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good morning and welcome to the NBA Daily for Thursday, July 9, 2026. On today's show, we're previewing Las Vegas Summer League with Tyler Metcalf from no Ceilings. This is going to be great. I'm excited because we're going to get to dive into all things summer. All right, everybody, it's time to talk about the basketball that we feel a lot in our hearts, but we know we need to keep away from our brains, that we shouldn't necessarily remember this, but it's always a fun time for NBA fans. And here to break it all down, Tyler Metcalf from the no Ceilings crew. Tyler, thanks for coming on.
C
Thanks for having me excited to actually talk about some real basketball. And everything that happens here is 100% correct. As long as it fits the narrative that we're trying to push.
A
Right?
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That's how we do it. If you are a Darren Peterson guy, boy, you are riding high right now. You are feeling good right now. Okay? So we're gonna, I'm gonna ask you five questions about summer league. Feel free to give multiple answers if you'd like. Just whatever like is, like, most interesting to you because, I mean, I know that there's probably not one answer for each of these, so feel free to give multiple answers. So first one, the top five pick that you are most looking forward to seeing in Vegas.
C
Yeah. And it's Darren Peterson for me, so. And Caleb Wilson's probably a close second because, like, I, I've been lucky enough to see AJ And Cam in person a handful of times. So I, I, you know, I've been down that they're old news at this point. I, not, I'm kidding. I'm very excited to see all of them. But for me, it's Darren because I've never gotten to see him up close and personal. And the fact that he had the games in Salt Lake City that he's already had and already looks incredible and fully healthy and looks like the guy that we were coming out of high school, I cannot wait to see him in person and just see how the movement patterns look in person and the processing speed and his ability to flow in and out of on ball and off ball roles and responsibilities. I'm very, very excited and thankfully we have an awesome matchup right out of the gate with him on the first day. Going up against aj, going up against Trey Johnson, Will Riley. So it's not just like, not just Darren versus AJ But Darren versus Darren and Ace. And you know that they have some really fun players on that Utah team as well. Going up against some really fun players on that Washington side as well.
B
Yeah, that'll be super fun. Dave and S Will be in Vegas and they will have a recap after that game on this feed, so. So tune in for that. That should be very, very fun. It's kind of crazy. I feel like usually that's night two that you get the big matchup, but perhaps there's just more big matchups in this year's summer league than there were in previous years. You guys mentioned this on your podcast, but it feels like one of the first years in a long time that we may walk away from summer league saying like the top four guys in the class are all just incredible.
C
Like after summer league, I think we could really be there. And what I love so much about it too is that they all play very different roles. They're all very different players. There isn't like a, oh, this wing versus this wing. Yeah, Cam Boozer, who's a power forward but kind of plays like a point guard. It's Darren Peterson, who's one of the most well rounded guards we've seen in a long time. AJ DeBonts is this prototype number one pick that you see that you constantly see at the wing and then Caleb Wilson's this ball of chaotic energy and just imagining what that's going to look like in a year or two or a couple months once some of that gets harnessed and really steered in toward, steered towards like highly productive play. The upside with him is insane. So I all of these guys are already like day one talented and athletically ready, but there's still so much upside that they're just barely scratching the surface of.
B
Okay, how about lottery pick outside, like the top four or five that you're most looking forward to watching.
C
I got two names for very different reasons. So the first one, Miraz Johnson. I. I've been driving the Miraz Johnson hype train all year. If he ends up busting, it's gonna be a real bummer for me. So. So I hope that's not the case. But when, when you look at this Dallas roster, it's kind of funky. Like they don't really have like a true center on there.
B
So I'm curious if we see a million power forwards.
