2024 Summer League review & roster updates

Vezenkov, Freeman-Liberty no longer Raptors, rookies show some promise

A quiet looking Monday became relatively noisy in Raptors land when it was announced that both Javon Freeman-Liberty and Sasha Vezenkov were waived.

With Freeman-Liberty, I think the trade for Davion Mitchell and the drafting of Ja’Kobe Walter as well as Jamal Shead meant the writing was on the wall.

As for Vezenkov, my reading of the tea leaves was that a lucrative offer from Greece’s Olympiacos with a star player role was much more appealing to him than a small role on a team that would be at best mediocre. Based on the few comments made by the Raptors front office, it seemed like a matter of when and not if Vezenkov would be parting ways.

https://x.com/vivekmjacob/status/1812295383860596745

Sportsnet’s Blake Murphy reported that Vezenkov will not receive any of the $6.7M that was due to him this season. Early reports indicate that Vezenkov is set to receive an offer in the range of 17M Euros over five years. It’s worth noting that this amount is net of taxes unlike the NBA. European teams also have a reputation of adding several lifestyle perks to sweeten their offers.

Coming back to a Raptors perspective, the team is now approximately $11M under the luxury tax and so there’s a lot more breathing room and some roster flexibility. Rather than use the full mid-level, it seems likely the franchise will take a flier on someone. Christian Koloko is a possibility, hopeful of playing in the NBA again having receiving clearance from his own medical team after dealing with blood clot issues that led to him being waived by Toronto last season.

With Kelly Olynyk backing up Jakob Poeltl at the five, Koloko being the third string big wouldn’t be a bad way to go as he looks to ease his way back if cleared.

Now, let’s talk Las Vegas Summer League!

NON-ROOKIE CLASS

The biggest thing you want to see from players who aren’t rookies at Summer League is whether they’ve made themselves too good to be in Vegas. Project players are exceptions, but in the case of someone like Gradey Dick, it was really encouraging to see that he looked a level above what was mostly on offer.

Even though we only saw him for a total of 37 minutes, his 18-point, 10-rebound, six-assist night against the OKC Thunder showcased the well-rounded nature of his game. Among the little things he brings to the table, his nose for the ball on the glass — especially on the offensive end — is something I really enjoy watching. He had seven offensive rebounds in the 37 total minutes he played.

Having seen the way his shot evolved over the course of last season, I don’t care to read much into him going 0-for-9 from deep during his time on the floor.

On the other end of the spectrum is Ochai Agbaji. To be entering his third season and flatter to deceive in this setting is a suboptimal outcome.

Ever the positive reinforcer, Jama Mahlalela called Agbaji an elite finisher but he’s a long way from being that. While I do think Agbaji has excellent cutting instincts and a nose for offensive rebounds, it’s exactly his finishing that leaves plenty to be desired. While I understand being low on Agbaji, I’m also not going to write him off based on Summer League when he’s a player who is always going to need to be a “little things king” playing next to better players. Summer League doesn’t offer those lineups.

Darko Rajakovic talked about how they’ve adjusted Agbaji’s shooting mechanics and so that may be a work in progress over the course of the season. It would be unfair to expect that aspect of his game to change a significant amount in a couple months.

ROOKIE CLASS

What most encouraged me about Ja’Kobe Walter was his ability to make things happen going towards the basket as well as show good composure in and around the paint. It was more so via work he was doing via cutting or running off pin downs to help him build some separation as opposed to off the dribble and that’s just where he is with his game coming into his rookie season.

From recognizing the opportunity to cut to showing great footwork and patience under the basket, I loved every bit of what Walter did here against the Spurs:

Walter went 6-for-29 from deep over the five games including a combined 0-for-12 against the Thunder and Jazz. He has a great looking shooting stroke and so it’s really not worth having some grand takeaway about a small stretch of bad shooting until we see a large enough sample size under the bright lights.

Defensively, you can see the potential to be a disruptor without gambling too much. His general awareness shows that he has good basketball IQ and instincts but his physical stature will understandably be a limiting factor

It’s a pity Jonathan Mogbo only saw 25 total minutes of action because of a back contusion after a hard fall in the second half of the game against the Nuggets. Having played as a small-ball centre in college, Mogbo will be slotting in as a forward in the NBA who can guard bigs and perhaps guards in a pinch. He showed a pretty good ability to stay in front of ball handlers and I liked that his help rotations were also at a decent level for a rookie.

His offence has a loooong way to go. Some have noted his passing instincts and the way he was used as a playmaking big in college and, while you can see the instincts, passing becomes a much more arduous challenge at the NBA level when you have very limited scoring gravity.

Jamal the defender that can’t be Shead is the pest you love to have on your team. He is an absolute workhorse with infectious energy and you can’t have anything but respect for the way he plays the game. Offensively, he’s tough for defenders to get a handle on when he has a head of steam but you can see how the shooting will determine the longevity of his NBA career. He was a career 29.6% three-point shooter through four years of college and it’ll be hard to get a step on a defender with opponents happily going under screens and backing off him.

As a four-year college pro, Shead has a really good head on his shoulders and I enjoyed watching the leadership he showed at LVSL in different moments.

Can’t finish up without talking about the varying types of intrigue big men Branden Carlson and Ulrich Chomche showed. Carlson did five years of college and brings that matured understanding of the game to the table. His shot blocking instincts as a stretch-five are tantalizing and it’ll be fun to see with the 905.

Chomche is as raw as they come when it comes to finishing on the offensive end but there was plenty on offer to see why the Raptors thought he was worth a gamble with pick no. 57. His rim protecting instincts are excellent and he runs the floor really well. He’s a big who can legitimately sprint and that makes him all the more fascinating. The kid’s 18-years-old and making a career transition away from farming. It’s already a heartwarming story.