The NBA announced on Wednesday the All-Summer League first and second teams with the Las Vegas Summer League wrapping up on Tuesday with the championship game between the Sacramento Kings and Boston Celtics.
The All-Summer League first team had an unprecedented seven players named to it due to voting ties in the backcourt and frontcourt. The first team was headlined by summer league co-MVPs Cam Thomas (Brooklyn Nets) and Davion Mitchell (Sacramento Kings).
NBA Summer League 2021 First Team
Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks
Davion Mitchell, Sacramento Kings
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans
Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics
Jalen Smith, Phoenix Suns
Cam Thomas, Brooklyn Nets
Obi Toppin, New York Knicks
Thomas was one of the best players in Las Vegas, leading the summer league with 27.0 points per game. The former LSU standout picked up where left off last season as he did nothing but score buckets to the delight of the crowd in Las Vegas. It is still amazing to think how a scorer of Thomas’ caliber somehow dropped to the late first round of the 2021 NBA Draft and ended up on a good team.
Outside of the rookies, who garner the most attention at the summer league, it was good to see three second-year players make the first team. Obi Toppin had a tremendous preseason for the Knicks, averaging 21.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. Celtics’ second-year point guard Payton Pritchard recorded 16.8 points, 8.5 assists, and 5.8 rebounds per game. Lastly, Suns’ 2020 first-round pick Jalen Smith was the best player on Phoenix’s SL team, averaging a double-double consisting of 16.3 points and 12.5 rebounds per game.
The first overall pick Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons) and second overall pick Jalen Green (Houston Rockets) were one of the five players named to the All-Sumer League second team. The other three players who joined the two top rookies were Luka Garza (Detroit Pistons), Paul Reed (Philadelphia 76ers), and Patrick Williams (Chicago Bulls).