Will Top Draft Picks Unleash Their Potential This Year, and Who Will Surprise?
The NBA is, perhaps, the most popular basketball league in the world. With over a billion dollars in worth, and millions of people watching across the globe it isn’t a surprise to find out that the National Basketball Association enjoys quite a bit of popularity.
The NBA Summer League is one of the events that gets the most people excited. Huge crowds of fans are drawn to their TVs, radios, or mobile phones and PCs to watch / listen to / stream the latest game. Another reason for the Summer League’s popularity is the debut of the top draft picks and the excitement which new players bring to the sport.
The promise of new players and the certainty of existing ones make the summer league a known stomping ground for bettors, seasoned and newbie alike. As websites like the ones found on Top Betting Apps will tell you, the Summer League is a very popular betting event, not just in the United States, but also in most of the basketball-watching world.
Now that the 2022 Summer League is coming to a close, we would like to take a lookback, give out some first impressions and talk about the potential of the top draft picks.
First Impressions of the Draft Picks
There were quite a few players that managed to stand out during the 2022 Summer League. One among them was definitely the Spurs’ Jeremy Sochan. The young athlete has shown he is a valuable addition to the San Antonio team. However, it isn’t just Sochan that the Spurs have signed. They signed all three of their draft pick rookies, including Branham and Wesley. This triple signing meant that, for the Spurs, there is a separate point here. It meant the team had the chance to open the most caps during the Summer League. However, since free agency began at the start of the month, they haven’t made any major singings or trades.
Apart from the Spurs’ rookies, the standout trio is certainly Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr. The three players were drafted in the order listed, however, a heated debate has been sparked ever since as to who will stand on top as the best rookie of the year.
Top Rookie This Year
All three rookies that have made the top picks this year were, generally speaking, power forwards. A rare occurrence to be sure, but not unheard of. So, it won’t be difficult for NBA analysts to compare and contrast the future careers of the three. To make the task even easier, all three top rookies faced off against one another this season.
Drafted by the Orlando Magic, Banchero was almost certainly chosen over Smith and Holmgren due to his offensive style, which has been long preferred by the Magic. He played only two games so far, and did an admirable job in both. The player’s dribbling skills and speed leave a lot to be desired.
Chet Holmgren, on the other hand, has garnered quite a bit of hype around himself. In a game against the Orlando Magic (a game that Banchero sat out) he put his best foot forward and showed us what he’s got. It seems the rookie’s skill lie in defense, as he has shown to be an amazing shot blocker. Oklahoma has noticed this and is already giving Chet defensive roles where his skillset can truly shine.
Lastly, Jabari Smith, drafted by the Rockets, had quite a few blunders in his first few games. However, starting his third game he showed that these mistakes were either coincidental or just “first-time jitters”. While many are worried about the player’s prospects, quite a few analysts have claimed that he has a bright future ahead.
Conclusion
The Summer League is soon coming to a close, and quite a few exciting matches have already been played. For those who missed some of the games, the entire scoreboard is here, so you can easily and quickly catch up with the results. There are quite a few rookies to keep an eye out for, however, the standouts seem to be Banchero (number 1 pick), Holmgren (number 2 pick), Jabari Smith Jr. (number 3 pick) and Jeremy Sochan (number 9 pick). The four were scouted and signed by the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, the Houston Rockets and the San Antonio Spurs.
