NBA Draft

NBA Summer League: Standouts from Grizzlies-76ers Matchup

Who stood out during the Grizzlies and Sixers matchup this past Monday?

Jordan Monaco

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Monday kicked off the early slate of 2023 NBA Summer League games, with players like Brandon Miller, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Hood-Schifino and more seeing action.

Here's who stood out in the 76ers-Grizzlies matchup on Monday:

Philadelphia 76ers

Jaden Springer

The 2023 G-League Finals MVP is entering his third-year with the Sixers, and will only be twenty-one when the 2023-24 NBA season begins. Springer's showcased his impressive recognition and 41.5-inch max vertical through his off-ball defense in the Sixers' game against the Grizzlies.

He had two incredible blocks. In one situation, he recognized the open roller and rotated from the weak-side to sky and block the shot at the rim. The second play was also an incredible weak-side rotation.

Later in the game, he recognized an important tag that neutralized a roller that was otherwise wide-open at the rim.

Offensively Springer created rim pressure using a crafty change-of-pace dribble and was also able to find his teammates along the perimeter when stuck. Be on the lookout for how his catch-and-shoot jumper progresses throughout summer league.

Terquavion Smith

The NC State product's offensive arsenal was on full display in this past Monday's game. Despite going surprisingly undrafted, Smith made his case that he can be productive in a vacuum.

Smith showed an intriguing mix of both playmaking and shot-making ability out of the pick-and-roll this past Monday. He loves using a hostage dribble to keep the rearview pursuant at bay and is able to make difficult pull-ups or hit teammates cross-court if the big begins to approach. Additionally, Smith makes drop bigs pay if they position themselves too low, as he has the ability to hit off-the-dribble threes.

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If he can continue to cut out some of the difficult shots he took at NC State, Smith has a real case to be productive in the NBA. I'll be watching Smith to see how his defense, especially off-ball, is progressing during the rest of summer league.

Memphis Grizzlies

Jake LaRavia

The 6-foot-7 second-year player from Wake Forest played 18 minutes per game in sixteen of the Grizzlies' first twenty games last season before suffering a foot injury in late-November that altered his standout rookie season.

LaRavia's smooth catch-and-shoot form was on display during Monday's game, as was his relocation ability. He's a savvy off-ball mover that likes to hammer to the corner on drives and constantly position himself to be as open as possible. This off-ball movement translates to movement shooting as well, which LaRavia was asked to do multiple times during Monday's game.

Most importantly, LaRavia's defense — especially off-ball — stood out. Jake offered a level of rim protection and recorded a block after a weak-side rotation during Monday's game. He also had other smart rotations that led to contests in the paint and along the perimeter. These rotations, as well as his stunts, allow him to impact the game without it always showing up in the box score.

David Roddy

The second-year player from Colorado State displayed excellent catch-and-shoot ability during Monday's game. Over the course of the game, he made four catch-and-shoot threes and hit multiple within a short span. He also showed an ability to attack closeouts as the game went on and use his strength to get to the rim.

It'll be interesting to watch both him and LaRavia continue to attack closeouts and be trusted with more creation and initiation during summer league.

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Jordan Monaco
JORDAN MONACO

Jordan is a senior at Cornell University where he is an analytics consultant for the men’s basketball team and Co-President of the Cornell ILR Sports Business Society. He has also interned for Sports Aptitude, where he helped interview former front office members and current professional basketball players with the goal of improving the pre-draft process.

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