NBA Summer League: Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith, Chet Holmgren flash

The top three draft picks from the 2022 NBA Draft have finished their playing time in NBA Summer League. Let’s take a step back and see what we’ve learned about Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Jabari Smith Jr.

For the 17th year, Las Vegas, Nevada, is playing host to NBA Summer League. A gathering that was once a niche event covered near the tail-end of SportsCenter has grown to be a marquee two-week stretch on the NBA calendar that dominates the Twittersphere and ESPN’s programming.

While the exhibition basketball at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center is probably more helpful for networking purposes among the leagues’ executives and media members than it is for scouting, the games do provide a first look at how well the recently drafted prospects fare in their first professional setting.

With that in mind, the first rule of Summer League is the only one that matters: don’t overreact to anything you see.

That said, it’s 112°F in Vegas, I am on my second adult beverage of the afternoon, and Paolo Banchero is compiling a highlight reel that makes him look like the version of Chris Webber we always wanted.

I am completely ready to overreact.

All eyes have been on the top 3 

The Orlando Magic’s (relatively) shocking decision to select Paolo Banchero over Jabari Smith Jr. with the top-overall pick two weeks ago was driven primarily by the near limitless ceiling the forward out of Duke possesses.

While Smith’s effortless shooting motion and defensive versatility would have made him an instant contributor on the Magic’s roster – offsetting the lack of spacing provided by Cole Anthony and Jalen Suggs  – Banchero’s natural scoring talent and near-supernatural court vision make him the kind of prospect that could turn into a number one scoring option on a championship team, even if his outside shooting has yet to develop.

As if Banchero’s freshman year at Duke wasn’t evidenced enough, the 19-year-old from Seattle Washington, opened the proceedings in Vegas by doing this. He then followed it up with this, and, if that weren’t enough, hit a basketball version of a walk-off with this.

We may have only seen two games from the forward, and yes, he did have 12 turnovers that proved the ball-handling isn’t quite up to snuff yet, but if those highlights and the fact he dominated the competition so thoroughly that Orlando’s brass saw no reason to let him keep playing isn’t an indication that he’s next Jordan, I am not certain what is.

Ok, so that may be the heat-stroke talking; however, Banchero did provide a performance that, at the very least, validated what we already thought of the top-overall pick.

His solid hands and effectiveness in the post should make him an ideal pick-and-roll partner for the Magic’s ball handlers, as he sets screens and attacks mismatches down low. His eagle-eyed vision of the court and ability to thread the needle on passes should work well as Orlando struggles to create space. And his defensive instincts and feel for the game ought to make up for an effort level that ebbs and flows more than it probably should.

Summer League performance is hardly predictive of future success in the NBA, but what the Magic and their fans did see has to encourage them.

For Chet Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder, on the other hand, the proceedings in Las Vegas got off to a much less auspicious start.

While Banchero was off posterizing defenders, Holmgren found himself on the less glamorous side of a poster, minutes into his professional debut against the Houston Rockets.

Still, while the former Gonzaga big man didn’t debut with quite the bang as the guy drafted one pick ahead of him did – scoring 12 points on 3-of-10 shooting – Holmgren cut loose against the Paolo-less Magic two nights later.

Scoring a tidy 15-points on 7-of-10 shooting – along with a 50 percent mark from deep – Holmgren’s success Monday night was impressive not only because of the improved shooting but because of the big man’s ability to create off the dribble.

Minutes into their aforementioned match against the Magic, Oklahoma City began a set by having Sophomore guard Tre Mann bring the ball up the court to initiate the offense. Dumping the ball off to Holmgren above the arc, Mann immediately sprinted off the pass in the hope of getting the Orlando defenders to bite in his direction in anticipation of the hand-off from Chet.

When the Magic’s Emanuel Terry didn’t quite buy the diversion, staying with Holmgren rather than stunting away from the big man to help quarrel Mann, Holmgren looked to create for himself with a pump-fake towards the basket before seemingly realizing the near four-inch vertical advantage he held over the defender, and simply shot over him for a trey.

