Evaluating Alabama Basketball in the NBA Summer League

The Crimson Tide had six former players compete in three different summer leagues from July 3 to July 17.

The NBA Summer League is a wonderful time for basketball fans. It's a time where NBA fans get a first look at their new rookies, and get to see the progress of players that spent last season developing in the G League.

Perhaps most importantly, it's where individual performances can mean absolutely everything or nothing at all, depending on what narrative you want to push or what argument you're having on Twitter.

In all seriousness, there's a fine line that has to be drawn when evaluating summer league play. Some players have had great summer leagues and gone on to do nothing in the NBA, while others have had horrendous introductions and gone on to have fantastic careers. 

I'm going to look at Alabama's six players that competed in the summer league this year and evaluate the performances, assessing where each player stands with their respective teams heading into the upcoming season. 

As a quick reminder, the NBA held three different summer leagues that took place over the course of two weeks. First, two small leagues in Sacramento and Salt Lake City from July 3-6, before the NBA 2K24 Summer League in Las Vegas brings in all 30 teams starting July 7, and ending tonight with the championship game between the Rockets and Cavaliers. 

Brandon Miller - Charlotte Hornets

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft got off to a bit of a rough start. Playing in the Sacramento Summer League, Miller scored 18 points in his first game, but it came on inefficient shooting. He followed it up with a lackluster 6-point performance, and social media took his struggles and ran with them. 

People were quick to prematurely label Miller as a "bust," and while that assessment would be taking it too far, there is no denying that he didn't look comfortable in the slightest in Sacramento. He struggled to create shots, and he looked disengaged at times on both ends of the floor. 

Once he got to Las Vegas, things shifted in Miller's favor. On opening night of the event, the Hornets matched up with the Spurs on primetime national television, fielding top overall pick Victor Wembanyama. With the eyes of the basketball world watching, Miller played a very strong game posted a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double and outdueling Wembanyama, even putting the French big man on a few highlight-worthy plays. 

Miller eased in and looked much more comfortable in his time in Las Vegas, though his efficiency never elevated to standards that one would expect of a top-2 pick. To add to his difficulties, the Hornets did not roster a true point guard for the summer league, which naturally made things more difficult without a true distributer to help capitalize on Miller's offensive game.

For the summer, Miller averaged 15.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. His best game was his last, a 26-point offensive explosion that led the Hornets to shut him down for the final two games of their stay, having seen enough of their top pick.

Noah Clowney - Brooklyn Nets

The first of the Nets' two first round picks, Clowney had a much quieter summer league in comparison to Miller, but that was to be expected.

Clowney celebrated his 19th birthday on July 14, during the summer league, making him one of the youngest players competing the entire month. 

He averaged 4.8 points and 5.4 rebounds for the summer, and struggled to consistently knock down his shots from outside. While his numbers weren't eye-popping, it is understandable for someone so young to endure a learning curve when playing against professionals for the first time. 

Clowney was always going to a project pick, and if nothing else, he exhibited his rebounding potential throughout the course of the summer. His game — one that leans on hustle plays, rebounding and effecting the game outside of the stat sheet — isn't one that will lead to huge summer league numbers. 

It may take a while for Clowney to crack the rotation in Brooklyn, but the fact that he was selected in the first round is a big enough vote of confidence from the front office to believe that he will be playing significant minutes once he develops.

Keon Ellis - Sacramento Kings

Ellis played with the Kings after spending last season on a two-way deal with the team, and was even signed to a second two-way deal for next season just before the event. 

He was one of the better scorers on the team throughout the summer, averaging 12.7 points, and adding 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists to go along with it. 

Ellis flashed his two-way value, hitting big shots and making impressive defensive plays throughout the month. The Kings liked his play so much so that they shut him down with one game to go, signaling they have plans for him in the future. 

With a year on a two-way deal in front of him, Ellis will surely repeat as one of the better scorers in the G League, and if he shows out enough when he gets his chances in Sacramento, could very well find himself on a full NBA contract next summer. 

Whether it's Sacramento or another team in the association, Ellis did great work for his standing with NBA front offices this summer. 

JD Davison - Boston Celtics

Davison used the summer to reemphasize how great of a passer he is — the skill that will give him the best chance of fully making it in the league. 

Playing for Boston, the team that drafted him late in the second round of 2022, Davison averaged 9.8 points, four rebounds, and a whopping 7.4 assists throughout the summer. 

The assists numbers aren't surprising, either. Playing on a two-way for the Celtics last season, Davison was one of the top assist-men in the entire G League, averaging nearly eight per game. 

He showcased his tremendous athleticism and NBA-level vision with countless highlight-worthy plays all through the course of the event, and even signed a second two-way deal with the Celtics in the midst of it. 

By far his biggest issue was turnovers, even posting double-figure turnovers in one of his games, but cleaning those up is his path to seeing real playing time in the NBA.

With Boston having traded point guard Marcus Smart over the offseason, there is a chance for Davison to work his way into playing more minutes this season as he works to earn a full NBA deal. 

Charles Bediako - San Antonio Spurs

After going undrafted and being signed to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal by the Spurs, it appeared that Bediako was going to have to spend much of the summer playing behind Wembanyama. The top overall pick only played in two games, but unfortunately for Bediako, he still didn't get much playing time throughout the event. 

Once he finally got extended time on the court, he showed out, posted a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double in the Spurs' final game of the summer. 

The likely next step for Bediako will be being waived by the Spurs, who will retain his rights for him to play in Austin with the franchise's G League team. If Bediako can perform well in the G League, he could earn a two-way for the chance to get some time in the NBA.

Jaden Shackelford - Oklahoma City Thunder

Similar to Bediako, Shackelford played with the Thunder's summer league team last year after going undrafted, and played the regular season on the Thunder's G League team, the OKC Blue. 

The summer league is made for high volume scoring guards like Shackelford to show out, and he made the most of his opportunities, posting double figures in four of his seven games. 

He averaged nine points per game for the summer, but did it on fairly inefficient shooting. His lack of size and shortage of defensive impact will make it hard for him to earn an NBA contract, but for the time being he will remain with the Blue and continue to thrive as a scorer in the G League. 

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