NBA Summer League rookie standouts: Keegan Murray, Bennedict Mathurin among most impressive rookies in Vegas

Summer League 2022 is officially in the books with the conclusion of the Las Vegas event Sunday. It’s now time to look back at the exhibition tournament and analyze which rookies stood out during the competition. Here’s a few we think are worth keeping an eye on during the 2022-23 regular season.

Keegan Murray, Sacramento Kings

Murray is now +750 to win Rookie of the Year on DraftKings Sportsbook, which could be exceptional value based on his Summer League production and Sacramento’s potential lineup. The rookie forward averaged 23.3 points and 7.3 rebounds during the Las Vegas portion of Summer League, with 50/40/80 shooting splits. These were similar to his California Classic numbers as well. Murray is going to be a strong scorer, and he will likely get heavy minutes with the Kings from the jump. He’s one to potentially upend the Rookie of the Year race.

Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers

Mathurin averaged 19.3 points per game across three contests, but his efficiency splits were the most impressive part of his Summer League campaign. The rookie posted 48/38/76 numbers, giving some more credibility to his perimeter shooting. Mathurin’s emergence gives the Pacers more flexibility with their roster and gives the young guard a chance to get minutes right away. Mathurin is listed at +1000 to win Rookie of the Year on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Dalen Terry, Chicago Bulls

Terry suffered a hamstring strain in his final Summer League game, but it appears to be a minor setback. The Arizona guard didn’t have eye-popping numbers (11.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.8 apg) but his 57/43/81 splits and defensive chops make him an instant rotation player. Terry also doesn’t have to score a lot to impact the game, which works well for the Bulls given DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine’s usage rates.

Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic

Banchero only played two games before the Magic decided they’d seen enough. It’s hard to argue with that decision. The Duke forward put up 20.0 points. 6.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds over those two games and looked liked a star against mostly G-League players. He did have 5.0 turnovers per game, so that’ll be something to monitor going forward. For now, the offensive output is impressive. Banchero is tied with Chet Holmgren as the odds-on favorite to win Rookie of the Year at +350 on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Tari Eason, Houston Rockets

Many expected Jabari Smith to be Houston’s standout rookie in Summer League. It turned out to be Eason, who averaged 17.2 points and 10.4 rebounds per game. The forward was consistently making an impact on both ends of the floor, something the Rockets will need badly. The three-point shot wasn’t quite there but Eason was hitting 33.3% of his 4.2 attempts per game. If that shot improves a little bit, watch out.