NBA Rookie Grades: Western Conference
Grading the Summer League performance of every NBA rookie in the West
Check out my Summer League Rookie Grades: Eastern Conference.
On Wednesday I handed out grades for every key Eastern Conference rookie who played in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.
Today we turn to the Western Conference.
Player performances are graded relative to draft position and expectations.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Jalen Green (2)
Grade: A
3 games, 20.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2 apg, 2.3 tpg, 0.3 spg, 0 bpg, 52.6% from 3
Alperen Şengün (16)
Grade: A
4 games, 14.5 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 2.5 tpg, 1.3 spg, 3.0 bpg, 37.5% from 3
Usman Garuba (23)
Grade: B-
3 games, 4 ppg, 8 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.3 tpg, 2 spg, 0.7 bpg, 0% from 3
Josh Christopher (24)
Grade: B-
5 games, 16.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 2.8 tpg, 1.4 spg, 0.4 bpg, 18.2% from 3
I loved the Rockets’ draft at first blush, and I still do after seeing all four of their first-round picks shine, to various degrees, in the Summer League.
Green was the big story and looked as athletic and electric as advertised before injuring his hamstring about 12 minutes into his third Summer League game. Green had already been cooking the entire Summer League and had 13 points in the first 12 minutes of that game. His ability to score from anywhere on the floor was the main attraction, but with that we got to see his competitiveness, ability to make tough shots under duress and lights-out shooting from 3. Adding strength will be a key to Green staying healthy, but so far, the Rockets have to love what they see. He has NBA star written all over him.
Şengün was also very impressive and looked like he could end up being one of the steals of the draft. He’s an offensive genius who showed off a terrific feel for the game as a scorer, passer and help defender. He demonstrated range on his jumper, ranked first among rookies in rebounds and offensive rebounds per game and surprisingly tied Isaiah Jackson for first among rookies in blocks per game. We have yet to see Şengün tested against NBA-level defenders and athletes, who could pose problems for him. But the early returns suggest that a number of teams made a significant mistake passing on him in the lottery.
Garuba missed the first half of Summer League after playing for Spain in the Olympics. When he came over, he posted stats very reminiscent of his play for Real Madrid — especially his elite defensive numbers, averaging 2 spg and 8 rpg in just 18 mpg. Offensively it wasn’t pretty, as he shot just 33% from the field and 40% from the free-throw line. He has a lot of work to do, but his defensive rep proved to be accurate.
Christopher also looks like he was underdrafted. His innate scoring instincts, athleticism, NBA strength, defensive effort and surprising assist numbers were all strong points. He struggled with his shot, however, shooting just 18.2% on 6.6 3-point attempts per game. If he can get his jumper falling, he’s got a shot to be an impact player in the league.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
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