Looking for the next big thing in the NBA? Stop checking your phone and check out the Utah Summer League.
There's a very good chance that this summer's six-game slate between four teams will have a future star, given that there are three lottery picks from the 2017 draft, and several others from previous drafts playing on the hardcourt this week at the Huntsman Center. While free agency and blockbuster trades have dominated the headlines, the Summer League could represent the future of pro basketball — and Utah will have a frontrow seat.
Here's the case for paying attention to Utah Summer League, which runs Monday, Wednesday and Thursday:
Top-end draft picks
Markelle Fultz will finally make his Huntsman Center debut.
The Washington one-and-done was hurt when the Huskies made their way to Salt Lake City in February (likely to the Utes' relief), but the No. 1 overall draft pick will be on display in a Philadelphia jersey on Monday afternoon. It's the second straight year the top pick will make a 76ers debut in Utah after Ben Simmons did it last year.
Fultz was a very bright spot on a very bad team during the last college basketball season, averaging 23.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game and shooting over 41 percent from 3-point range. He's expected to have an immediate impact on his franchise. Heck, his future teammates cleared out a locker for him before the draft.
According to the Sixers, he's also uncommonly grounded for a player of his stature.
"Regardless of who the coach was, he was eager to want to learn, come up and make sure he could find a way to fit in," Sixers assistant Billy Lange told CSN Philly last week. "It's going to be exciting to coach him over the next few weeks."
Expect there to be a lot of interest on that first day, when Fultz shares the floor with the No. 3 pick Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics. Given that Boston traded the No. 1 pick to Philly for the No. 3 pick and a future pick, it's only natural that career comparisons between Fultz and Tatum start right away.
At 6-foot-8, Tatum became arguably the most important player for Duke (16.8 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.3 spg) at the end of the year. In a loaded draft, he was graded as a polished prospect with limited upside. Boston disagrees about the upside part.
Then there's Donovan Mitchell, the Jazz's unexpected lottery pick who was a late mover up draft boards thanks to his athleticism and character. He's been promised as a defense-first guard who can make athletic plays on offense and has a ton of potential at either guard spot.
How soon does he start showing that? Mitchell himself wants to be one of the best defenders on the floor this week, but he anticipates a learning curve.
"I think the actual game will be a little different than practice, that's just generally how it is," he said. "Once that happens, that's when I'll start to pick it up and hit that learning curve, just going through it."
Returners looking to break out
Sometimes we're so obsessed with the new that we overlook the not-quite-as-new-but-still-pretty new. That's the case for several former draft picks who will be in Utah (again) this week: Jaylen Brown, Dejounte Murray and others among them.
Some, like Brown and Murray, have spots secure on their NBA team, but will be looking for more minutes and bigger roles come October. They can start working on their craft more in Summer League, whether that's knowing defensive assignments or getting better at shooting. Others, might have a more tenuous grip on their roster spot, much less their role.
For the Jazz, there's a lot of eyes on Dante Exum, who will be expected to take on more leadership on the court and off it. He's entering his fourth year in the league, partially stunted by injury, and in season exit interviews, he was outspoken about the fact that he wants to play point guard for Utah.
This is his opportunity, albeit on a less competitive scale, to prove he's capable. Jazz assistant Alex Jensen has said multiple times he'd like for Exum to "stand out." This weekend in practice, Exum said he's been pushing himself to be more of a leader for the rookies and younger players.
"I'm not too much of a 'go here, go there' type guy but I've been pulling guys aside and giving my opinion on certain things and trying to help them that way," he said. "Hopefully this helps me move in that direction to be that kind of leader."
From a Jazz perspective, it would also be welcome for Joel Bolomboy, a 2016 draft pick, to take a step forward. He's said he wants to lead both the Utah and Las Vegas Summer Leagues in rebounding.
Tension among teams
Is this an all-time low for Salt Lake City-Boston relations?
Gordon Hayward's free agency, and the Celtics' and Jazz's mutual pursuit of him, has the two franchises, cities and fanbases at odds. That's interwoven with Boston general manager, former BYU star Danny Ainge, pulling the strings on Hayward's recruitment, just as his son Tanner Ainge launches a bid for Congress. On Saturday, it morphed into a war of tweets — Rudy Gobert's emojis vs. Isaiah Thomas' emojis. Things are tense.