C
Yeah. And I, I don't know if they're just gonna have him like play center minutes and if they experiment with like some like real five out stuff with him and try and unlock some of the, the playmaking growth that we saw from him last year is only real passing flashes and flashes of spot up shooting that we saw this year at Michigan. But I, I am so high on Merez and this Dallas team's a little funky. I think they have some intriguing guards excited to see Ryan Nemhard back running the show. I think they'll be really good for a guy like Merez, but seeing how he fits in and how they use him I think is going to be really telling for what they're expecting from him going into this season.
B
Yeah, it will be fascinating because I feel like Cooper Flag's like best position is four and if, if that's the truth and like you think that Mojo. Do you call him Mojo? Is that just me?
C
I, I have not, but I love that.
B
Okay. If Mojo's best position is the four, I don't know. I'm, I'm, I'm interested. I also love the idea and I actually like commend them for taking him because if they think he's the best player left on the board.
C
Yeah.
B
Don't worry if you're in the lottery. Don't worry about position because if he turns out to be the best player and he's picked out 11th was. Well, he didn't quite fit our roster at the time. Like your roster stunk anyways. So I actually really respect the pick. I don't know if it'll work out or not, but I was a big Mojo guy as well. Okay, who's your other out of outside the lottery pick or not outside the lottery? Outside the top five pick.
C
Yeah. The other one's Nate Amen with, with Milwaukee.
B
Yeah.
C
And I was not an Amen guy coming into the year. I was not an amen guy going into the draft at, you know, at some point in the first round, I get taken the swing. I like that Milwaukee took the swing when they did and I really like that they took Burry's first because I don't think he would have been there with their second pick with the 13th pick. But having multiple picks, I get taking the home run swing with Him. I'm fascinated to see how they use him because if they roll him out and just kind of let him do whatever he wants and if they try and be like, oh, this is our next Kevin Durant spoiler, he's not. No one ever is. So stop, stop trying to push these guys, these 18 year olds as hall of Famers, but I would love to see them really have like a structured approach, which I know is rare for summer league, but have him like in a really defined role, a really defined set of responsibilities and try and build that, that baseline foundational success and instill some confidence doing the little things that lead to winning basketball. I'm just really excited and curious and fascinated to see how they implement him and use him right out of the bat because I think that's going to be really telling for going into the season. He's skilled, he's got a ton of upside, but I do think he's so theoretical. And if they just roll the ball out and let him experiment and go through whatever he wants to, I think it could just bring back a lot of kind of bad habits that, that we saw throughout this year.
B
Yeah, and they, they've got some guys on that roster that will take a lot of ball handling duties, so hopefully they let those guys do that. You have to tell me about who Kevin Boopy Miller Jr. Is. Do you know? Do you know Boopy?
C
Oh, God, yeah. Yeah. Shifty point guard from smu. Undersized, real skinny, but nasty handle, really fun playmaker. Probably more of a G league guy, but he's fun. He's really fun. He's one of these guys that can, is going to take summer league by storm because he's nasty handle, super creative,
B
and his name is Boopy. Everybody look out for Boopy. In Vegas. When I was reading through the rosters, I was like, who is. I don't know Bupy? I don't know Bupy at all.
C
You will. You will.
B
By the end of this, I will know Bupy. Okay. And while I've got you, I need you to tell me what you think about the Thunders pick with Adai Mara and like, what you've seen of him so far.
C
Kind of what I expected. The conditioning looked rough. He looked gassed pretty quickly. And that was the case going back to UCLA this year at Michigan. Even where he struggled to play at a high tempo. We saw Alabama in the tournament, kind of run him, run him off the court. And when he gets tired, when he gets fatigued, he gets handsy. The defensive fundamentals Kind of go away. The fouls start to ramp up the ball. Security starts to get a little sloppy, and that's what we've seen so far. So I do think it's going to be a more prolonged kind of escalation in terms of what his role and impacted minutes are going to look like at the NBA level. I hate, I absolutely hate that everyone was trying to push him as the Wimby stopper. There is no Wimby stopper, and I promise you it is not 7 foot 4, a die, Mara. Because his superpower on defense is protecting the rim, rebounding and hitting those outlet passes. If you're trying to have him guard Wemby one on one, now he's out on the perimeter, not where you want him to be. So I, I love the fact that they continue to target guys who just have an insanely high feel and they went after a guy like a die who has an insanely high feel on both ends of the floor. At the center spot, the passing looked awesome, the rim running, the vertical spacing, his looked awesome. But he can't put the ball on the floor yet. Anything, anytime the ball comes below his shoulders, below his waist, bad things happened. But when he made quick, simple decisions out of the short roll, the passing, the rim running, all that kind of stuff looked really good. He's just got to get in a lot better shape, which is really tough to say for guys that big.
