Memphis Grizzlies centre Zach Edey, the 9th pick in the draft, has missed four games after spraining his ankle in an overtime loss to the Utah Jazz on 8 July. Stephon Castle, the 4th pick of the San Antonio Spurs, scored 22 points in the Spurs' first win on Saturday. Castle will miss the rest of the Summer League with a sprained ankle.
Some rookies and second-year players have done well in the first few games. Yahoo Sports reveals which players left their draft slots and which second-year players to watch heading into the season.
Reed Sheppard, Houston Rockets
Sheppard has been the best rookie in his first three games. The 6-foot-2-inch guard from Kentucky is averaging 20 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3 steals per game. Sheppard controls the tempo and the flow of the offence thanks to the spacing in the NBA. It helps to have Cam Whitmore in the backcourt too, giving him more space to create.
"I just play my game," Sheppard said. "Our players can create space, which helped me." It's about making the right play. If I'm open, shoot. If I'm not open, attack and leave someone else open. "I trust my teammates and make the right basketball plays."
Sheppard will probably play behind Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson and Jalen Green, but he could get some early minutes at the start of the season.
