Drawing too many conclusions from NBA Summer League rookie performances can oftentimes be problematic. Weighting early rookie performances too heavily can often lead to dramatic errors in judgment. A player cannot prove himself to be a bust with a less-than-stellar showing at Summer League, just as a player cannot be penciled in as a future Hall of Famer just from a dominant Summer League showing.
With that being said, Summer League performances can often be a useful tool in deciphering whether an NBA player is ready for immediate regular-season contributions. Things like confidence, good shot selection, toughness, and a high basketball IQ tend to translate from Summer League to the NBA regular season. The following is a list of five NBA lottery picks from the 2024 NBA Draft, who’ve shown enough of the aforementioned traits to buy into them being immediate contributors as rookies. These players are in the right environment and have a mature enough skill set to flourish from the first tip-off on opening night.
5 NBA Lottery Picks Ready to Make Sizable Contributions as Rookies
Zaccharie Risacher
When the Atlanta Hawks selected Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick, they selected one of the least hyped top selections of all time. This time a year ago, many hoop fans had never even heard of Risacher. Now while Risacher may not be as hyped or anticipated a prospect as guys like Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson, and Victor Wembanyama, he does project to be a solid, starting caliber wing—with a high 3-and-D floor.
Additionally, with Risacher landing on the Atlanta Hawks, a team that is already home to a ball-dominant superstar in Trae Young, the young Frenchman isn’t expected to have to carry too heavy an offensive load. Risacher will likely not have many 30+ point outbursts, or certainly not as many flashy plays as Trae Young, or Jalen Johnson. But he will fit in and make a positive impact when he’s on the court. Risacher is far from the most exciting number-one pick, but his easily translatable skill set ensures him a high floor. The Hawks will want to give their number one pick as much run as he can handle during his rookie year, despite the handful of similarly sized and skilled wings already on their roster.
Reed Sheppard
Of all the rookies who performed during Summer League, Reed Sheppard of the Houston Rockets was perhaps the most exhilarating. From Devin Booker, to Jamal Murray, to Tyrese Maxey, there has long been a trend of Kentucky guards showing that they have a lot more in their bag than was on display during their time in Lexington. Reed Sheppard appears to be next in line to continue this trend.
After averaging a clean and mostly efficient 20 ppg during Summer League, and passing the eye test of nearly every NBA scout and executive, Sheppard appears ready for a full-time role with the Rockets. Shepherd’s handle and on-ball creativity appear leaps and bounds ahead of what we saw during his lone year at Kentucky. Sheppard may be slightly undersized—both in height and in heft—but he offers far too much offensive value for head coach Ime Udoka to justify not rewarding him with a significant role for a competitive Houston Rockets team.
Stephon Castle
Stephon Castle’s inclusion on this list stems largely from the situation in which he is in. The San Antonio Spurs used the fourth overall pick to scoop up the UConn guard, which indicates that they view him as their potential point guard of the future. Hopefully, the player who can lead them, with direction and purpose, into the Victor Wembanyama era. Now, the Spurs did bring in the Point God himself—Chris Paul—to help in the immediate, but Castle still figures to have a consistent role. Nobody can better show Castle how to excel at the point guard position than Paul, during what could be the final year of his career. Castle’s learning curve will be shortened exponentially by the sheer presence of Paul, and the on-court results will likely speak for themselves.
While Castle’s lack of a jump shot—evident by his 26.7% three-point percentage during his freshman year of college—may create spacing concerns in certain lineups, head coach Greg Popovich likely won’t let that stop him from deploying him early and often. Even with his shortcomings as a perimeter shooter, Castle’s elite positional size, and defensive instincts give him a high floor. The Spurs are undoubtedly eager to have Castle and Wembanyama start building on-court chemistry, so expect Castle to shoulder a significant workload throughout the majority of his rookie season.
Don0van Clingan
Donvan Clingan’s game screams immediate impact. After winning back-to-back National Championships with UConn, the big man enters the NBA with a 7-foot-2 280 lb pro-ready body. Even at the NBA level, Clingan immediately figures to be one of the biggest, most physical players in the league. As if his tape from college wasn’t evidence enough, the 4.3 blocks per game Clingan averaged during Summer league further goes to show just how much of an instantaneous defensive impact he is going to have. Expect Clingan to have a similarly impactful and impressive rookie season as Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz, who put up 9.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg, and 2.3 bpg, in just under 25 minutes a night.
While Clingan may find himself fighting for minutes early on in Portland’s already crowded frontcourt of Deandre Ayton and Robert Williams, expect these struggles not to persist throughout the season. The Trail Blazers are a team in flux, and Ayton and Williams are clearly not their long-term solution at center. Clingan may not hold a position in the starting lineup for the majority of the season. However, head coach Chauncey Billups is smart enough coach to know that Clingan needs to be a priority both for the organization’s present and future. Look for Clingan to cement himself throughout the year as a long-term keeper, along with players like Scoot Henderson, Shaedon Sharpe, and Deni Avdija.
Carlton “Bub” Carrington
Carlton ”Bub” Carrington was the final player taken in the lottery, but judging from what he showed during the Summer League, there are surely a handful of teams who already regret not jumping on the former Pitt guard earlier. Additionally, Carrington is only recently 19, which makes him one of the youngest players in his class, but his game is mature beyond his years. Originally thought of as more of a developmental project, Carrington looks ahead of schedule, and ready for a sizable workload for the rebuilding Wizards.
During Summer League, Carrington’s offensive arsenal was on full display, where he posted silky smooth averages of 15.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 5.2 apg across five contests. With great size for a guard (6-foot-6) and a great feel for the game, Carrington figures to adapt to the NBA game quickly. While veterans like Jordan Poole, and Malcolm Brogdon currently muddy up the guard rotation, if the Wizards value their future at all—which it seems they’re starting to—they’ll get Carrington into the starting lineup sooner rather than later. With enough time and opportunity, Bub Carrington could—and should—challenge for a spot on one of the All-Rookie teams.
