NBA Summer League in Las Vegas has come and gone, leaving basketball fans across the world wondering which rookie performers will be the best of the best. Obviously Victor Wembanyama, Brandon Miller and Scoot Henderson enter the season with a lot of hype given that they were the top three picks in this year's draft, but so many rookies put together great performances this summer.
However, Summer League is not necessarily about the incoming rookie class, as plenty of experienced talent looking to earn themselves deals in the NBA participate in the league's showcase each and every offseason.
There have been various players through the years that have earned themselves two-way contracts and guaranteed contracts from their play in Las Vegas Summer League and we should expect the same to occur heading towards the start of training camp in September.
Several players who have been playing professionally for a couple of years left their mark at Summer League and now, these five players in particular have a chance to earn themselves a real contract in the NBA for the 2023-24 season.
Sam Merrill – Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers ended up winning the 2023 NBA Summer League championship and Sam Merrill was a big reason why they ended up finding so much success with a perfect 6-0 record. The last pick of the draft in 2020, Merrill began his career with the Milwaukee Bucks, only to then play for the Memphis Grizzlies and most recently the Cavaliers. Spending a lot of time in the G League the last couple of seasons, Merrill has really started to prove his worth as a three-point shooting weapon.
In Las Vegas, Merrill was arguably the best perimeter shooting threat on the floor, as he made a total of 25 threes, the most out of anyone in Summer League, and he shot 44.6 percent from three-point range. He made at least three perimeter shots in every single game he played in for the Cavs this summer and while he does have a non-guaranteed contract right now, Merrill definitely deserves to have a guaranteed deal for the 2023-24 season.
