Wizards close out Summer League with Tristan Vukcevic leading the way
Wizards close out Summer League with Tristan Vukcevic leading the way originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
The Washington Wizards lost to the Chicago Bulls 90-85 on Saturday evening in the Las Vegas Summer League. Here are five takeaways from what went down...
Lots of guys out
The Wizards played out their fifth and final game of the 2023 Las Vegas Summer League without a long list of key prospects who had previous carried much of the offensive load through the first week of games. Bilal Coulibaly, Johnny Davis, Ryan Rollins, Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Xavier Cooks all sat out evidently due to rest on the second night of a back-to-back and with the annual showcase coming to a close.
All of them had also for the most part enjoyed positive showings in Vegas, so they can feel good about their progress entering the second half of the offseason. Things will slow down in terms of the league news cycle, but the next two months are a crucial period for individual improvement as the players ramp up for another year.
With all those guys missing, the Wizards lost to the Bulls in a low-scoring game, dropping their Summer League record to 2-3.
More Vukcevic
Second-round pick Tristan Vukcevic picked up much of the slack with so many of his teammates out and he came in fresh after resting in Friday night's win over the Thunder. Vukcevic was a central part of the Wizards' offense against Chicago, as he took 13 shots en route to 15 points, eight rebounds and an assist. His rebounding was a highlight of the Wizards' Summer League.
Vukcevic shot in volume, but not with efficiency as he knocked down just 4-for-13 from the field and 2-for-8 from three. He missed his first nine shots in the game before finally getting a tip-in to go down in the fourth quarter. The good news is this game doesn't count for much. Also, with Coulibaly, Davis and others out, the coaching staff probably wanted him to be aggressive looking for his own shot, as that is generally the approach in this setting. Sometimes it's good to play through mistakes.
Vukcevic has also done a nice job this Summer League of taking shots within the rhythm of the offense and not forcing things, an approach that mostly carried over to this game. That mindset should help him succeed over time. This just wasn't his night.
Successful Summer League
All in all, the Wizards' front office and coaching staff are likely pleased with what they saw in the Summer League. Coulibaly, the 2023 seventh overall pick, showed signs his size and athleticism will translate to the next level. His natural instincts on the defensive end really stood out, while on offense he was very effective in transition, hit a game-winning shot against the Celtics and then had a breakout performance against the Thunder.
Davis displayed an upward trajectory in that he was much better than he was last summer in Las Vegas. Vukcevic flashed promise, particularly on the offensive end. Meanwhile, Baldwin Jr. and Rollins each showed potential due to their size and skill sets. At a minimum, they are worth adding to the program to see how they develop. Washington also checked off all of those boxes while avoiding injuries.
Bernard had a game
On Friday it was Dejan Vasiljevic who gave the Wizards a big lift off the bench and in doing so helped his stock as an NBA prospect. On Saturday it was Jules Bernard who took advantage of the opportunity, going off for a team-high 17 points on 5-for-8 shooting and 2-for-3 from three. He also had six rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Bernard is a familiar name to those who watched the Capital City Go-Go last season. A 6-foot-7 guard, Bernard played for the Go-Go last year after spending time with the Motor City Cruise. He's from Los Angeles and played at UCLA before going undrafted in 2022. Bernard is in an interesting spot as a holdover trying to prove himself to a new front office. He should feel good about how he closed out the Summer League, whether he sticks in Washington or ends up elsewhere in the fall.
Tough night scoring the ball
The Wizards had a great game offensively on Friday, but really struggled to get their offense going against the Bulls. That was probably largely due to all the guys missing and perhaps especially Rollins, who had impressed through four games by getting downhill and setting the tone for others. With him and top scorers Coulibaly and Davis out, the Wizards shot just 41.7% from the field and 22.2% (6-for-27) from three. They also had 16 turnovers.
Yeah, it wasn't the prettiest game for the Wizards. The Bulls deserve some credit for their defense, but this game was arguably an example of how important point guards are in initiating the offense. On a related note, I had a front office official last season remark on how crucial it is to have a reliable, table-setting point guard in the G League and how valuable players who fit that archetype can be. It makes perfect sense, as getting players shots in rhythm is a very basic aspect of player development.