The actual free agency events will play out in rooms away from the Huntsman Center, and Hayward is expected to make his decision by early next week. But it's unlikely that Boston will be a popular team in Utah this week, and the trash-talking levels could be high for Thursday's match-up between the Jazz and the Celtics.
If Ainge does appear in the arena, imagine broadcast cameras lingering on shots of him in the crowd, giving either smug looks if he's signed Hayward, or smouldering looks if he hasn't.
kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) gets past Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) during game 4 of the NBA playoff game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Monday May 8, 2017.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) gets to the basket during game 4 of the NBA playoff game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Monday May 8, 2017.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) hangs on the basket after a monster slam dunk during game 4 of the NBA playoff game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Monday May 8, 2017.
Duke forward Jayson Tatum (0) reacts after scoring against the Florida in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016, in New York. Duke won 84-74. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Salt Lake Stars Joel Bolomboy (4), tosses a pass to Tyrone Wallace (5), in NBA D League action, at Salt Lake Community College, Saturday, January 7, 2017.
Washington guard Markelle Fultz (20) reacts to a play against Colorado during overtime in an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2017, in Seattle. Washington won 85-83. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
FILE - In this June 29, 2016 file photo, Utah Jazz NBA basketball team 2016 draft pick Joel Bolomboy adjusts his hat during a media availability at the Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City. Bolomboy has been back and forth between the NBA Developmental League’s Salt Lake City Stars and the Jazz 15 times since November. The NBA Developmental League has grown from an eight-team, largely overlooked sideshow to a 22-team league inching closer to becoming a legitimate minor league system since 2001. The league is no longer a final grasp for players clinging to a dream of playing professional basketball, but a respected avenue to get to the NBA. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Duke Blue Devils forward Jayson Tatum (0) puts up a shot against Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game during the championship game of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament, Saturday, March 11, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)
Duke's Jayson Tatum (0) runs into Troy's Wesley Person (3) during the second half in a first-round game of the NCAA men's college basketball tournament in Greenville, S.C., Friday, March 17, 2017. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton)
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Joel Bolomboy (21) gets to the basket for two points during the Utah Jazz versus Portland Trailblazers NBA basketball game at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Tuesday April 4, 2017.
Utah Jazz forward Joel Bolomboy, top, dunks against the Golden State Warriors during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, April 10, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz forward Joel Bolomboy practices at the Utah Jazz practice facility, in Salt Lake City, Thursday, April 20, 2017.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) crashes through Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) and Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) during game 4 of the NBA playoff game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Monday May 8, 2017.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) shrugs as the the Warriors build a big lead late in game 4 of the NBA playoffs at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Monday May 8, 2017.
Steve Griffin | The Salt Lake Tribune Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) powers his way past Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum (11) during game 4 of the NBA playoff game between the Utah Jazz and the Golden State Warriors at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City Monday May 8, 2017.
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, right, talks to guard Dejounte Murray during the second half of Game 2 of the NBA basketball Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors, Tuesday, May 16, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
FILE - In this Feb. 15, 2017, file photo, San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray (5) goes up for a shot between Orlando Magic defenders during the second half of an NBA basketball game, in Orlando, Fla. Sixty NBA draft hopefuls will hear their name called as members of the 2017 rookie class. For many of the top picks it will mark the start of the transition from college underclassman to instant millionaire. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)
Washington's Markelle Fultz poses for photos on the red carpet before the start of the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Washington's Markelle Fultz, right, poses for a photo with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being selected by the Philadelphia 76ers as the No. 1 pick overall during the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Duke's Jayson Tatum, right, poses for photos with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being selected by the Boston Celtics as the No. 3 pick overall during the NBA basketball draft, Thursday, June 22, 2017, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Philadelphia 76ers' draft pick Markelle Fultz poses after a news conference at the team's NBA basketball training complex, Friday, June 23, 2017, in Camden, NJ. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
Louisville Cardinals guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts as he leaves the court after defeating Georgia Tech 75-71 in an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)
Louisville's Donovan Mitchell in action during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Indiana, Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016, in Indianapolis. Louisville defeated Indiana 77-62. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Louisville's Donovan Mitchell (45) goes in for a layup ahead of the defense of Duke's Jayson Tatum (0) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017, in Louisville, Ky. Louisville won 78-69. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Chris Detrick | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah Jazz's Donovan Mitchell poses for photos at The Grand America Hotel Wednesday, June 28, 2017.
Utah Jazz's Donovan Mitchell poses for photos after the Jazz introduced their 2017 NBA Draft picks during a news conference Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
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