Guide to Wizards Summer League

It’s that time of year again! Summer League is here. The league showcases many young players trying to earn roster spots as well as recent players who were drafted.

Now that the draft is over, it is time for Summer League! The league begins on July 5th and ends on July 15th. It consists of all 30 NBA teams as well as the Chinese and Croatian national teams. All the games will be played in Las Vegas.

Every team will play a minimum of five games. The top eight teams will go on to be seeded into a tournament and compete for the championship.

The Wizards kick off Summer League on July 6th against the Pelicans at 10 p.m. This will be a daunting matchup, yet exciting. The Pelicans will have three first round picks on their roster, including Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and the number one overall pick Zion Williamson, as well as second round pick Marcos Louzada Silva.

Their next game will be on July 8th against the Nets at 5:30 p.m. This will be an easier matchup than the Pelicans, but should not be taken for granted as they will have two second round picks, Nicolas Claxton and Jaylen Hands, on their roster.

After the Nets, the Wizards will play the Clippers on July 9th at 11:30p.m. The Clippers will feature their first round pick Mfiondu Kabengele and second round pick Terance Mann. This could be a challenging matchup for the Wizards as it will be the second game of a back-to-back.

Their last preliminary game will be against the Hawks on July 11th at 6:30p.m. The Hawks will be a very formidable opponent as they feature two top 10 picks, De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish, as well as second round pick Bruno Fernando.

The Wizards will have at least one more game after these four preliminary games. If their record is good enough to qualify for the tournament, they could have as many as three extra games. If they do not qualify for the tournament, they will be placed in a consolidation game.

The Wizard’s Summer League roster has not been announced yet. However, we have a brief idea of what their roster will look like.

Their Roster will be featured by the ninth overall pick Rui Hachimura. Hachimura was the first player of Japanese decent to be drafted in the first round of the NBA Draft. The 6’9 forward played three years at Gonzaga University. In his third year, he averaged 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting nearly 42 percent from three. After his last season, Hachimura was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year, first team All-American, and won the Julius Erving award for top collegiate small forward.

Admiral Schofield out of the University of Tennessee will also be on the Wizard’s Summer League team. Schofield was selected 42nd overall in the second round of the draft. The Small Forward played four years at Tennessee. In his final year he averaged 16.5 points and shot 42 percent from three. He was also named first team All-SEC.

The Wizard’s Summer League team will feature many undrafted free agents, Justin Robinson being the most notable. Robinson played four years at Virginia Tech. In his final year, the guard averaged 13.5 points and 5 assists per game. While he missed a lot of last season due to injury, he came back for the NCAA tournament and helped lead Virginia Tech to the Sweet 16.

Corey Davis Jr. signed with the Wizards as an undrafted free agent after playing two years at the University of Houston. In his second season as a Cougar, Davis averaged 17 points per game and made 111 three pointers. Davis was named first team All-AAC.

Armani Brooks is joining his teammate Corey Davis Jr. by signing with the Wizards as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Houston. In his Junior year at Houston, Brooks averaged 13.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game and hit 121 three pointers. Brooks knew that he was unlikely to be drafted, but decided to stay in the draft because he was “betting on [himself].”

Garrison Mathews will join the Wizards as an undrafted free agent out of Lipscomb University. In his senior year, Matthews averaged 20.8 points per game while shooting over 40 percent from three.

The Wizards Summer League team could also feature a few current Wizards such as Troy Brown Jr., Jordan McRae, and Tarik Philip.