Latest news with #playerdevelopment
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
NBA Summer League is ‘extremely valuable' for scouts. Here's what they look for
The rosters are random. The stats are messy. Half the players won't be on an NBA team come October. However, for scouts sitting courtside in Las Vegas, these games are as good as gold. NBA Summer League isn't about box scores — it's a live evaluation ground where scouts search for translatable skills, development potential and hidden value beyond the surface stats. Advertisement Some fans treat summer-league performances as little more than playful sparring, while others see them as definitive statements about a player's future. However, in reality, how important is it? Do the stats, wins and individual performances matter? For NBA scouts, the summer league is far from meaningless. It's one of the most critical evaluation periods outside of the regular season. While box scores don't tell the whole story, the games offer real insight into player development, coachability, and potential fit, not just with their current team, but for the 29 others watching courtside. The Athletic interviewed several scouts, granting them anonymity to allow them to speak freely about their evaluation process. 'It's extremely valuable. Before the draft, no matter what your opinion is about a player or how analytics project him to be, it's always interesting to see how competitive they are once they get to summer league,' said one scout for a Western Conference team. 'How quickly they pick up terminology, are they culture fits and can they keep the main thing the main thing? Can they be attentive, on time and professional, especially with all the distractions in Vegas?' A poor summer performance doesn't necessarily mean a player won't turn into a quality NBA player. Jalen Brunson (7.1 points per game on 38.3 shooting), Derrick Rose (9.5 points and 4.5 turnovers per game, shooting 29.4 percent) and Nikola Jokić (8.0 points in five games) didn't wow fans or scouts right away. Summer league stats can be inflated or misleading, but scouts don't completely ignore the numbers. Efficiency, decision-making, rebounding effort, assist-to-turnover ratio, and defensive metrics are all evaluated in context, especially when paired with film and in-person observation. 'All stats matter,' one scout said. 'This is the last professional setting until training camp starts. Everything is relevant.' Advertisement An Eastern Conference scout said specific statistics validate the eye test. 'Plus/minus is considered in context to gauge overall impact,' he said. 'More than the totals, scouts focus on how these stats are generated and whether they align with winning habits. The stats should validate what you're watching and seeing a real time.' Scouts aren't just watching to see who puts up 20 points. They're studying how players react to coaching, how they communicate on the floor and whether their skill sets translate to defined NBA roles. For rookies, it's often the first time they're judged on more than just potential. 'You want to see how quickly they can adjust to the pro game — not just physically, but mentally,' another evaluator shared. 'It's not just about buckets. It's about focus, learning systems and doing the little things right.' Summer League also serves as a checkpoint for returning players on two-way deals or fighting for a roster spot. 'Developmental progression in your older players — they've usually attended summer league the year prior, so they aren't overwhelmed by the spectacle,' one scout explained. 'You're looking for leadership, consistency and execution out of those guys.' The margin between a fringe player and a playoff contributor has never been thinner, especially in the new CBA era, where teams must extract value from two-way contracts and minimum deals. The summer league has become a talent marketplace where every team is scouting not just their bench, but everyone else's. 'The new CBA deal has made it even more crucial to try and find potential fits from a bottom-up perspective,' one scout said. 'Open roster spots and two-ways could end up playing deep in the playoffs. Look at someone like Pat Spencer for the Warriors — people were like, 'Who's that and where did he come from?' And he's playing in the semifinals. Every team is there scouting every other team's roster with the hope of finding that diamond in the rough.' Advertisement One scout emphasized the importance of keeping an open mind at summer league, while another noted the need to 'watch the game within the game.' '(There is) no blank canvas because you've already seen 90 percent of these guys in college,' he said. 'You come in with your biases good or bad, but the key is to be open-minded to how they can help you.' Scouts work year-round, so it's challenging to find a hidden gem. If they find such a player, they may need to sweeten the deal to sign him before another team secures his services. Only around two or three players from every summer league team will make an NBA roster. The remaining guys sign two-way or Exhibit 10 (one-year, non-guaranteed minimum contracts) deals, play overseas or remain free agents. 'It's hard to spot someone that no one else sees, because every team has scouts at every game for that reason,' a scout explained. 'If a team gets credit for discovering a player, usually that means they offered a better deal (e.g., two-way with incentives) than the other six or seven teams that were interested in that player. 'This is like being in a petri dish. Every scouting department sees every player. The best you can do is find players who are two-way worthy.' (Photo of Dylan Harper and Cooper Flagg: Ryan Stetz / Getty Images)
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Browns roster ranked by positional units
