The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ 2022 Las Vegas Summer League is coming to an end soon, with one remaining game this Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks at 3 PM Eastern. There have been a lot of ups and downs, intriguing prospects, and a ton of questions to answer.
The team currently sits at 2-2 with wins over the San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons. We should also take a second to acknowledge the play of guys like Amar Sylla and Cam Young, two players who may have played themselves into G-League spots, but we’ll have to see.
There are many things to take away from this year’s Summer League, and we’ll look at two of the biggest ones in today’s article.
Takeaway #1: Ochai Agbaji’s looked like the right pick for the Cavs
The biggest takeaway has been the play of Ochai Agbaji and how he’s looked like the right pick for the Cavs. Agbaji showcased his impressive 3-point ability and versatility through his four games. It’s not just his shooting ability, it’s his aggressiveness, the ability to get to his spots, and his athleticism to pair.
Agbaji took all types of shots. Drifting three-pointers, step-backs, dribble handoffs, he didn’t take a shot that he didn’t like. He looks very poised on the court, and all of these intangibles are very important for an off-ball player.
On the regular Cavs’ roster, he’ll have easier looks and won’t be playing on a team where everyone is fighting for a roster spot. It looks as he continues this path, there’s no doubt in my mind that he’ll be a steady contributor for the foreseeable future.
Takeaway #2: RJ Nembhard Jr. boosted his value
Another player with the biggest boost to their value this Summer League has been RJ Nembhard Jr.
The biggest questions surrounding Nembhard going into the summer were what kind of player he was and could he provide enough for the team to carve out a role for him.
We know how well of a scorer Nembhard is from his play in the G-League with the Cleveland Charge, but it’s about his ability to be a lead guard and how effective it can be. Through four games, Nembhard has averaged 3.8 assists to 1.8 turnovers per game. Stats don’t tell the whole story however as Nembhard has had some promising moments as a lead distributor.
It should also be stated that he isn’t playing with a legitimate lob threat and is, once again, playing with players fighting for roster spots.
At just 23 years old, Nembhard has looked like a veteran at times with the way he’s been able to get to his spots, find teammates, and operate as a top 2 scoring option.
The Cavaliers made a couple of guard signings this offseason with a Collin Sexton long-term deal potentially to come as well. It seems as if Nembhard will be spending another year with the Charge for the most part, as he’s currently on a two-way deal again, which would suit him better than not getting opportunities with the main team.
Nembhard can look to improve his shot, work on his ability as a lead guard, and continue to take advantage of the opportunities given to him. Nembhard could reach a point where he is too good for the G-League and who knows, maybe the team will look to give him a shot at some point during the year.
However you look at it, the 2022 Vegas Summer League was a success for Cleveland and was a great opportunity to showcase certain players.