NBA Rookie Grades: Eastern Conference
Grading the Summer League performance of every 2021 NBA rookie in the Eastern Conference
The 2021 NBA Summer League is finished and the Sacramento Kings are the Summer League champions.
But most of us care more about how individual prospects, especially rookies, looked in their 10 days of Summer League action.
While keeping in mind my three “Inevitable Truths” about Summer League ...
Inevitable Truth No. 1: We are going to overreact.
Inevitable Truth No. 2: Our cognitive biases are going to get in the way of good analysis.
Inevitable Truth No. 3: I’m going to ignore Inevitable Truths 1 and 2 and give my opinions anyway.
… I’m going to grade each team's 2021 rookies based on their performance in the Summer League.
Let’s start with the East today and finish with the West on Thursday.
Read Summer League Rookies Grade: Western Conference here
Player performances are graded relative to draft position and expectations.
ATLANTA HAWKS
Jalen Johnson (20)
Grade: A-
4 games, 19 ppg, 9.5 rpg, 2 apg, 3.9 tpg, 0.8 spg, 1.3 bpg, 41.7% from 3
Sharife Cooper (48)
Grade: B
4 games, 14.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 7.3 apg, 5 tpg, 0.5 spg, 0 bpg, 33.3% from 3
A.J. Lawson
Grade: D
4 games, 4.5 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1 tpg, 0.5 spg, 0.3 bpg, 12.5% from 3
I loved the Hawks’ draft on draft night and loved it even more once we got to see Johnson and Cooper in action.
Johnson looked much closer to the top-10 pick we saw early in the college season, showing off his unique combination of athleticism in transition and ballhandling skills. He even shot it well from 3. Defensively he looked capable of defending multiple positions and was strong on the boards and as a shot blocker. His turnovers are clearly an issue, and finding playing time on a stacked Hawks roster will be challenging, which might limit what we see from him as a rookie.
Cooper also proved to be another draft steal, ranking third among all Summer League players in assists behind only Payton Pritchard and Immanuel Quickley. His ability to get anywhere on the floor in college translated to Summer League action. Cooper, who went 48th in the draft, looked closer to fulfilling the lottery pick grade he received early in the season, much as Johnson did. His shooting was streaky and his turnovers are likewise an issue. Cooper too will struggle to get minutes in a stacked rotation, so temper your expectations for him as a rookie.
Lawson was a standout at the G League predraft event and was solid at the NBA Draft Combine, but looked lost in Summer League action. His athleticism is clearly a plus, but he really struggled in all aspects of the game. He has signed a rookie free-agent deal with the Miami Heat.
BOSTON CELTICS
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(Note to readers: This is an excerpt of my NBA Rookie Grades: Eastern Conference provided to free subscribers. To get my Summer League grades for every rookie in the East… you need to be a paid subscriber. Click button below to read the full version.)
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