After NBA Summer League, the Brooklyn Nets and Indiana Pacers seem like they totally outsmarted the entire NBA.
Cam Thomas of the Nets was drafted 27th overall out of LSU, and Chris Duarte of the Pacers was drafted 13th overall out of Oregon.
Both players look like they are ready to come in and be absolute forces on their respective teams.
Thomas led all of NBA Summer League in points per game (27.0 PPG).
On the other hand, Duarte proved to be a lethal shooter while also showing the promises of being an All-NBA level defender.
Duarte averaged 18.3 points per game on 48.3% shooting from the three-point range, and on the defensive end averaged 2.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game.
If Thomas ends up being a really good player, the Nets totally beat the entire NBA at the draft.
That would be a total devastation for the rest of the league, because the Nets are already led by Kevin Durant, James Harden and Kyrie Irving.
Their roster for next season is incredible (see Tweet below from Billy Reinhardt).
If Thomas pans out, Sean Marks (Nets' General Manager) has a case for being one of the best GM's in league history already.
While the Pacers are nowhere near as good as the Nets, but if Duarte ends up being a star caliber player, he joins a team that is already led by several veterans.
Adding a really good player to Caris LeVert, Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, T.J. Warren and Domantas Sabonis would be really good news for the Pacers.
It is very possible that many teams look back on the 2021 NBA Draft and regret not taking Thomas and Duarte.
NBA Summer League is never the total tell all because many players have performed well and not been good in the NBA, while others have preformed badly and been All-Stars in the NBA.
That being said, the way Thomas and Duarte played was undeniably incredible, and both teams may have totally outwitted the entire league.
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