Chose Your Own Adventure: Rewarding the Summer League standouts

As the sun sets in Las Vegas on yet another NBA Summer League, the time for teams to complete their roster is now underway. The basic concept of the Summer League is one centered around the development of young players. Young-ish, at least. Summer play serves as a means for players still new to the league to try out, or “audition,” for spots on a team’s roster.

Why would an organization trust players without taking them for a test drive first? You wouldn’t buy a car at auction without driving it first, right? Without making sure it went forward… and in reverse? Look, I’m not going to say, “I did that,”… but I very much did do that. For two years. Without reverse. Driving a car without reverse for two years is what some call foolishness.

This is a feeling very much on the table for several teams, as they see guys in action for the first time. Hindsight is 20/20, though. And something Memphis has often not had to consider. This year is no different. Did they have a guy so dominant they shut him down after a single game? I mean, no. There were still plenty of guys who showed up and showed out.

The Grizzlies now have a classic “too many guys” situation on their hands. How they choose to reward the players who actually showed up to hoop will matter. As they start trimming the roster down to 15, they should keep in mind who balled for them this summer. For the sake of this exercise, we will not include GG Jackson. He has his own adventure that he must undertake… Talk about heavy-handed foreshadowing, huh? For now, let’s choose who to reward the standouts of this summer.

!WARNING and BEWARE!

‘This piece is different from other pieces. You and YOU ALONE are in charge of what happens this Memphis ‘offseason.’ There are dangers, choices, adventures, and consequences. YOU must use all of your numerous talents and much of your enormous intelligence. The wrong decision could end in disaster—even death…

But don’t despair. At any time, YOU can go back and make another choice, alter the path of your story, and change its result… Your Summer League roster returns home, and you must determine how to award those who performed…

If meaningful rotation minutes have been earned and offered, turn to #6…

There are certain NBA players who appear as if they were born to play the game of basketball. Allow me to clarify. What I mean is that there are certain NBA players who look as if they came out of their mother’s womb dribbling a basketball.

You know the ones, right? The ones who, at the very least, were dunking by kindergarten. When you watch these players on a court, you wonder, “How in the hell could anyone keep them off of it?” Kenneth Lofton Jr. is this type of player, and he’s about to browbeat the Grizzlies… again.

Memphis may not have an option at this point. All Junior has done up to now is produce. And produce. And produce. And produce some more. Last season saw Lofton Jr. win the G-League Rookie of the Year. Not sure you win that if you don’t produce as a player, but what do I know?

He forced the Grizzlies to convert his two-way contract to a four-year deal worth $6,927,014 at the end of last year. The way he produced forced Memphis’ play to make sure no other teams signed him… which I guarantee you would’ve happened.

In four Summer League games in Vegas, he averaged 18.3 PTS, 6.5 REB, 1.8 AST, 2 STL, and 1.3 BLK in 28.3 min/game. Oh, and this was all while he shot 51.0% from the field and 46.7% from three. In Salt Lake, his averages were 16.5 PTS, 8.5 REB, 4 AST, and 2.5 STL in 16.5 min/game. With this level of production, Memphis will only get better the faster they can get Junior on the floor. He disrupts the game and has a drastic effect on opposing teams, who all seem confused about how to handle the big man.

It’s led to him being an absolute bucket on offense. It’s because of this that my money’s on him leap-frogging some guys in the rotation. Xavier Tillman and Santi Aldama both could see a decrease in minutes if they’re not careful. Do you want to deliver an actual reward for not only producing but also improving? Make Junior the first big of the bench.

If a converted contract is the gift that was promised turn to #5…

Now we get to my personal favorite adventure to embark on. The primary reason for this being he, like myself, is about 80% limbs, give or take. Yes, the player that impressed me most out of Summer League was Vince Williams Jr., ‘the Flying V’ himself. Out of all the young guys out there hooping on the wing, Vince is the one that I would take a flyer on. If I’m honest with myself… It’s not even that close.

There are several factors that push him ahead of the rest of the Summer League roster. That includes the other Jr. too. No, not Jaren, the other one, Kenneth Lofton. Sidebar—why Trip, Junior, and Vince haven’t formed a wrestling stable with me as their manager is beyond me. But I digress…

Right at the top of ‘Reasons to like Vince,’ is his impact on winning. Memphis won four games this summer. It’s telling that he appeared in all four. I know +/- isn’t everything, but here were Vince’s in two SLC games and the two in Vegas: 13, -1, 5, 38. Not too shabby, right?

