Las Vegas – Two shorts, eight video games, there’s a lot to see the primary weekend of the Las Vegas of the NBA 2025 summer time league. Listed below are among the strengths we noticed.
Yang Hansen is humorous
It occurred higher than anticipated.
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That is solely a summer time championship match, and Yang Hansen nonetheless has a protracted method to go to show that he can dangle in a rotation of the NBA – and even much less as much as the expectations with star eyes of sure followers of Path Blazers – however his debut in the summertime league went as properly.
What’s simple is that Yang is enjoyable to look at – and the group of Las Vegas on the finish of the night beloved him.
“Within the match, the coach informed me to go to the excessive publish and be a recreation participant right now,” stated Yang. “Be a hub for everybody. I simply adopted the execution of the coach and I did my job.”
Yang ended the night with 10 factors on 3 pictures out of seven, with 5 assists and 4 rebounds (and 6 faults).
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“I feel he performed how a few of us anticipated what he performed,” stated Portland’s summer time league coach Ronnie Burrell. “He confirmed numerous aspects in his recreation. We all know that he’s very versatile and certified, and I identical to the truth that he was having enjoyable. He was free and relaxed. He performed exhausting and he made unbelievable video games tonight.”
Yang was the shock selection n ° 16 of the Blazers Path, a man who must be drafted in the midst of the second spherical went in the midst of the primary. The middle of seven’1 “with a giant physique of China was referred to as a excessive -level passer (this ability was absolutely uncovered to Las Vegas), and he turned the ball higher than anticipated throughout the mixture of the NBA venture (which additionally continued till Friday night). Nevertheless, there have been questions on its athletics, its protection (particularly if it was eliminated on the perimeter.
A superb summer time league recreation doesn’t reply all these questions, but it surely was a great begin.
And it was enjoyable. —Kurt Helin
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Reed Sheppard dominates to Summer season League. Once more.
Reed Sheppard has not seen a lot the bottom throughout its recruited season in a staff of aggressive rockets. They exchanged a part of their depth to deliver Kevin throughout, which ought to open the door to play a extra essential function.
He proved that he was able to go up now and again.
In a defeat towards the Clippers, Sheppard completed with 28 factors, eight rebounds, 4 assists, 4 interceptions, three blocks and 6 three factors.
He scored 15 of his 28 within the third quarter, which included three three consecutive to deliver them from 12 to a drop of solely three factors coming into the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, he was detained aimlessly within the remaining framework.
Sheppard spent a lot of the match as a ball supervisor in thoughts, and he did a great job by facilitating his teammates. He managed the staff in assists and arrange many different clear appears that merely fell, which included jumpers with a powerful hand together with his left and proper arms.
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He additionally spent a bit of time on the bottom with Kennedy Chandler, who has spent the final two seasons within the Gague G after having participated in 36 video games for the grizzly ones as a recruit throughout the 2022-23 season. Chandler completed with 22 factors and three assists, and Sheppard credited her like somebody who can “deliver the ball on the bottom, get a bucket alone and put you on the spot to have a 3 open.”
Sheppard stated that the offseason stated that this off -season “was making an attempt to get into the burden room, to grow to be a bit of stronger. Work on the protection, be extra bodily, offensively and defensively”.
The work was apparent on this recreation. He totaled seven defensive statistics and was additionally energetic on the defensive stage of different ways in which weren’t discovered within the field rating. Houston boasted of the fifth finest defensive notice within the League final season, and it appears that evidently Sheppard’s insertion within the higher capability rotation won’t drag this quantity. —Noah Rubin
Different information and notes
• Hornets can have one thing in McNeeley; KNUPPEL struggles. The final addition to the file “Don’t learn nothing in a primary championship file” is Kon Knueppel de Charlotte. Friday was not his day: 1 shot on 8, 0 out of 5 out of three, 4 assists however three reversals, and a few gross defensive rotations. What issues with the recruits to Summer season League is that there’s progress, we are going to see what he appears like the following time.
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Followers of Hornets, ignore Knuppel and concentrate on Liam McNeeley from Uconn.
“It appeared to be all over the place all day,” stated the Hornets summer time league coach Chris Jent, about McNeley. “Simply what stood out in the best way he contributed right now. I feel that his aggressive nature and in addition his packaging. I considered all the blokes, he was capable of keep him. So, it’s actually spectacular for a younger participant. He in all probability didn’t play basketball in any respect all through the draft course of, however he is ready to keep this identical tempo.” –Helin
• Good day of Kobe Bufkin. Kobe Bufkin is beginning his third season with the Hawks after having made him the fifteenth selection in complete in 2023. He spent most of his yr recruited in League G and suffered a shoulder damage initially of the 2024-25 season, so he solely appeared in 27 NBA video games up to now.
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He scored a summit of 29 factors towards the Warmth, with 17 of those that arrived on the fourth quarter to assist the Hawks to win.
Atlanta added Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a four-year contract, so there is no such thing as a assure that Bufkin might be in rotation if everyone seems to be wholesome. Nevertheless, if he dominates the summer time league as a participant coming into his third season, he might be within the operating for the function of reduction chief behind Trae Younger. –Rabin
• Matas Buzelis Windmill Slam. With out Collin Murray-Boyles, which was sidelined with a left adductor pressure, the raptors nonetheless had no drawback to dominate the bulls. AJ Lawson (22 factors), Alijah Martin (16 factors) and Jonathan Mogbo (15 factors) led rating for Toronto, whereas Jamal Shead simpler and was a defensive risk, which shouldn’t shock.
Matas Buzelis pulled 4 out of 14 from the bottom. Toronto’s defensive depth has actually modified a few of his pictures, though there are particular plans that merely can’t do a lot.
This depth additionally disturbed the Recruit Noa important, which completed with 5 factors and 7 reversals. His beginnings for the staff that drafted him with the twelfth selection in complete final month was not all they hoped and dreamed, however the 18 -year -old has numerous time to know issues. –Rabin
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• Constructed of the day. As sensible because the Dunk of Buzelis, the bucket of the day goes to Tre Johnson – the previous Texas star is entertaining as a result of he has not but encountered a blow that he doesn’t like, you can not take your eyes off. He’ll rating numerous factors as a recruit, and he’ll take a couple of years from the lifetime of the Wizards coach, Brian Keefe. –Helin
• It was a great day to be Kasparas Jakucionis. The summer time league must be a query of progress. Kasparov Jakucionis of Miami Warmth has skilled matches within the California Basic Summer season League. However Friday in Vegas, selection n ° 20 confirmed why some scouts had it as a collection of late lottery, marking 19 first half on the best way for twenty-four factors and 4 assists.–Helin
• Utah jazz brilliant spots. He guarantees to be one other season for jazz followers. We’ll attempt to discover them mild factors wherever we are able to.
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To start with. Kyle Filipowski is a high quality offensive middle that simply is aware of easy methods to get buckets. The summer time league issues progress and Filipowski has proven loads.
As well as, goalkeeper Isaiah Collier was very bodily on his information, used this to create house and completed with 16 factors and 9 assists. No matter in-built UTAH within the coming years, it may be a part of it. –Helin
• Khaman Maluach might be good … presumably. Two issues have grow to be clear on the Duke Heart and the n ° 10 selection of Suns Khaman Maluach. To start with, he might be a high quality NBA middle, he confirmed lightning on the two ends of the courtyard of his potential. Second, it’s a few years to be this man. It is a venture. (Is that how Suns see it?) –Helin