B
Yeah, yeah, I agree. I think he's got some development and lucky for him, like the Thunders roster set up for him to be able to take his time. So they don't need that. So they're from five to eight, they're all guards. First, I want to ask you, it's Wagler, Michael Brown, Acuff, Flemings. Did the NBA teams get it right? Was that the right. The correct order to take these guys in? And then two, like, how would you rank these guys in terms of like, entertainment for summer league?
C
Yeah. And I, I had Mikel as my point guard. One okay. In this class. So I would have taken him at five, but I had Keaton at six. So interchangeable. These, these point cards are so good. And I, I hated wrapping up my final board as like point guard, point guard, point guard, point guard. It's like, it's just not going to happen. Like one, not all of these guys are going to work out, but when you look at the seasons they had, they were just by far the best guys in the country. And so it's just inevitable. That and undeniable that you just kind of have to put them up there. In terms of summer league entertainment, I think Mikel is number one for me because he's got serious vertical pop. He has very questionable decision making that's going to end up in some insanely high, like incredible three point like movement threes, big time dunks. Like he'll chase down guys in transition, block them at the rim, throw the, you know, some really nasty skip passes. Half of them might end up in the 12th row, but others are going to look really good on the highlight reels. Coming out of summer league league saying Michael Brown's a problem. So in terms of an entertainment factor, I think he's number one. Then I would probably go Darius Acuff just because he's an insane offensive engine and what he did at Arkansas this year from a playmaking and scoring perspective, shockingly good. Just shockingly good. And then Keaton Wagler probably right after him and Kingston Fleming's a very close fourth.
B
Yeah, it is a fun class of point guards, I think. I think people, if you haven't watched these guys and summer league is your first chance to see them, it's very exciting. It's going to be, it's going to be super fun to see. Especially these guys are all like engines too, you know, so it's, it's very, very exciting. Okay.
C
They all kind of have like a little bit of like a nasty streak to them. Yeah, well, it's not just like net good shooters or just really good passers that there's a whole lot of versatility with them. And they're all guys who put up monster games all season long and get very, very competitive.
B
Yeah. Even with you mentioned, Mikel is like the number one guy, but him and Jaeger as like a combo has been actually like kind of fun so far. Jaeger looks, he looks okay. I know a lot of people just love to just kill what the Nets did, but I, I don't know. I don't know if this is like a sign of things to come for him, what we've seen so far in summer league, but he looks pretty good.
C
Yeah. Yeah. The, the way he's shooting it like off movement and confidently like he, he had a Dh03 in. In one of their summer league games already where it was smooth, it was effortless, it looked comfortable, it looked like something he's repped out about 8,000 times already and just drained it. Nothing. But now it's like, oh man, if he's knocking those down consistently, like he's going to look very, very fun.
B
Yeah. And once he has like somebody else that's like the point guard, I think it'll help him a ton. Okay, give me, give me somebody else in round one, like later into the first round. Give me one in round one. One in round two. That's like a sleeper. Like, you should watch this guy. If you, if you can watch them, watch them. Maybe this is a guy that's in the. If you are going to Vegas, they're in the small gym, which I would recommend getting yourself over to the small gym because it's just, it's like watching NBA players in a high school basketball gym. And it's like outrageously entertaining. You can hear like the, the sneakers squeaking and the ball bouncing and like, it just feels like basketball in there. So I'd recommend you go in there, but give us a couple, a couple sleepers from inside the first round still. And then in round two. Yeah.
