Plus TWO podcasts talking Wizards

The Wizards emerged from the 2022 NBA summer league with a 3-2 record, a positive scoring differential, and one of Las Vegas’s three most productive players, and the whole thing was still disappointing.

The team’s public-facing officials will work with strategic communications consultant Alfred E. Neumann so they can recite the usual platitudes, like…

• It’s only summer league.
• {Player Name} is only {say correct age}
• What — me worry?

The team’s overall performance was fine. As you’ll see from the numbers below, several players performed well, and at least kinda-sorta made the case that they merited a training camp invitation. That feeling of disappointment stems from the reality that none of the guys who played well were the ones the team were hoping would perform. Those guys stunk.

Matt Modderno, host of the Bleav in Wizards podcast, joined me on the #SoWizards podcast to break down Washington’s summer league and discuss what any of it means. Listen here, below, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Also, Matt and I talked on his podcast about whether the Wizards target player archetypes in the draft that are actually valuable in the current NBA. Listen here, below or wherever you get your podcasts.

To the summer league data…

The Good

• Pat Spencer — all-time great lacrosse player who liked basketball better and decided to try and make the NBA — was Washington’s top performer, and the third most productive player in Las Vegas (minimum 100 possessions). The only player in summer league to average a triple-double per 100 team possessions? Spencer (23.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, 14.3 assists). He’s already 26, he doesn’t exactly “get after it” on defense, and his low status entering the league means he probably never makes it. But as I said on my #SoWizards podcast, he’s someone I could see having a Jeremy Lin-like binge for a few weeks if a team gets desperate enough to give him minutes.
• Jordan Goodwin — A good athlete, good guy and good defender, who might have just enough offensive game to crack an NBA roster.
• Quenton Jackson — Blazing fast with a high motor, Jackson gave some defensive effort, produced a ton of steals (5.3 per 100 possessions), and led the team to victory in their final summer league game with a spectacular fourth quarter binge.

Okay but…

Every year, someone has a good summer league that’s devoid of meaning. To be honest, Spencer, Goodwin and Jackson may fall into that category, along with these guys:

• Vernon Carey Jr. — Carey lost some weight and looked a bit lighter on his feet and quicker off the ground. And he was productive — 28.5 points and 16.4 rebounds per 100 possessions. What he did — post-ups, jump hooks and lobs — aren’t the kind of thing that works for a 6-9 guy who lacks elite athleticism.
• Jaime Echenique — Big, productive (24.8 points and 15.9 rebounds per 100 possessions…as well as 9.9 fouls per 100) and slooooooooow. It’s easy to envision Echenique banging away with someone like Felton Spencer in the 1990s. It’s much more challenging to see how much of anything that made him effective in summer league translates to regular season NBA games.
• Tahjere McCall — Made shots and played defense. He’s likely to be in the G League or playing overseas next season.

The Bad

• Isaiah Todd — The Wizards said they were using summer league to “showcase” Todd. He was their second least productive player (with at least 100 possessions) — an 80 offensive rating (21 points per 100 possessions below the summer league average; 29.4 points per 100 below the Wizards’ summer league average). At 6-10, he produced just 6.6 rebounds per 100 team possessions. He notched 1 assist in a team-leading 121 minutes…and 6 turnovers. His strength is supposed to be shooting, and he hit hit just 43.8% on twos, 30.3% on threes, and 50.0% on free throws. The “but he’s only 20” argument only goes so far — the summer league’s most productive player (according to my PPA metric) was Jabari Walker, a 19-year old who was the 57th pick in the draft.
• Johnny Davis — About as complete a debacle as a player could have at summer league. He shot poorly (27.8% on twos, 33.3% on threes), had more turnovers than assists, and looked physically out of his depth (just 1 steal and no blocks in 74 minutes, only 6 trips to the FT line, and a whopping 5.7 fouls per 100 team possessions).

Jordan Schakel, the two-way holdover from last season, looked fine despite so-so (for him) shooting on threes. On the plus side, his impersonation of Stephen Curry mannerisms is superb. Now if he could do more emulation Curry’s game…

Below are some numbers from summer league. The “standard” stats are per 100 team possessions.

PPA is short for Player Production Average, which is my all-around performance metric. PPA is designed to reward players for things they do that contribute to winning (scoring, rebounding, playmaking and defending) while dinging them for things that don’t (missed shots, turnovers, fouling and poor defense) — each in proper proportion.

The PPA number is for summer league only and is not a prediction of a player’s performance in regular season NBA games.

2022 NBA Summer League Leaders

Minimum 100 possessions played. Stats are provided per 100 team possessions.

Points

1. Moses Moody, GSW — 41.5
2. Cam Thomas, BRK — 40.1
3. Trey Murphy III, NOP 39.6
4. Bennedict Mathurin, IND — 39.3
5. Moses Wright, DAL — 36.9

Wizards leader: Quenton Jackson — 32.8

Rebounds

1. Kofi Cockburn, UTA — 23.8
2. Tyrique Jones, NOP — 23.3
3. Darius Days, SAS — 21.1
4. Jared Uthoff, GSW — 21.1
5. Trevion Williams, BOS — 20.6

Wizards leader: Vernon Carey Jr. — 16.4

Assists

1. Pat Spencer, WAS — 14.3
2. Charlie Moore, DET — 14.0
3. James Akinjo, ATL — 13.5
4. Josh Giddey, OKC — 13.3
5. Zavier Simpson, ORL — 13.0

Steals

1. Ashton Hagans, CLE — 6.4
2. Dru Smith, MIA — 6.3
3. Tommy Kuhse, ORL — 6.1
4. Saben Lee, DET — 5.7
5. Quenton Jackson, WAS — 5.3

Blocks

1. Isaiah Jackson, IND — 6.9
2. Kyle Alexander, POR — 5.1
3. Neemias Queta, SAC — 5.0
4. Nick Richards, CHO — 5.0
5. Gabriel Chachashviili, GSW — 5.0

Wizards leader: Vernon Carey Jr. — 3.5

Turnovers

1. Nick Richards, CHO — 9.0
2. Justin Robinson, UTA — 8.8
3. Trevelin Queen, PHI — 8.8
4. Ziaire Williams, MEM — 8.7
5. Josh Giddey, OKC — 8.3

Wizards “leader”: Pierria Henry — 5.6

Fouls

1. Alpha Kaba, ATL — 14.4
2. Reggie Perry, LAC — 12.8
3. Marcus Bingham Jr. — 12.1
4. Vitto Brown, LAL — 11.8
5. Makur Maker, CHI — 10.6

Wizards “leader”: Craig Sword — 10.4

Three-point Field Goal Percentage

Minimum of 15 attempts

1. Isaiah Joe, PHI — 60.0%
2. Keon Ellis, SAC — 54.2%
3. Matt Ryan, BOS — 52.6%
4. Brodric Thomas, BOS — 52.2%
5. Cole Swider, LAL — 50.0%

Wizards leader: Tyler Hall — 44.4%

If you’re interested in something you don’t see here, please let me know in the comments.