Welcome to the Ringer NBA show. I'm Chris Vartin and joining me on this Tuesday from the 27th floor of the win

Overlooking the Las Vegas Mountains Kevin O'Connor Kevin

Chris, this is surreal right there. It is surreal

What is also surreal is you and I doing a podcast in person for those of you that have listened to us throughout the regular season of the NBA and then throughout the playoffs

We've been doing this Ringer NBA show for the entire season Kevin and I had never met in person until this week at

The Las Vegas summer leagues. So this is great to finally get to do a podcast in person instead of over a phone

You can think we didn't record the Raptors blow it up one in person

What about the good toss out the window?

Right. This is no, this has been great being at summer league. Obviously an opportunity to talk to all kinds of people around the league and see tons of basketball. Let's start with summer league

It seems to me just bouncing around in terms of players. We'll get to everything that's happened in the league Kevin wrote an article about the best and worst off season so far

But walking around and talking to people just specifically about players. I hear a ton of Tatum

So far in this Las Vegas summer league. I hear Donovan Mitchell from Utah and I hear Dennis, midjunior from Dallas

It seems like when talking to people about who has really stood out to you because you always have to take into perspective

I think you know with this summer league stuff that being great in the summer league or having a great summer league

There's a history of guys that when you look back in time

It doesn't it doesn't add up like here's the here's the leading scorers from the different summer leagues for the last whatever 10 years

Nicholas skiedish Veeley J.R. Smith J.R. Randy Foy, Marcus Banks, Jared Bayless, Anthony Randolph, John Wall. There's a great one.

Damien Lillert. There's a great one. Dwight Buick's Glen Rice Jr. Seth Curry, Trey Liles. So it's clearly not the end all be all to kill people in summer league. That being said

These were this was a rookie class that was very very looked forward to and I kind of feel like Tatum and and Dennis Smith Jr. are the two that people have been most impressed with.

Dennis Smith has been really really good like I think you just see him in this environment right now compared to NC state and the NC state he had two big men on the floor at all times.

And now he's playing with a more space floor high pick and roll action these ability to drive and create and get to wherever he wants on the floor and that's such a significant difference.

And now you're seeing him here and you're imagining him with their lens no elbow down the lane and jerk Navitsky you know spacing the floor west Matthews in the corner and you're like whoa this guy.

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