Seven NBA rookies show off their game in the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League

July 21, 2022

By Madisen Carter

Last week the 2022 Las Vegas Summer League wrapped up as numerous NBA rookies had a final opportunity to showcase their set of skills before officially heading over to their new team’s cities. In the short ten day turnaround of the summer league, there were many standouts including the Summer League Champion Jabari Walker with the Portland Trail Blazers. Walker and six other talented rookies that participated in the Summer League worked with Unlimited Potential Basketball’s Coach Packie Turner in Santa Barbara over the summer. Here are how those guys performed in Vegas:

Jabari Walker had a memorable experience in Las Vegas with the Portland Trail Blazers as they won the 2022 NBA Summer League when they defeated the New York Knicks 85-77. Walker dropped 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 assists in the championship game while he averaged 12.4 points, 9 rebounds, and 1.4 assists in the five games he played in. 

On July 13th, the Trail Blazers officially signed Walker to the team.

“I can't even describe it right now. It just shows how much work we put in over the summer, shows we have a good young core right now. We could bring some help to the vets,” Walker said after the championship game in an interview with ESPN. 

Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, and the Oklahoma City Thunder went 3-2 in the Summer League. Holmgren played in three games and averaged 12 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists. In two of those three games, Holmgren scored twice in the double digits and racked up 16 points against the Orlando Magic on July 11th. 

Williams played in four games with an average of 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists. Williams had a notable performance when he dropped 15 points and had 5 rebounds in OKC’s game against the Houston Rockets.

Kendall Brown, Jermaine Samuels Jr., and the Indiana Pacers finished the Vegas Summer League with a record of 2-3. Samuels Jr. appeared in three games and averaged 4.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1 assist.

Brown had an eventful Summer League experience as he played in all five games with the Indiana Pacers and averaged 9.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists. Brown scored in the double digits when he racked up 14 points against the Washington Wizards on July 15th. 

“I see a lot in him. Just his natural ability to understand the game, it’s there,” Pacers Summer League coach Ronald Nored said and Yahoo! Sports reported. “He’s 19 years old, he’s young, he played one year of college basketball. But he’s got a knack for understanding the game on both ends of the floor. 

Christian Braun and the Denver Nuggets finished 2-3 in this year’s Summer League. In the Nuggets’ first game of the Vegas Summer League against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the No. 21 pick in the draft scored 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. In the four games he played, he averaged 11.8 points, 6 rebounds and 4.8 assists, and in three of those four games he scored in the double digits. 

E.J. Liddell played in two games in this year’s Las Vegas Summer League with the New Orleans Pelicans. The team finished with a 3-2 record and Liddell finished with a total of eight points, eight rebounds, and two assists. 

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