Top 5 Worst 2024 NBA Summer League Player Performances

David Connelly
Host · Writer
5. Rob Dillingham vs. Pelicans (7/12/2024) - 4 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 2/12 FG, 0/5 3P
Rob Dillingham put together some strong performances in the four games following this stinker of an opener, so we aren't too concerned here. But it wasn't a pretty performance for the Kentucky product on his Summer League debut. While he was able to contribute a bit on the boards and with his playmaking, the scoring was nowhere to be found. His other performances help take the heat off him for now, but it will always be difficult to defend a four-point performance from a top-ten pick in the Summer League.
1. Alex Sarr vs. Trail Blazers (7/16/2024) - 0 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 0/15 FG, 0/7 3P
This might qualify as the worst Summer League performance the NBA has ever seen. Alex Sarr just could not take the lid off the bucket all game, despite 15 attempts at doing so. While it was known entering the draft that he was far from a finished product on the offensive end, this should send off some alarm bells for his offensive development going forward. He was projected to be a strong three-point shooter, and going "oh for" both from the field and beyond the arc shows there may be more work to be done than anticipated.
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2. Bronny James vs. Rockets (7/12/2024) - 8 PTS, 5 REB, 0 AST, 3/14 FG, 0/8 3P
Those who said Bronny James was ready for the NBA and had something to offer at the next level are off to a rough start. He had a brutal beginning to his stint in the Vegas Summer League, going 3-for-14 from the floor. The other supposed strength of his game entering the NBA was his ability to shoot it from deep. His zero-for-eight from beyond the arc in this outing certainly did not help bolster those claims, and it's no help that the public eye is all over every minute he plays. If things don't turn around quickly, the media will swallow him up in a heartbeat.
3. Donovan Clingan vs. Spurs (7/13/2024) - 4 PTS, 13 REB, 1 AST, 1/8 FG, 0/3 3P
While Donovan Clingan was able to snatch 13 rebounds in this game, his offensive output was atrocious. The one-for-eight on its own is alarming, but his inability to shoot from deep throughout Summer League keeps him from being that potential stretch big that was advertised as a possibility throughout the draft process. We're far from pushing the panic button on his potential in the NBA, but he'll need to develop a respectable jump shot, at least if he is looking to have All-Star aspirations in his career.
4. Cody Williams vs. 76ers (7/10/2024) - 2 PTS, 3 REB, 2 AST, 0/8 FG, 0/4 3P
Cody Williams has all of the physical tools to be a star in the NBA, but he went toward the back of the top ten because he lacks the polish that other prospects had. It showed in this performance, as he really struggled to get anything to fall or to really make any sort of impact on the game. The poor shooting is alarming, but he isn't the kind of prospect who can make up for a poor shooting night by filling out the stat sheet elsewhere. He averaged just 3.0 rebounds per game at Colorado as a 6'8" forward. If the scoring doesn't surface sooner or later, Williams could really struggle to cement himself into the team rotation with Utah.
5. Rob Dillingham vs. Pelicans (7/12/2024) - 4 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST, 2/12 FG, 0/5 3P
Rob Dillingham put together some strong performances in the four games following this stinker of an opener, so we aren't too concerned here. But it wasn't a pretty performance for the Kentucky product on his Summer League debut. While he was able to contribute a bit on the boards and with his playmaking, the scoring was nowhere to be found. His other performances help take the heat off him for now, but it will always be difficult to defend a four-point performance from a top-ten pick in the Summer League.
1. Alex Sarr vs. Trail Blazers (7/16/2024) - 0 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST, 0/15 FG, 0/7 3P
This might qualify as the worst Summer League performance the NBA has ever seen. Alex Sarr just could not take the lid off the bucket all game, despite 15 attempts at doing so. While it was known entering the draft that he was far from a finished product on the offensive end, this should send off some alarm bells for his offensive development going forward. He was projected to be a strong three-point shooter, and going "oh for" both from the field and beyond the arc shows there may be more work to be done than anticipated.
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