (including 23 points in the fourth quarter) in a win against the Detroit Pistons. 

The Thunder will only go as far as Kevin Durant and Westbrook can lead them next season, but when those two are resting, Jackson is more than fine scoring the basketball.

Austin Rivers, New Orleans Pelicans

After submitting a rookie season that was extremely disappointing from just about every perspective imaginable, supportive cases for Austin Rivers as a quality NBA player have been few and far between, dismissed with little notice.

Hear this one out.  

Rivers' biggest problem last season was his inability to score at the basket, which isn't a bullet point athletic guards want on their resume. According to Hoopdata.com, Rivers made just 48.9 percent of all his attempts at the rim, and he only attempted 3.8 per 40 minutes.

But in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday afternoon, Rivers led the New Orleans Pelicans to victory with two consecutive trips to the paint in the fourth quarter's closing moments. He converted on both, successfully contorting his body away from defenders once he got into the paint.

Hyping a player up based on two plays is foolish, but what we know these two plays did for Rivers was boost his confidence. They show he's using his experience in summer league to improve his game's biggest weakness. 

Rivers didn't settle for pull-up jumpers or defer to a teammate; he drove to the hole and finished in a game's biggest spot. That's positive for the former lottery pick who, by the way, is still just 20 years old.