The Portland Trail Blazers are your 2022 NBA Summer League champions. The franchise defeated the New York Knicks in the title game to take home the competition’s trophy.
For some, the Summer League is just a meaningless slate of games meant to get fans and players through the summer swoon. But talent evaluators know it as an opportunity for young players to get a bigger run than usual and perhaps show they deserve more playing time come the regular season.
Forward Trendon Watford was named the MVP of the championship game after dropping 19 points and seven rebounds in the win over New York. The Trail Blazer also earned a spot on the All-Summer League Second Team.
While Watford was one of the breakout stars of the Summer League, he wasn’t the only relatively inexperienced player to show out in the desert. There were a huge amount of players who made a name for themselves over the course of a few short weeks.
Which players saw their stock rise as a result of their play during the NBA Summer League?
This is about the players who really improved their standing through the Summer League, either with their team or with others. It wasn’t a big surprise to see Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, and Jabari Smith Jr. perform well as their stocks were already sky-high.
Instead, these are the guys who are going to get a longer look this season because they flashed something they hadn’t yet shown before. Here are five players who improved their stock during the Summer League.