With veterans reporting to training camp shortly, the 2025 NFL season is just around the corner. While expectations aren't too high for the Cleveland Browns this year, it'll serve as a crucial season for player development as the youth movement takes hold of the depth chart. Some positions are better off than others, as the team was forced to reset at some spots, bypass others, and added elsewhere. This looks to be a year where they will get youngsters on the field early and often and look to develop toward the future. So, as we enter another season, lets take a look at how the Browns depth chart stacks up and rank it by the talent of the positional units 7. Quarterbacks It's an awkward and confusing mess at quarterback and the future of the position is likely not on the team right now. Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett will battle it out to be the sacrificial lamb to start the season, but odds are that the pair of rookies, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders, will see a bulk of the starting time as the team determines if either can possibly be a future starter. The hit rate on mid-round quarterbacks is quite low, so odds of the third or fifth-round draft picks hitting is not in the Browns favor. While watching the young quarterbacks battle it out through the season should be fun, fans will mostly be watching how the 2026 quarterback class shapes up. 6. Linebackers The writing is on the wall for linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who went down with a scary neck injury during the season. The reports and whispers from leadership have not been promising, but when the team drafted a similar style of linebacker, Carson Schwesinger, atop the second round of the last draft, it spells out what is expected out of Owusu-Koramoah. It's a terrible cherry on top of an awful cake that has been the DeShaun Watson era for the Browns. Owusu-Koramoah was one of the team's emerging young talents and had been rewarded with a contract extension, but now fans and teammates alike have to hope we'll see him return to the field at some point at all after it was announced he won't be back for at least 2025. It'll leave the Browns with plenty of questions at the position for this season. A lot will be on rookie Carson Schwesinger's plate to take up the role Owusu-Koramoah left behind. A pair of veterans, Jordan Hicks and Devin Bush, can take up snaps but won't provide much impact. Otherwise, it'll be up to Mohamoud Diabate to take the next step. T4. [Tie] Pass Catchers & Defensive Backs It was hard to determine which group will do the Browns better next season. From a team perspective, the secondary will get far more support from the pass rush than the receivers will from their quarterbacks. However, from a pure talent perspective, there's a little more upside to the receivers. The secondary features the best player, Denzel Ward, holding down their top spot. Ward is elite enough to warrant giving the DBs an advantage, but behind him has been disappointing despite the high investments. Greg Newsome hasn't lived up to his first-round status, and Grant Delpit had a poor season after getting paid. There's some solid depth here from Martin Emerson and free agent Rayshawn Jenkins, but one safety spot will remain a question mark. While the receivers may not have a player as elite as Denzel Ward, David Njoku isn't too far behind when healthy. He's been a bright spot in bad seasons, and showed what he's capable of when Flacco had his last run with the team. Furthermore, Jerry Jeudy has shown some of that first-round upside last season when a capable passer was starting. Those two, when paired with some upside behind Cedric Tillman, gives this group a little more versatility than Ward does alone. Either way, it'll be nice to get some answers for both of these groups this season. They both feature pieces to build around, but need younger talent to step up to become mainstays. 3. Running Backs* For a brief moment, there was significant hype around the Browns run game going into the season. It was likely that the return to Kevin Stefanski's scheme would allow the Browns to lean on a ground-and-pound approach behind a stable of promising running backs. Then second-round pick Quinshon Judkins was arrested. An incredibly promising athlete, Judkins should have taken the lead back role, and while he still can, it'll come with far less enthusiasm from fans who've been through this plenty of times recently. There is still a contract and potential suspension to deal with, so there's no promise that we'll see a full season of Judkins right away. Now, returning Jerome Ford at a reduced price seems to be a blessing even if expectations aren't too high. There is still Dylan Sampson, the lightning to Judkins' thunder and the team's fourth-round pick. Sampson was a strong prospect himself, but now may get the chance to lead the team. Assuming Judkins still plays a majority of the season, there's plenty of depth and upside at this spot. 2. Defensive Line With Myles Garrett championing the defensive line, this unit couldn't not be near the top. There's still some questions surrounding Garrett, but the team has youth and the ultimate advantage next to them. Garrett has continued to be his elite, All-Pro level self as he stacks seasons toward a first-ballot Hall of Fame nomination. Adding Mason Graham to the interior with their first-round pick finally bolsters the unit with another high upside defender next to Garrett. Graham was typically seen as the next best pass rusher aside from Abdul Carter in the class, so while rookies are hard to project, the Browns landed a strong bet. The team has a solid cast of youth and experience otherwise. Players like Maliek Collins, Shelby Harris, and Mike Hall Jr should be a reasonable rotation of talents to keep each other fresh. On the edge, there's a few young players in Isaiah McGuire and Alex Wright who hope to play themselves into mainstays across from Garrett. This is a unit teeming with upside across from one of the league's elite players. You could certainly argue it's the team's best group, but… 1. Offensive Line The teams' depth and continuity on the offensive line makes them the best unit in my eyes. There are still questions among this group, most notably at tackle with the status of Dawand Jones and the health of Jack Conklin. However, there's a chance both can play at their highest level this upcoming year. The true strength is at guard where both Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller feature All-Pro upsides, while center Ethan Pocic has at least been a reliable starter. The guards make everyone's jobs a little easier, and can pave the way to make lesser talent more productive. What's more exciting is that there's legitimate depth here. Third-round pick Zak Zinter awaits for this opportunity, while the team managed to get Teven Jenkins on a very cheap prove-it deal. Furthermore, bringing in swing tackle Cornelius Lucas who has plenty of starting experience on both sides is great versatility. After the brutal hits the line took from injuries last season, any stretch of health would help. But, now the team is a little more prepared with capable players in backup spots, and a couple of elite talents in the middle. This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Browns roster ranked by positional units
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Flyers Prospects Among Favorites to Win NCAA Title
The future of the Philadelphia Flyers is all about the player development of today, and many of their top prospects are set to be the chief competitors for this season's NCAA title.
