The dust has settled following the 2023 Summer League Championship featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers & Houston Rockets. All I have to say is Isaiah Mobley is a real NBA player. I already knew this but his dominant performance* throughout Summer League and in the Final game was one befitting for a second-year player with an experience and maturity advantage. Mobley got after it on the glass, scored around the rim (with layups & floaters), and communicated very well as the team leader.
Other standouts included sharpshooter Sam Merrill & newly-drafted Emoni Bates. Merrill’s three-ball (dropped 27! in the title game) should earn him either a two-way spot or a standard contract w/ the Cavs. Mobley & Bates could also both push for “regular” roster spots. Bates can really put the ball in the hole.
His activity as a playmaker, though, is further along than I expected - he’ll be a big-time scorer in the G League (next season) if there aren’t any available minutes to kick off his career. That said, he has the supreme talent and budding intangibles to claim a rotation spot by the end of 2023-24.
Winning a Summer League title was a nice step forward for Cleveland’s (relatively) young prospects and coaching staff. Could it be a precursor of success for the “Big League” club in 2024?
*named LVSL Championship Game MVP w/ a line of 28, 11 rebounds, 3 dimes, 2 steals & 2 blocks