In this article I’ll go over some of my players to watch. I won’t be talking about Bronny James or a teams first round pick because I think it goes without saying that they’re players to watch. The players I will be discussing will be much deeper cuts. Enjoy and be sure to comment your opinions!
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Grayson Murphy (Lakers)
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Grayson Murphy is a player that I’ve seen more than my fair share of. The 6’2 PG played 5 years of college basketball at Belmont before going to Germany where he has played for the last two seasons. He’s a bit of an old school PG. He doesn’t do anything incredibly flashy, he just runs the offense and is extremely efficient. This is evident by his 2.9 ast/to ratio. He also shot a blistering 43.3% from 3. In addition to being an incredibly efficient player he also forces opponents into lots of turnovers (2.6 steals per game) and rebounds very well for his size (just over 7 per game). I expect Murphy to have a very good summer league with guys like Bronny James and Dalton Knecht alongside him. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get a contract with the Lakers and be playing some PG minutes off of the bench at some point this year.
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Alex Fudge (Mavericks)
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Alex Fudge is a 6’8 forward from Florida. After going undrafted, he spent last season bouncing around the G League. He was able to show off his defensive prowess averaging roughly a steal and a block per game. The issue was that didn’t improve on his three point shot much at all. If he can show some growth in that area then I think there could be some PF minutes open at the end of the Mavericks rotation.
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Terquavion Smith (Trailblazers)
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Terquavion Smith is a 6’4 PG from NC State. After going undrafted last season, he signed a two-way deal with the 76ers. He appeared in 16 games (almost all for very few minutes), but he was able to show his ability to shoot the three (37%). He played 22 G League games and averaged 23 PPG while coming off of the bench most of the time. He improved on his finishing and defense while also cutting down his turnovers. If he can continue to show improvement in these areas then I think there’s a long term home for him in the NBA. It may not be with the Trailblazers due to the amount of guard depth they have, but kudos to them for giving him a chance to show out this summer.
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Jason Preston (Jazz)
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Jason Preston is a 6’4 PG from Ohio. He was the 33rd pick in the 2021 draft. Since then he has spent a lot of time in the G League. This was to be expected as he was a very late bloomer and still had lots of developing to do after being drafted. Preston’s best aspect of his game is his playmaking. This was evident by his average of 9.7 assists per game. This is far from all he can do though as he also averaged 8.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and shot 44% from 3. If he can continue to shoot and defend at that level then I believe the Jazz will have no issues finding long term minutes for him.
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Harrison Ingram (Spurs)
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Harrison Ingram is a 6’6 forward from North Carolina. He was drafted by the Spurs this year with the 48th pick. I’ve been a fan of his game going all the way back to his freshman year at Stanford. He offers the Spurs versatile defense as well as a little self creation. If he can shoot the ball as well as he did last season at North Carolina (38.5%) then I think the Spurs could have a spot for him in the rotation as soon as this season.