C
And guy in the first round, Dalen Swain going to Chicago, playing with Caleb Wilson. I'm fascinated to see how they use him, what he looks like, because it's going to be. I hope it's Caleb Wilson's show to run. I hope they just let him off the leash and just go crazy, go be wild. And I hope that we see Dylan Swain scale down because what he showed at Xavier was in his freshman and sophomore year, he was a really high, high level defender, wing defend, really fun passer, got downhill a lot, would not look at the rim outside of 10ft. This year at Texas just totally pivoted into this monster on ball, pick and roll creator. And the skepticism I kept getting from scouts and execs around the league this year with him was he's never going to be asked to or allowed to do what he did at Texas this year in the NBA. And there was a lot of skepticism of what his game would look like and how it would translate when scaled down to more of a three and D role. So I'm excited to see what that looks like for him. He was really invisible at the combine in the one scrimmage he played, which, you know, he may have been sick. So, you know, it's one scrimmage, give him a pass. But in that more scaled down role, what does it look like? Can he just make quick decisions? I don't really care how well he shoots it or not, but can he make quick decisions. Attacking closeouts, making the extra pass, getting downhill, letting it fly off the catch whether it's going in or not. He's someone that I'm really fascinated to see in this context because he should thrive with his athleticism, his ability to get out and run. It's almost tailor made for summer league. And he fits the, this new front office's slap methodology to a T. So just from an entertainment standpoint, the Bulls with Swain and Caleb Wilson should be very, very fun.
B
Yeah. How about round two? Are there any round two guys that, that you're looking out for?
C
I, I love Ryan Conwell. He felt like the absolute perfect pick for the Miami Heat. Especially when, you know, we, we obviously know they got Giannis, they got Bam. And bringing in a really strong two guard who can shoot the COVID off the ball with a lot of experience, who's played in a bunch of different systems, played a bunch of different roles, and is just a lights out nasty shooter. I think he's going to be in the league for a decade and be a really, really awesome fit on that Miami team. I know if you didn't watch Louisville this year and you're just looking at his numbers, it's like, oh man, he shot like mid 30%. Like, why am I getting excited about that? Well, he had to play a lot more point guard because of the Mikel Brown injuries, so he kind of got pivoted out of that pure two guard role. But what we did see, or what that allowed him to show was an improvement in his handle, his ab to attack closeouts get downhill, the, the passing growth. So he's never going to be, I guess I shouldn't say never. He's probably not going to be like a full time point guard, but the, the improvement that we've seen in his processing and his ball skills in that true two guard spot, with his proven shooting track record, he's going to be just perfect for the Miami Heat.
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Yeah, that's exactly what they need. Okay, we're going to take a quick break. We come back, we're going to talk about teams and matchups that you'll want to view in summer league. Summer is one of my favorite times of the year, but it can also just be full of chaos. So I got the NBA draft that we're covering. Got all these trades happening, and between all of that and kids and everything else happening, I'm trying to enjoy some longer days here and I can feel like there's no time to like really unwind. The one thing that really helps me keep up with everything and get better sleep is this reserve hybrid mattress from Leesa. This mattress has become my sanctuary at the end of my Long busy day. Leesa has a lineup of beautifully crafted mattresses tailored to how you sleep. Each mattress is designed with specific sleep positions and feel preference in mind. Leesa mattresses are meticulously designed and assembled in the USA for exceptional quality and they back it all up with with free shipping, easy returns and 120 night sleep trial plus. Leesa is committed to eco friendly materials and sustainable manufacturing practices and partners with organizations like Clean Hub to help remove harmful plastic waste from the environment. Plus the Leesa mattress, especially my reserve hybrid mattress that I have it not only like looks great. When I remember when I unboxed it and showed it to my wife she was like that's our mattress. But it is so soft. Like I could not wait to get back into my Leesa bed. I was on a trip and slept terribly in whatever the mattress was at whatever the hotel was and I got home, slept like a baby. I laid down, I was almost, I felt like I almost instantly went to sleep and I was so comfortable. I love my Leesa Reserve Hybrid Mattress. Go to Leesa.com for 25% off plus an extra 50% off with the promo code Athletic MBA exclusive for my listeners. That's L-E-E-S A.com promo code Athletic MBA for 25% off plus an extra50 off when you use our code to support the show. Lisa.com promo code Athletic NBA.