Minutes later, the Thunder ran almost the exact same action – this time with Josh Giddy in the place of Mann – however, rather than pull up from range again, Holmgren bullied his way towards the paint, looking to create. While Terry did a solid job staying with the big man – maintaining a good defensive posture and using his upper body strength to provide a wall towards the rim – Holmgren once again realized the sizable height advantage he possessed mid-possession when he smoothly passed the ball over Terry’s head to a cutting Giddy for the score.

While neither were top-play candidates, they were instructive, if not humorous, because you could see the rookie start to figure out that when you possess such extraordinary physical gifts, sometimes the pretense of a fake-dribble handoff and misdirection isn’t necessary. Simply rising up and shooting over a guy who can’t possibly hope to affect your shot really is the right answer.

Though Holmgren will face a wide array of challenges during his rookie campaign–the Thunder are going to be working with a handicap on the boards as a result of his wiry frame and lack of strength, and his high-dribble is going to be targeted for potential turnovers – his sheer natural talent is bound to overcome whatever obstacles stand in his way.

Where Banchero and Holmgren have largely performed to expectations – if not exceeded them – Jabari Smith Jr. has every so slightly underperformed.

Sound the alarms, we have a potential bust!

Again, my apologies; it’s the heat.

In actuality, however, Smith’s poor shooting performance to begin the festivities in Vegas was largely a result of the forward’s inability to generate space off the dribble.

While it might be slightly disappointing to see the former Auburn standout struggle to create separation in Vegas, given the uneven level of competition he faced, his lack of a plus handle is hardly concerning. Not only was it well telegraphed that Smith would likely struggle with his dribble, but the third-overall pick’s eventual pairing with Jalen Green should largely mitigate what is the weakest part of his game.

Given his pending partnership with Green, it was encouraging to see the degree to which Houston utilized Smith off the ball, especially following his lackluster shooting performances in his first two games.

Midway through their match against the New Orleans Pelicans last weekend, the Rockets Daishen Nix ran a double-drag sequence near the top of the key, with Tari Eason and Smith setting consecutive screens to spring the speedy point-guard loose as he curled his way towards the rim.

With the Pelicans defenders falling several steps behind the guard following the high action, Smith’s man dropped in coverage hoping to stymie Nix as he attacked the lane.

Recognizing the overcorrection from the New Orleans defense, Nix smoothly pulled up and fired a backward pass towards the popping Smith, who calmly nailed the long-distance shot before the Pelicans could rotate back.

Similar to what we saw with Banchero and Holmgren, the sequence was instructive not because it was a tremendous athletic feat, but rather because you could see it being a preview of how the Rockets will ultimately utilize Smith once the games actually count.

Given Jalen Green’s lightning-fast dribble, expect to see Smith pick-and-popping quite a bit over the 82-game season. If shooters make the best screeners, Houston has a ready-made role for their newly drafted forward on offense.

It’s been on defense, however, that Smith has been most impressive.

Working with a 7-foot-1 wingspan that looks as long as any wing player in the league, and the lateral foot speed of a guard, Smith can work off of any switch and not get burned. Even if his interior defense and rim protection don’t quite match what he can do along the perimeter, the rookie still possesses a solid feel for the game that allows him to stay grounded on pump-fakes and contest shots near the basket; refusing to give opponents the easy foul they so often hunt for against younger players.

Between his athletic ability, court awareness, and pure hustle—his rotations throughout Summer League were on point—Smith should be one of the rare rookies that almost immediately wins the minutes he’s on the floor for Houston.

Combined with possessing an offensive skillset tailored made to feast off the opportunities Jalen Green and company are bound to create, Smith might have the inside track towards the Rookie of the Year Award.

And given that I’ve finally found a well-air-conditioned room, I’m fairly confident that’s actually true, and not a heat-induced fantasy.

Did I mention it’s really hot?