The NBA Summer League is a series of friendly games that take place in the month of August. One of the reasons why the NBA Summer League is popular is because it gives fans the opportunity to see the best rookies and also the best summer league players from the previous season. Moreover, the games are highly competitive and they feature some of the best coaches and players from the NBA. In this article, we’ll discuss how to know who’s playing in the NBA Summer League 2020 lineup betting.
Best NBA Teams to Watch in the Summer League
One of the best assets that the NBA has is its stable of coaches. Many of them have impressive coaching records and they’ve proven themselves in the NCAA College Basketball Tournament and the NBA playoffs. Moreover, some of them even have head coaching experience at the NBA level. It follows then that some of the best teams in the NBA will be participating in the summer league.
Taking a look at the Western Conference, the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Portland Trail Blazers all have young, dynamic coaches behind the bench. You can bet that they’ll put in a good showing for the Nuggets, who also boast an owner with his eye on the future. The Clipperss, on the other hand, will look to improve on their surprise appearance in the 2019 NBA Finals. Lastly, the Blazers will be looking to bounce back from their first round exit from the playoffs.
On the Eastern Conference side, the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Philadelphia 76ers have all hired new coaches for the 2020 summer league and, as you can imagine, they’ll be looking to make an impression. The Hawks’ new head coach, Kenny Atkinson, has had a successful career as a player and he even led the Boston Celtics to the 2019 NBA Championship.
Which Rookies to Watch in the Summer League?
Many experts agree that this year’s crop of rookie class is one of the best since the turn of the millennium. Between the class of 2019 (Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and Jaren Jackson) and the class of 2020 (Quincy Ammons, Ignas Brazdeikis, and Andrew White), there are several talented rookies who could make a name for themselves in the NBA Summer League. If you’re a betting fan then you know that most experts agree that the 2020 rookies are the best collection of young talent since the turn of the century. After taking a look at the league’s current coaching staff, it’s clear that most of them are expecting a lot from this year’s crop of rookies.
Perhaps the most famous rookie will be Troy Brown Jr. The third-year forward out of USC is the son of former NBA player Troy Brown. Despite his father’s athletic accomplishments, Brown Jr. decided to enter the NBA Draft and he was selected by the Raptors with the 41st overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft. Brown Jr. was expected to spend this year developing his game ahead of his expected entry to the NBA in 2022. Instead, he’ll be competing for a starting spot on the Raptors next to their superstar son, DeMar DeRozan.
If you want to follow the footsteps of an NBA legend, you have to look no further than Jalen Brunson. The former Clemson quarterback is expected to be the first player taken in the 2021 NFL Draft. Brunson is the youngest son of NFL Hall of Famer and four-time Super Bowl champion Jack Brunson. Brunson has the talent to quickly become one of the league’s better guards, but he’ll first have to compete for a starting spot on a NBA team this summer. However, one of the most interesting stories from the 2021 NBA Draft is that of Aaron Holiday. The former UCLA forward was drafted 19th overall by the New Orleans Pelicans and he’s the first player in the history of the NBA Draft to be drafted directly out of high school. As you might imagine, it didn’t take long for Holiday to make a name for himself as he quickly earned the starting point guard role for the Pelicans and he recorded his first career double-double (22 points, 10 assists) in just his third game. Although his numbers aren’t overwhelming (7.1 points and 4.6 assists per game), the point is that he’s only 18 years old and he hasn’t even played a single professional game. It would be surprising if the Pelicans don’t give the kid some more responsibilities this summer.
Who’s Going to Lead the Summer League in Scoring?
Even though the NBA Summer League doesn’t award any individual player MVP trophies, it’s always been a reliable barometer for tracking the league’s scoring leaders and it’s a great indicator of the most exciting team to watch this summer. Let’s take a look at the scoring leaders from the last seven NBA Summer Leagues.
In 2007, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant led the way with 29.3 points per game as he and his team took home the NBA Summer League title. In 2008, Bryant’s teammate, Pau Gasol, came in second with 28.3 points per game as the then-Pelicans won the tournament. In 2009, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, and Amar’e Stoudemire led the way for the New York Knicks, who finished the tournament in third place. In 2010, Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden shared the scoring lead as the Oklahoma City Thunder won the NBA Summer League with a record 33.7 points per game. In 2011, Westbrook led the way with 29.3 points per game as the Atlanta Hawks took home the title. In 2012, Durant, Westbrook, and Harden shared the scoring lead (29.3 points each) as the Thunder won their third consecutive NBA Summer League title. Most recently, in 2019, the San Antonio Spurs’ Jimmy Butler led all scorers with 29.3 points per game as his Minnesota Timberwolves took the title. In addition to Bryant, Gasol, and Paul, we’ll highlight a few other players who were in the midst of incredible scoring seasons when the NBA Summer League began.
In 2007, LeBron James put up 29 points as the King led the Cleveland Cavaliers to an NBA Summer League title. A year later, in 2008, James and the Cavaliers won their second consecutive championship as James averaged 29.8 points per game. In 2009, James was in the middle of an MVP-caliber campaign as he averaged 29.4 points and 7.7 assists per game for the Cleveland Cavaliers. In 2010, James posted his second triple-double of the season as he recorded 10 assists and 13 rebounds while scoring 27 points for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Most recently, in 2019, James put up 27 points and 8 assists in a losing effort as the Cavaliers failed to make the NBA Championships for the first time since 2007. It would be safe to say that James has averaged nearly 30 points per game in all seven of his appearances in the NBA Summer League. Furthermore, James is one of just three ballers along with Bryant and Durant to have appeared in every single NBA Summer League since it began in 1986. The only other two are Karl Malone and Dominique Wilkins.
The NBA Summer League is one of the most competitive all-around sports events in the world as the players are some of the best in the world at what they do. One of the reasons why the games are so exciting is because of the competitive nature of the sport. Moreover, there’s also the potential for an upset as we’ve seen in the past as the best teams in each conference have not always been the ones predicted to do well. If you’re a betting fan then you know what day to tune in as it’s often been said that the NBA Summer League is the most exciting day of the season for bettors. We couldn’t agree more as it’s clear that the Vegas casinos and the Westgate sportsbooks have caught onto this as well.