NBA Summer League takeaways: Lakers' Dalton Knecht, Wizards' Alex Sarr headline the good and bad from Las Vegas

NBA Summer League in Las Vegas always comes and goes in a blink.

Once the NBA Finals end, there is no time to breathe. It's straight to the NBA Draft, and free agency follows days after. The California Classic and Salt Lake City Summer Leagues get underway before you know it, and the entire basketball world travels to Las Vegas after that.

In a summer where Team USA is also gearing up for the 2024 Paris Olympics, it can be tough to keep up with all the offseason action.

That's what we're here for.

If you didn't get a chance to catch Las Vegas Summer League, The Sporting News has you covered with takeaways from some of the biggest storylines around the NBA.

If you're looking for some thoughts on Bronny James' Summer League performance, TSN's Gilbert McGregor has you covered on that front here .

Dalton Knecht, Alex Sarr headline NBA Summer League takeaways

Dalton Knecht gives glimpse of Lakers' potential

Bronny James captured most of the attention around the Lakers' Summer League roster, but don't forget about No. 17 overall pick Knecht. After shooting poorly in his first two games, the Tennessee product started to find a groove.

He scored at least 19 points in his final four games, highlighted by a 25-point performance with five 3-pointers against the Rockets. It's easy to picture how new head coach JJ Redick will draw up sets to create open looks for a shooter of Knecht's caliber.

LeBron James and Anthony Davis will enjoy having a floor spacer like that to kick out to this season.

DECOURCY: Team USA makes great choice with LeBron James as Olympic flag-bearer

Alex Sarr's horrendously bad shooting

The Wizards' No. 2 overall pick made headlines for all the wrong reasons in Las Vegas.

Sarr was the No. 1-ranked player on a lot of 2024 NBA Draft Big Boards — including my own . His high floor as a lob threat and rim protector was a big reason for that, and we saw flashes of how good he can be defensively.

But Sarr proved that beyond dunks and putbacks, the rest of his offensive game is a major work in progress. His outing against the Trail Blazers where he shot 0-for-15 from the field and 0-for-7 from 3 was among the worst performances of the entire summer.

Sarr was trying to do too much. Some of his shots reminded me of Patrick Ewing's famous "What kind of shot is that?" rant when he was a head coach at Georgetown.

Summer League isn't the end-all, be-all, though. Sarr should be just fine when he gets back to his regular role with the actual Wizards.

Jury's still out on No. 1 pick Zaccharie Risacher

Risacher hasn't received much buzz despite being the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He had an opportunity to make a loud statement at Summer League but ended up being pretty pedestrian for the Hawks.

He averaged 14.5 points over two games and shot 4-for-16 from 3-point range before being shut down due to a quad injury. He didn't show much promise as an impact defender, and there are still questions about his ability to create his own shot or be a go-to scorer.

We didn't see enough of Risacher to get a good judgment in his first taste of NBA action. That will have to wait until the preseason.

Donovan Clingan sets Summer League blocks per game record

Clingan was tabbed as one of the best rim protectors in the 2024 NBA Draft class, and he tried to solidify that title during Summer League.

The Trail Blazers center continued to put a lid on the basket, challenging seemingly every shot attempt in the paint. Racking up 17 blocks over four games, Clingan's 4.2 per game were the most in Summer League history, surpassing good company like Victor Wembanyama and Jaren Jackson Jr.

Zach Edey, Stephon Castle shows promise despite injuries

We didn't see much of Grizzlies' Edey and Spurs' Castle, but the small sample sizes were encouraging for both top-10 picks.

Edey played — and dominated — one Salt Lake City Summer League game against Jazz center Walker Kessler, but a tweaked ankle forced him to the sidelines for the start of Las Vegas. He had 14 points, 15 rebounds, and four blocks, showing he has no problem keeping up with one of the best young centers in the league.

He missed three games in Vegas and had six points (3-3 FG), three rebounds, and one block in eight minutes in his return, but he rolled his ankle again.

Castle played two California Classic games and one Las Vegas game before being shut down with a wrist injury. He averaged 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals. His two-way versatility was on full display, but most importantly, he showed improvement as an on-ball playmaker .

That development will be crucial if he wants to play point guard for the Spurs — and adding veteran Chris Paul will only help there.

Sophomores too good for Summer League: Brandon Miller, Jaime Jaquez Jr., and more

Every year, some sophomores return to Summer League and quickly prove they're too good to be there.

This year's honors go to Charlotte's Brandon Miller, Miami's Jaime Jaquez Jr., Golden State's Brandin Podziemski, and Utah's Keyonte George, to name a few.

Miller played in one game and scored 23 points with five 3-pointers. Jaquez was awesome in two games, averaging 26.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals while shooting 58.1 percent from the field. Podziemski stuffed the stat sheet over two games, averaging 18.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.5 steals.

George was shut down before Las Vegas after going off for 30 and 31 points in two Salt Lake City Summer League games.

All four of those players made an All-Rookie Team and should be expected to have even bigger impacts as sophomores.

Scoot Henderson's decision to sit out

On the flip side, it was disappointing to see Henderson courtside in street clothes for Trail Blazers games in Las Vegas.

The No. 2 overall pick failed to live up to expectations in his debut season. He didn't make an All-Rookie Team and only averaged 14.0 points, 5.4 assists, and 3.1 rebounds on ugly .385/.325/.819 shooting splits.

Even though he started to find his footing late in the season, Summer League would have been a great opportunity to showcase his offseason work and regain his confidence.