The Utah Summer League is the smallest of the three Summer League Tournaments, with the others in Orlando and Las Vegas. Only four teams participated in the Utah summer League. The Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Utah Jazz were the four teams involved in the three-day league. With top picks Ben Simmons on the 76ers and Jaylen Brown of the Celtics playing in Utah, the league was filled with talent and media attention. While there were only four teams in the league, there was still a group of players not currently under contract with a NBA team that stood out from the rest. Let’s take a look at the standouts from the Utah Summer League.
Christian Wood- Philadelphia 76ers
Christian Wood was made for Summer League. Wood quickly dominated the Utah Summer League in every way possible. In his first game in Summer League for the Philadelphia 76ers, Wood posted 20 points and 5 rebounds in only 15 minutes of play. Wood’s best game of the week came against the San Antonio Spurs. He controlled the game with 19 points and 7 rebounds in just under 20 minutes of action. He then followed that game up with a 17 point and 6 rebound performance once again in only 15 minutes. Wood showed major improvements in many aspects of his game. He shot 50% from the three-point line in Summer League. While at times, he struggled to play under controlled, he improved each game. Wood did not earn a contract with the 76ers though. Instead, he quickly scored a deal with the Charlotte Hornets. Wood was already knocking on the NBA’s door before Summer League, and after, it became clear Wood belongs in the league. He finished the Summer League averaging 18.6 points and six rebounds in only 16.6 minutes per game.
Bryn Forbes- San Antonio Spurs
When Bryn Forbes went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, it surprised many people. Forbes came into his own last season with the Michigan State Spartans. After transferring to MSU for his junior and senior season, Fobes struggled to find his game in his junior year. His scoring dropped from 15.6 points per game to 8.6. Forbes’ senior year at MSU was remarkable. His scoring upped to 14.4 points per game, but the efficiency he was able to score with, was what made him such a valuable player to the Spartans. He shot 48.1% from the field, while shooting 84% from the charity stripe. Forbes shot 48.1% from the three-point line last season, good for the second best percentage in the nation. Shooting nearly 50% from three made Forbes a valuable prospect come the draft. While Forbes shockingly went undrafted, San Antonio knew what they were doing by bringing Forbes onto their Summer League roster. In his three games in Utah, Forbes was great. He averaged 16 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He did this while shooting just under 44% from three. The Spurs signed Forbes to a multi-year deal after the Utah Summer League. He will battle with other fringe NBA players for a roster spot on one of the best teams in the NBA, but he has a good chance of making the Spurs team. Forbes can score the ball well and his efficiency should please Gregg Popovich more than it would most other coaches. After a great Summer League, Forbes has found himself knocking on the door of an NBA roster.
Dionte Christmas- Utah Jazz
Dionte Christmas received limited minutes for the Jazz in the Utah Summer League, but he was effective in his time on the court. He averaged 11 points per game Christmas did a little bit of everything, averaging 1.67 rebounds, 1.33 steals, and 1 assist per game. Christmas’ best game came against the Boston Celtics in which he posted 14 points and 3 rebounds off the bench. Christmas did not have a breakout Summer League, but he was effective, which is what any player trying to make an NBA roster needs to do. Christmas has spent time in the NBA and could be a guy that a team brings to camp and sees what he can do against NBA players.
