Four Under The Radar Prospects To Watch At Vegas Summer League
Four Under The Radar Prospects To Watch At Vegas Summer League
Dakota Schmidt writes about Kyle Foster, Alondes Williams, Jamal Cain, and Alex Morales and why you should keep an eye on them.
Even though we’re less than two weeks removed from the 2022 NBA Draft that took place on June 23rd, we’re already getting a chance to watch these rookies apply their craft. This started on July 2nd when Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat kicked off San Francisco Summer League where the Lakers’ core of young prospects demolished Miami’s 100-66 thanks to a solid performance by South Bay Lakers forward Paris Bass.
While the action has already kicked off, the main event of those festivities will begin tonight when the Las Vegas Summer League kicks off with a matchup between the Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets. On that night and the remaining 10 days, the attention of the masses will focus on their favorite team or top rookies like Paolo Banchero, Jabari Smith, Keegan Murray, and Chet Holmgren. However, focusing solely on those young saplings during this event will have you missing a forest of talented players that surround these rosters.
As we’re now hours away from the start of the Sin City festivities, lets take a look at five under-the-radar incoming rookie prospects that you should keep an eye on.
Alondes Williams - Brooklyn Nets
18.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.2 steals on 51% from the field and 28% from beyond the arc on 4.1 attempts per game. 58% True Shooting Percentage (TS%). 55% effective Field Goal Percentage (eFG%) in 2021-22.
Fresh off his lone season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, where he performed at a level where he was named as the ACC Player of the Year and as an AP All-American Honorable Mention. That tremendous offensive production came through how he was able to utilize his threat as a ball-handler to create opportunities for both himself and his surrounding teammates.
It’s fun to watch him work with the ball in his hands as the handles are tight and he’s more than capable of using counters, spins, or change of speed moves to work around his man. Once he gets past that original perrimeter defender, the great work continues through how he can utilize his strong 210 pound frame to finish through contact. His strong frame combined with his crafty ball-handling allowed the 23-year-old to shoot 66% from around the rim on 250 total attempts, according to Synergy Sports.
While Alondes was great at utilizing his natural and trained traits to be an excellent downhill threat, he also showed a knack of using them to help the other four men on his team. An example of that is evident in the clip below as the pride of Milwaukee, Wisconsin actually slows down his dribble to draw the attention of the defense long enough for a big to dive to the paint. At the moment that he captures the attention of two Blue Devils, our man delivers a feed to his teammate, who finishes with a hard one-handed slam at the dunker spot.
Alondes Williams will look to show that hard work to the world in Las Vegas where the new Brooklyn Nets two-way prospect will make his debut on July 8th when they take on the Milwaukee Bucks.
Alex Morales - Golden State Warriors
17.6 points, 8 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 1.8 steals on 48% from the field and 34% from beyond the arc on 2.8 attempts per game. 55% TS%. 51% eFG% in 2021-22.
In the run up to the 2021 NBA Draft, one under the radar prospect that caught my eye as I was going through film was a 6’6 guard from Wagner, a small Staten Island university that competes in the Northeast Conference (NEC). During the 2021-22 campaign where he hopped on my radar, the Jersey boy averaged 16.8 points, 7.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.8 steals per game on 445 from the field and 32% from beyond the arc on 3.2 attempts per game. Those numbers were excellent enough that the college named him as their Player of the Year.
After the aforementioned flirtations with the NBA Draft, Alex returned to Wagner for his super senior season to help the university build on their regular season conference championship. While that didn’t happen, as they finished 2nd in the regular season and lost in the conference title game, the 6’6 guard still played well enough to repeat as the NEC Player of the Year.
The 24-year-old’s back-to-back status as the premier player in his conference comes through him being the type of do-it-all guard that was able to contribute in multiple ways. When you watch him work during a singular game, there’s a great chance that you’ll be able to see him push the ball down the floor in transition or fighting for offensive rebounds to give his team a second chance to score. For me, the one biggest thing about Morales that has had me high on him is how good he is as a facilitator.
