We are less than a month removed from the Celtics closing out the Mavericks to win the 2023-24 NBA Finals and the league is back in the spotlight with the start of Vegas Summer League play.
The action tips off with Cavs vs Magic at 4 PM ET and finishes with Nuggets vs Clippers at 10 PM ET. All of Friday's action will be broadcast on either ESPN or NBA TV.
Our team has run through all the player props available for tonight's action to identify our 4 best bets.
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The Magic have to be thrilled to have selected Tristan Da Silva in the middle of the 1st round of the NBA Draft. The stretch 4 can do it all on the offensive end, including playmaking for his teammates at a high rate from the top of the key.
Similar to Franz Wagner, I expect Orlando to give Da Silva ball handling duties throughout Game 1 allowing him to conduct the offense at his pace. As a four-year player at Colorado, his 3PT% took a tick towards the later end of his career so look for the coaching staff to give him the green light from downtown.
One of the forgotten Cavs, Emoni Bates helped the Cavs to the 2023 Summer League championship last season in Vegas. Over six games he averaged over 17 PPG on 40% from beyond the arc.
As recent draftee Jayson Tyson will take more of an on-ball role for the summer Cavs, Bates should get about five to six looks from deep, and as a dominant force last summer and into the G-league season, a hot start to his second SL campaign is on the way.
Our favorite match from NBA draft night, Bub Carrington begins his summer league against the Hawks at 9:30PM EST. While the spotlight will be on the #1 and #2 picks Zach Rissacher & Alex Sarr, Carrington is a player who could shine in Vegas with his 6’9 wingspan and 6’5 frame to crash the boards and get into the paint and draw fouls against smaller point guards.
Washington will look to give Bub Carrington ball-handling duties from the start as they look to continue their rebuild by giving Bilal Coulibaly and Carrington massive offensive roles this season. Carrington is also known for his debuts - he dropped a triple-double in his first game for Pitt last season.
Kobe Brown of the Clippers averaged a tick over 17 PPG and nearly 9 RPG, last summer league, in four full games. Heading into his 2nd campaign in Vegas, we are expecting the Clippers coaching staff to utilize guards Cam Christie and Amari Bailey early on as they look to try and fill the Paul George void by one of these ball-dominant or hot-shooting wings to alleviate the load off of Harden and Westbrook.
While Kobe Brown should be a force on the boards, his extremely limited playing time for the Clippers should make it difficult for him to step in and have an instant impact. He played just 9 MPG in 44 games for LAC last season.