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coverage in our app. Download the Athletic app and see there. And we're back after that quick break. Okay, let's talk about teams, we've talked a little bit about teams, but what are like the must see teams? Like there's players but then like where, where are we at with like some of the best teams to watch in Las Vegas Summer League?
C
I, I'm very excited about the Memphis Grizzlies. I, I didn't love what they, they did with their second first round pick, but obviously Cam Boozer is the real deal. We've gotten a couple glimpses of them already in the non Vegas summer league games, but I would love to see them give Boozer the ball a little more, really heighten up the creation responsibilities with him. In these first couple games they were kind of giving those responsibilities to Cedric Howard. Mixed results, but we also saw him do a lot of that stuff towards the end of last season and they just kind of threw him into the deep end. Mixed results, but good long term options. I'm hoping that we see way more two man game stuff between Boozer and Coward and even like some inverted pick and roll stuff between those two. Kind of like what Boozer and Isaiah Evans ran a lot at Duke, so if we could get way more of that, way more of the Boozer initiation and decision making at Vegas Summer League, I would be very excited. And then we go into guys like Walter Clayton and Taylor Hendricks and Kareem Lopez, who I was super low on, get the pick at all. But the dude's big, really strong, a lot of potential. There are a lot of people around the league who are much higher on him than I am. So I'm excited to see him up close for the first time and just see what his impact could look like. And even a point guard like Javon Small, can he really carve out a role because last year he was hurt for a lot of, throughout most of this time. So I, I, I think they just have a lot of really intriguing talent in terms of both rookies and returners, especially with some, some second team guys like Walter Clayton and Taylor Hendricks.
B
Yeah, that's, that's a, that's a good one that I got to see them play OKC in the first summer league game in Utah and they were good. They absolutely just smoked this Thunder team, which is not, it's not a good summer league team. It is a little weird. It feels like they are giving a lot of guys a chance that may not even be G League worthy I would say. And I don't really know what to do with that because it's making their first round picks lies a little bit harder. But what can you do. The, the other. The team that I would really like to see is Charlotte. I just think there's like, there's a lot of talent on the Charlotte team. I guess Kalkbrenner is going to play. You have Steinbach. I'm excited about Liam McNeely. I've always liked him. I got a chance to see him up close when he was in high school and he's just like a great competitor and I, I just have to believe that a guy like that who can shoot it the way he does is going to figure it out. You have the, the. The Tigeon Saloon. What in the world is going to happen there with him? Is he any good at all? Does. Is. Is he going to be playing deep into summer league and it be just like the biggest red flag ever? I don't know. And then Christian Anderson too, who I think is awesome. Like I'm excited to see what Christian Anderson can do with like some of the tools that he's going to have, especially with some of the screen setting and the bigs they have there and some of the shooting. So I think they should. There may be like a little bit of an under the radar pick because they don't have like the like mega star. But I just feel like they have like talent throughout where it's like if, if they ended up being one of the teams that's like one of the last like four teams standing, like I would not be surprised.
