With NBA Draft preparations well under way for teams throughout the NBA, they are also beginning to invite Summer Leaguers. Here are some names to watch.
This time of year, NBA Draft preparation is in full swing. The official list of players coming to the NBA Draft Combine have been released for next week’s event in Chicago and it will include some top players including Deyonta Davis, Henry Ellenson, Buddy Hield, Brandon Ingram, Demetrius Jackson, Brice Johnson, Skal Labissiere, Jamal Murray, Joakob Poeltl and Denzel Valentine.
Here is the full list of NBA combine participants: https://t.co/Lwh3TKtEds
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) May 5, 2016
Yes, Ben Simmons is skipping the NBA Draft Combine. Interesting strategy for a player who appears to be losing some grip on the top overall draft spot.
The Draft Combine is a chance for teams to get official measurements on the prospects and get their first chance to sit down one on one with the players for individual interviews. Some of the prospects later in the first round and second round will play full-length scrimmages and the prospects will also participate in skills-based drills.
The offseason is beginning to get real.
Quickly after the Draft things turn to free agency and prospect evaluation turns to Summer League.
Orlando will once again host and participate in the Orlando Pro Summer League at the Amway Center (still closed to the public). And it appears at least a few invitations have already gone out.
Orlando will once again field two teams and so there will likely be a roster full of players the Magic want to look at for their main roster and training camp and a slew of players they will be looking at for the Erie Bayhawks, their D-League affiliate. Of course, that D-League team nearly won the whole thing last year with the Magic holding out some key players from the main roster.
So one of the slots on one of those two teams will go to Montenegrin big man Danilo Nikolic, according to BeoBasket.net:
Danilo Nikolic will play Summer league in Orlando, for local team, Orlando Magic! Between the 2nd and 8th of July! #BeoBasket
— Misko4Raznatovic (@MiskoRaznatovic) May 5, 2016
Nikolic was the starting center for Mega Leks in Spain, the same team first round prospect Timothe Luwawu plays for. He averaged 10.6 points and 5.1 rebounds per game for his team, shooting 43.4 percent effective field goal percentage. He shot 33.8 percent on 3-pointers, taking more than five 3-pointers per game.
He projects as a stretch-4 in the NBA. But probably still has a little bit of work to do to make the roster. Getting a shot in a NBA Summer League. He is definitely a project and perhaps someone worth examining. Nikolic is just 23 years old, so he still has plenty of room to grow.
That will likely be one of the names to expect at Summer League.
Who should we not expect? Mario Hezonja and likely Janis Timma will probably not play in Sumer League this year because of national team duties. The Olympic Qualifying Tournaments for their respective national teams take place at the same time as the Orlando Summer League.
And, of course, Fran Vazquez will not be playing because . . . well, we know why at this point.
There are a few players who we can be fairly certain will be in consideration for a roster spot in Summer League. Here are five players to watch as the Magic begin naming their Summer League roster (note: this list does not include incoming rookies).
Next: Tyler Harvey