Last night the Brooklyn Nets kicked off the Summer League slate in Las Vegas against the Indiana Pacers. Entering a rebuild, Summer League is of greater importance to the Nets who have a number of young players vying for rotational roles and roster spots. Some of these players are looking to prove that they have developed crucial parts of their game, others that they’re finally healthy, and still others looking to show out in their first taste of professional experience.
The Nets Summer League squad managed to come from behind and emerge victorious with a final score of 97-95. En route to that victory, some key pieces showed cause for optimism while others put up some concerning performances.
Jalen Wilson was the brightest of the Nets’ several bright spots
Last year’s second-round pick, Jalen Wilson, finished with a team-high 25 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Most importantly, he was efficient from the field at 8 out of 17 overall, and red hot from three connecting on 5 of his 9 triple attempts.
Wilson showed flashes last season of being a potential 3-and-D forward in his limited minutes but was overall inconsistent. With the Nets still taking calls on their two veteran forwards Wilson could have an inside track to earn some serious playing time in 2024-2025, and last night’s performance could be the start of him locking down a rotation spot.
Second-year big man Noah Clowney finished the night with an efficient 14 points on 6 for 8 from the field while also being a menace on defense posting 4 blocks and two steals. Clowney had a red-hot finish to last season with Brooklyn and is looking to build on that this summer. The one gripe was his outside shooting. A focus area for him and his development, Clowney only attempted two threes and missed them both. That will be something to keep an eye on going forward.
Lastly, guard Keon Johnson put up an impressive performance last night, going 7 for 12 from the field for 16 points while racking up 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 blocks, and 2 steals. A former first-round pick in 2021, Johnson’s career hasn’t gone as planned thus far with stints with three different teams already across his first three years in the league. Still just 22 years old, he’s looking to catch on with a Nets team that’s very thin at guard. Tour de force performances like last night’s will go a long way to helping him achieve that goal.
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Highly touted Dariq Whitehead leads the disappointments
This year’s Summer League is supposed to be the coming out party for last year’s first-round pick Dariq Whitehead after multiple foot and leg injuries have derailed his career so far. Coming out of high school, Whitehead was a consensus top-three recruit in the country, but injuries robbed him of his chance to showcase his talents first at Duke, and now at the NBA level.
Last night, Whitehead shot an abysmal 1 for 12 from the field including 0 for 7 scoring just five points along the way. More concerning was the lack of explosiveness, which was a hallmark of his game that led to such a lofty recruiting ranking. Whitehead struggled to get to the rim, instead settling for awkward runners and floaters before turning his attention to the three-point line. At Duke, despite injuries limiting him, he proved to be a marksman from deep shooting 42.9% from three, however, that sweet stroke was not on display last night either.
It’s just one game, but the Nets are counting on Whitehead to prove that he can be a key cog in their young core and are planning a big role for the soon-to-be 20-year-old. He not only has to prove that he’s healthy, but also that he can recover some of his explosiveness, or at least adapt his game to compensate in a different way. Last night, he failed to show any of those qualities.
Finally, undrafted free agent Mark Armstrong had generated some buzz heading into the Summer League. A true point guard, there seems to be an opportunity for him to grab a role with the Nets who only employ veteran Dennis Schroder and the perpetually rehabbing Ben Simmons as natural point guards.
Armstrong didn’t play poorly last night, he just barely played. Getting just 8 minutes, a team low last night, Armstrong was shut out scoring but did produce two assists in his limited run. Interestingly, the team high in minutes went to 26-year-old Jacob Gilyard who got 36 minutes of run and posted 7 points and 7 assists. Gilyard, just 5-9, doesn’t appear to be a real NBA player, so it’s interesting and perhaps a little concerning that the Nets didn’t see fit to give Armstrong more of an opportunity.
The remaining Summer League schedule
The Nets have four games remaining, three of which are currently scheduled, on their Summer League slate:
- Sunday, July 14th @ 4PM vs Los Angeles Clippers
- Tuesday, July 16th @ 4:30PM vs New York Knicks
- Thursday, July 18th @ 8PM vs Orlando Magic
Keep an eye out for who builds on their strong starts, who can get back on track, and who falls off and proves that last night’s performance was merely a mirage.