Right behind that is his ability to put up actual numbers. He scored single digits but once and had at least five rebounds in every appearance. He even managed an 11-point, 11-rebound double-double against the Lakers. In that performance, each board he brought down was on the defensive end. That’s something the Grizzlies could, without a doubt, use.

He also shot the ball lights out in every game but one. Vince was good for over 40% of his shots from beyond the arc in every game but one. Oh… and he had a game where his FG% was 63.6 and his 3P% was 62.5. Don’t forget about that. Excuse me? I’ll take Vince over Jake any day.

The issue you’ll face here will be due to the roster crunch. With all the additions this offseason, Vince may be on the outside looking in. You know what? The Grizzlies are lucky they have two Two-Way spots. Keep him on one of those, and pull a Junior, converting that contract before the end of the season. You’ll be glad you did.

If you’ve determined a solution to the wing logjam, turn to #3…

All the talk from the team was that it was Jake ‘the Snake’ LaRavia, who we all needed to keep an eye on. That he was the player we could expect to take the Santi-style leap this season. Not sure I would go that far… Santi’s leap, I would argue, was more of a surprise to most Grizzlies’ fans.

That being said… based on what we saw in Vegas, he may end up being the most complete young wing of the bunch. Not the best, mind you, but the most complete? That’s a much easier thing to answer.

David Roddy underperformed and shot 16.7% from deep. Wowzers Penny, that’s a low number. I’m giving the ‘Big Body’ a pass, though. He’s balled against actual NBA guys, and in the playoffs, no less. Not super worried about him.

Consider some of the other competition as well. Ziaire Williams didn’t even play, and Vince Williams Jr. should be a lock for one of the two ways. If you ask me, Jake doesn’t have a ton of competition. At least when looking at the young wings that played in Summer League.

In four Vegas Summer League appearances, he averaged 18.3 PTS, 4.3 REB, 2.3 AST, 0.5 STL, and 1.5 BLK in 27.6 min/game. Those numbers are better than last year’s— averages/game of 3.0 PTS, 1.8 REB, 0.6 AST, 0.3 STL, 0.1 BLK in 11.8 min.— with the main roster… But they are so in line with his G-League stats, it’s eerie.

In 17 games with the Hustle, he was averaging 18.8 PTS, 5.1 REB, 2.6 AST, 1.1 STL, and 0.6 BLK in 29.2 min/game. So it’s clear he improved over the season… Ish. He improved-ish over the course of a year, I guess. Save for one (significant) area: shooting.

His splits this summer were 37.5/31.4/80.0. Jake hasn’t shot the ball— what’s the word I’m looking for? Oh, that’s right… Bad. Jake hasn’t shot the ball that “bad” before. Not in the G-League and not during his time with the main roster. When you’re known as a shooter? I’m sorry, but I need you to make shots. This is me issuing a slight warning; if you turn to this page, know you do so at your own risk…

If a Richard Jefferson jersey swap is the offered prize, turn to #2…

‘It is more than you can understand. It is frightening. It is watching the past become the present and the present turn into the future. It is a kaleidoscope of life, endlessly repeating the cycle of birth and death. You realize it’s beginning to happen to you as well…’

What was wrong with the dude who wrote this series? He didn’t have to go trauma-dumping on us like that, geez.

Look: all respect to the gentleman in the video below… but when your name sounds like a character from a pornographic knockoff of the Cars franchise, well, that’s a bad beat. As fun as he was to watch at times, I’d stay away from adding him to the roster. You wouldn’t want this adventure to end up the way Frankie Ferrari’s character arc ended up in the “film” now would you? Unless you do. I’m not here to yuck anyone’s yum. God speed, adventurer!

What ending will you choose for the Grizzlies?

You know what the beautiful thing about this adventure is? For the first time, the possibility of achieving all endings actually exists. I’m talking 100% completion, friends. If this was a video game, that sweet achievement you had been striving for would pop up at the bottom of your screen. I know you know what I’m talking about.

You can use Kenneth Lofton Jr. as a meaningful piece of the rotation. You could convert Vince Williams Jr.’s two-way contract at the conclusion of the season. You could focus on Jake LaRavia’s development over the rest of the young wings. You could choose all… Or you could choose none. It’s your adventure. Now make like the end of ‘Harry and the Hendersons’ and go on!