C
Totally agree. Yeah, the, the year three guys are always like, oh, okay, yeah, you shouldn't. Yeah, yeah, yeah, it' so you better prove that you are too good to be here pretty quickly. But I love the Christian Anderson shout specifically because they obviously made the huge lamelo ball trade. So new era and obviously Kobe White's going to be running point for them off the bat. But the long term plan there is obviously Christian Anderson and how ready is he to take on those minutes? And if it looks rough right away there could be some, some issues with, with their point guard depth rotation going forward. The kid can shoot the COVID off the ball. There's some really fun playmaking stuff, but the consistent rim pressure, the strength, the on ball creation, the ball security stuff, it got a lot worse once J.T. toppin went down. Not shocking. One of the best players in college basketball, but very excited to see what that two man game looks like with Kalkbrenner, with Hannes Steinbeck and what the two big lineup that I hope they run out there with Steinbeck and Kalkbrenner looks like as well.
A
Yeah.
B
So Thursday night we mentioned this already. It's Jazz Wizards, which should be very fun after that one if, if you're having to be there live. If you're watching from home, this will also be on espn. You can watch King's Clippers. So, like a couple of those point guards that we mentioned are going head to head. So that should be very fun. Like, that combination should be great. What other games are you. Are you looking forward to?
C
Yeah. And even on Thursday leading up to that one, we got Yaxel Lunderberg versus Morose Johnson.
B
Yeah.
C
Warriors versus Mav. A couple teammates going head to head. Friday, Bulls, Grizzlies, Caleb versus Cam Boozer.
B
Oh, yeah.
C
Should be a really fun one. And then also that day, Celtics versus Raptors with two guys who. I have no idea why they're even on these summer league rosters with Hugo Gonzalez and Colin Murray Boyles. I. Why are these guys playing?
B
Why? That makes no sense. The Murray Boyles one blew my mind when I saw that he was going
C
to play so much here.
B
I know. He just. Don't do it. Don't do it. Colin. Don't play. Why?
C
Yeah, it's like you look at like New Orleans not. Not having a couple guys on the roster, which felt like a decision. And then you see CMB out there. I'm like, what are we doing?
B
Yeah.
C
But hopefully we get a good game from both those guys. And if you.
B
And if you're there, that's in the pavilion, which is in the small gym like I mentioned. So get yourself to the small gym, I think. Let's see. So it will. So you'll have to leave. You would have to leave Bulls, Grizzlies, or maybe you can go watch the second half. But then it's like Thunder, Lakers, which sounds awesome. That's in the big gym at 9 o'. Clock. Just, just stay for Celtics Raptors. Just a little recommendation for you. Stay there for Celtics, Raptors. Anything else? Anything else catch your eye before we get out of here?
C
Yeah. And Saturday, Hawks vs. Nets. Kingston Flemings vs. Michael Brown. Looks like the big one. I' you mentioned it earlier. I'm really enjoying how Mikel and Jago are. Are playing together so far. Sunday, Thunder versus Warriors. Y vers Mara. Kings versus Wizards, Clippers, Jazz. Just some more of the. The big name or the. The high draft picks going head to head.
B
Yeah, it'll be a blast. Hey, go check out everything that Tyler's doing over at no Ceilings. They have a podcast. They're. They have a Big draft guide, which I still think is relevant. Same with Sam Vicini's draft guide. Like, it's. It's still very relevant. If you haven't. If your team drafts at a guy and you still feel like you don't know enough about them, I would recommend going and reading them both. I think they're both super valuable to. To all NBA fans that are trying to figure out who these guys are. So it gives you a look into not only, like, what they did in college and in high school, but, like, who they are, like, who their parents are, all that stuff. So it's. It's all really good content. Their podcast is great. They did a podcast where they literally broke down every single, like, team and what they were excited about for it. So if you. If you are just, like, dialed into summer league, go check out. I think it's your most recent show. Yes. Okay, go. Go check it out on the nosetamps.
C
So if you're like, hey, I only care about one of these 30 teams. Check out the timestamps and jump around.
