By Isaac Agyekum-Harris
To most people or the common sports fan, the NBA Summer League is 11 days of watching rookies and the sophomores of the Association play each other in the desert of Las Vegas to transition into the upcoming season. Although in theory that’s what its fundamental purpose is, for the five days I attended it served a bigger purpose than as the transition period for new players. It serves as a foundational period for the teams that are in the lottery. It serves as a chance for a G-league player to break out and show teams that they’re more than a two-way or Exhibit 10 contract. It serves as basketball’s “Coachella” where you can see the headliners that are going to put on a show, but you always find the hidden gems and future stars in the opening acts. Now I’m not saying in this edition of the summer league all the hidden gems are going to shine, however, of those that did, a few represented our very own Washington Wizards.
Going into the summer league, the Wizards already had the idea that the roster they developed would help build a foundation for the future and would give them a new perspective on what talent they already have. The team has finally committed to its rebuilding and drafted young players to help build a great future. The seven-foot tall, second overall pick from France, Alex Sarr, was an intriguing headliner for the Wizards and was viewed by many, including my colleagues at the station: the cornerstone of the draft for DC. However, I never viewed Sarr alone as the foundation of the Wizards’ future, I always looked at this draft class as valuable pieces in the construction. Sure enough, I was right. Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George, and members of the Capital City Go-Go showed they’re equally important pieces to the foundation that Will Dawkins is building in the district.
The Wizards went 3-2 in the summer league, and it showed how beautiful the process of building a foundation looks. To start things in their first win, 14th pick in the draft Bub Carrington made an electric debut scoring a huge 16 points against the Atlanta Hawks. Additionally, Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George also showed out with impressive performances –with 12 points, 4 blocks, and 7 rebounds; and 7 points and 3 rebounds respectively. However, Capital City Go-Go member Justin Champagnie put up a sneaky 18 points that almost went unnoticed in the win against Hawks.
In their second game, The Wizards lost 109-91 to the very deep Houston Rockets team featuring Baltimore’s own Cam Whitmore. Despite the loss, there were still a lot of positives to take away from the game. For instance, Sarr is a natural defender but his offensive game needs improvement. However, given the right opportunity, his teammates Carrington and George are both strong offensively and have great potential to be focal points of any offensive scheme. Surprisingly, Justin Champaigne had an impressive offensive performance along with G-league teammate Jules Benard. Both finished with double figures against the Rockets with 18 and 14 respectively.
For the rest of the summer league, those supposed to be our headliners in the eyes of the casual basketball fan, didn’t shine as bright as the hidden gems on the roster. Let me be clear, this isn’t a terrible thing. Alex Sarr demonstrated in the last two summer league games that while he has work to do on his offensive game, he is a natural defender. The hidden gems of the summer, such as Bub Carrington, Kyshawn George and the Capital City Go-Go members, shined a little brighter than usual. That’s always a good sign. Having players like Tyler Funk, Jules Benard and Justin Champaigne showing that they fill their own potential roles for the team puts the Wizards in a fascinating position. Additionally, they also provided a great veteran presence for the rookies getting introduced to league life.
Head coach for Wizards summer league team and Capital City Go-Go, Cody Toppert, mentioned during the post-game press conference in the loss against Houston that this experience is just part of building a foundation for the team. He was right in that regard. This offseason was the first time the Wizards are finally starting to lay out the bricks to build a bright future.
Like Coachella, the NBA Summer League is a great place to see the headliners shine but is also a place to investigate the hidden gems that will shine later. Right now, between the development with their G league players and incoming young talent, the Wizards are very well positioned to develop their program and its players into the stars we hope to see