BBC News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Aberdeen confirm 'historic' partnership with Elgin
Aberdeen have confirmed a "historic" player development partnership with Scottish League Two side Elgin Pittodrie club say the agreement follows the introduction of a new Scottish FA initiative that has been "created to boost opportunities for young Scottish players".Seventeen-year-olds Dylan Ross, Jamie Mercer and Noah McDonnell will all move on loan to Elgin immediately, but players selected will be able to switch "between the parent and cooperation club throughout the season to increase playing time".Clubs can have multiple agreements across the SPFL pyramid, but only one in each tier. Elgin will be the Dons' League Two director of football Steven Gunn said the fourth-tier side will provide "an excellent platform" for their young added: "We were at Borough Briggs back in January to play a Scottish Cup fixture and not only were we thoroughly impressed by the facilities, but it was clear the team have a solid identity and a talented staff."From our early discussions it was apparent we are aligned in terms of our priorities for the development of our players, and importantly, Elgin demonstrated a sound knowledge of the players and a real desire to support their ongoing development."While we expect it to be a challenge for [the players], the opportunity for competitive first-team football, in the professional league system, is significant for our players. "We have taken a view that this is a better progression for our best young players, training daily at Cormack Park under a dedicated transition manager and being exposed to senior first-team football at the weekend, rather than playing against their peer group in Under-19 football."This agreement with Elgin is just the first, that covers League Two, and we hope to have others announced shortly."
Yahoo
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Beloved Mavericks assistant to join Magic coaching staff
The post Beloved Mavericks assistant to join Magic coaching staff appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Orlando Magic are one of many Eastern Conference teams going all in for the 2026 season. The Magic traded for Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies before free agency. Their latest move is not an addition to their roster, but is just as important. God Shammgod is leaving the Dallas Mavericks to join Orlando and help players like Anthony Black and Jase Richardson. Advertisement Shammgod was a key member of Dallas' coaching staff since he joined them in 2016 as an assistant. He grew into one of their lead player development coaches through his tenure with the team. He was one of many who helped Luka Doncic make the transition to the NBA from overseas. Now, Shammgod will work with the Magic's young players in a bigger role, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. While players like Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner will benefit from his oversight, he is there more so for the rookies and second-year players. More specifically, Shammgod will work with guards like Black and Richardson to grow their ball-handling and decision-making on the floor. Black showed some flashes during his rookie season, but could use help with his playmaking. Richardson, on the other hand, was one of the steals of the NBA Draft. Shammgod has a long history of success in his role, and the Magic hope that a change of scenery won't change that. Orlando is full of young talent that could come together to make a deep playoff run. Thanks to injuries to stars in the postseason, the Eastern Conference is wide open. Advertisement Orlando's offense has their biggest weakness last season. While Shammgod might not have a hand in implementing schemes, Magic head coach Jamahl Mosely needs all the help he can get. If the Magic can stay healthy and get consistent production from Black and Richardson, the sky's the limit. The Mavericks, on the other hand, will miss Shammgod dearly. No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg enters the league as one of the more intriguing rookies in recent memory. However, head coach Jason Kidd and the rest of Dallas' staff will have to figure out how to grow his game without Shammgod's services. Related: Best free-agent destinations for Damian Lillard after Bucks waived him Related: Magic add Tyus Jones on $7 million contract after Desmond Bane trade