B
I listened to it all and I learned a lot. It was great. It was great. So go listen to it again. Dave and S Will be in Las Vegas. Go find them. Give them a hug. Let them know how much you appreciate them. I'm sure that they would love that. Be sure to stay locked into everything here at the Athletic throughout Summer League.
C
Thanks for listening. Make sure you hit the subscribe or follow button so you never miss an episode. If you enjoyed it, drop a, like, leave a rating or let us know in the comments. Thank you guys for waking up with us.
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Date: July 9, 2026
Host: The Athletic NBA Daily (Dave DuFour with guest Tyler Metcalf of No Ceilings)
Theme: In-depth Summer League Preview — Players to Watch, Matchups, and Hidden Gems
This episode offers an energetic and detailed preview of the 2026 Las Vegas NBA Summer League. Dave DuFour is joined by guest analyst Tyler Metcalf from No Ceilings, aiming to help fans understand who and what to watch for during Summer League. The discussion focuses on the most anticipated rookie debuts, intriguing lottery picks outside the top five, entertaining point guard prospects, sleeper picks, and must-watch games and teams.
“It’s always a fun time for NBA fans.” (00:45, Host Dave DuFour)
[01:51]
“He already looks incredible and fully healthy…his ability to flow in and out of on ball and off ball roles and responsibilities…I cannot wait to see him in person.” (01:55, Tyler Metcalf)
Other Notables:
“They all play very different roles…they’re just barely scratching the surface of their upside.” (03:35, Tyler Metcalf)
[04:34]
“If they try and be like ‘oh, this is our next Kevin Durant’—spoiler, he’s not. No one ever is.” (07:07, Tyler Metcalf)
“He’s fun. He’s really fun. He’s one of these guys that…is going to take summer league by storm because [of] his nasty handle, super creative.” (08:22, Tyler Metcalf)
[09:02]
“There is no Wemby stopper, and I promise you it is not 7-foot-4 Adai Mara.” (09:45, Tyler Metcalf)
[11:07]
“He’s got serious vertical pop. He has very questionable decision making but that’s going to end up in some…incredible three-point [shots], big time dunks…some really nasty skip passes.” (11:12, Tyler Metcalf)
[14:42]
“He should thrive with his athleticism, his ability to get out and run—it’s almost tailor made for Summer League.” (15:45, Tyler Metcalf)
“I think he’s going to be in the league for a decade and be a really, really awesome fit on that Miami team.” (16:49, Tyler Metcalf)
[21:43]
“Christian Anderson…can shoot the COVID off the ball…excited to see what that two-man game looks like with Kalkbrenner, with Hannes Steinbeck.” (25:04, Tyler Metcalf)
[26:09]
On Summer League optimism:
“Everything that happens here is 100% correct — as long as it fits the narrative we’re trying to push.” (01:13, Tyler Metcalf, dryly joking about Summer League overreactions)
On positionless draft philosophy:
“If [Mojo] turns out to be the best player and he’s picked at 11th—well, he didn’t quite fit our roster at the time. Like, your roster stunk anyways. So, I really respect the pick.” (06:10, Host Dave DuFour)
On NBA fans diving into Summer League:
“It’s going to be super fun to see. Especially these guys are all like engines too, you know, so it’s very, very exciting.” (12:38, Host Dave DuFour)
Sleeper team advice:
“If you are going to Vegas, get yourself over to the small gym. It’s like watching NBA players in a high school basketball gym…outrageously entertaining.” (13:58, Host Dave DuFour)
The hosts provide a lively guide to the Las Vegas Summer League, highlighting can't-miss rookies, clarifying which teams and games carry the most intrigue, and calling out under-the-radar prospects that might surprise. They balance humor and insight, cautioning listeners against overreacting to Summer League results while encouraging fans to embrace the chaos and excitement of July basketball.
For any NBA fan—hardcore or casual—this episode is a perfect primer to enjoy Summer League to the fullest.