Although he might never be the leader of a unit, whether that’s coming off the bench in the NBA, or as a starter in the G League or oversees ball, the 6’6 guard is great at utilizing his size to see over the floor and be able to find the open man, whether they’re cutting to the rim or spotted up at the three-point line. While his work as a facilitator is more reactionary than being him proactive by manipulating the defense, that size mixed with the quick decision making that he has should allow him to be a solid part of whatever rotation he’s going to be in the fall.
Jamal Cain - Miami Heat
19.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.8 steals on 50% from the field and 30% from 3 on 3.8 attempts per game. 59% TS%. 54% eFG%
Over the last few years, the Miami Heat have stood a step above their other 29 NBA foes at being able to find overlooked prospects, put them in a great situation to develop, and then reap the benefits. All you need to do is to take one glance at their roster and wtiness the success stories in Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, and Omer Yurtseven, who have all turned into players that have made an impact at the NBA level. While that my not seem like much, its further than the expectations that any NBA executive would have for undrafted players.
One player that will be looking to join that quartet is former Oakland forward Jamal Cain. In the year prior to his current summer fling with Miami, Jamal entered the Horizon League after a four-year run with Marquette and took the conference by storm. The man from Michigan was able to do that through being a terror within the restricted area through his work as a tremendous offensive rebounder and an off-ball cutter.
In regards to his work on the offensive glass, Cain averaged 3 offensive rebounds per game, a great average for a slimmer 6’7, 191 pound forward. Those numbers come from how Jamal is both a smart and tenacious player that is able to quickly recognize openings around the restricted area and be able to take advantage. All of those traits allowed him to shoot 67% from the restricted area on 192 total attempts. That allowed him to average 1.430 points per possession (PPP), good enough to put him in the 91st percentile, according to Synergy Sports.
A visual example of that is seen in the clip below from Oakland’s matchup against Detroit Mercy. Starting on the wing, Jamal quickly recognizes the defensive attention that’s being drawn to the driving guard, which left a lot of open room for him to cut. As he’s cutting, the 6’7 forward shakes off a defender, dives to the restricted area, gathers the ball, and finishes with a strong one-handed slam.
While Jamal doesn’t have much in terms of perimeter shooting chops, as he shot just 30% from beyond the arc on 3.8 attempts per game during his super senior season at Oakland, Jamal’s mix of athleticism and knack as an excellent cutter allow him to be a great target for any facilitator that he’s working with. If our subject is able to showcase those chops in Las Vegas, then the Oakland alum may be taking the steps needed to be Miami’s next undrafted find.
Kyle Foster - Detroit Pistons
15.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.1 steals on 45% from the field and 46% from beyond the arc on 7.9 attempts per game. 65% TS%. 62% eFG%
In the build up to this year’s G League Elite Camp, one name that caught my eye and led me down a rabbit hole of film was former Howard forward Kyle Foster. Standing as a 6’5 wing, Foster was able to land on the All-MEAC First Team during his senior season due to his ability as a shooter. While doing most of his damage as a catch-and-shoot threat, he isn’t just a stand-still shooter as he’s very active with moving off-ball to get to his spot. Once getting to that area, it’s just incredibly impressive to see how quick he is with setting his feet, catching the pass and throwing up a shot.
A random example of that is evident below as Kyle is just so quick with setting his feet, adjusting his hips, catching the ball, and releasing without dipping that ball That super quick process makes it so that the ball is already in the air before the defender was able to close out.
Although some may be worried about how Kyle didn’t show much of an offensive arsenal besides being a fantastic catch-and-shoot threat, his prowess as a catch-and-shoot player that can also move without the ball makes him a threat that any team should want in an era based around space and movement. If he gets palying time in Vegas, don’t be surprised to see Foster go off as he should get open looks while working around Detroit’s impressive young core of guards like Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Livers, Saben Lee, and Cade Cunningham.