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The smaller summer leagues in Salt Lake City and Sacramento have come and gone, and the Las Vegas Summer League has finally kicked off as of Friday! NBA Fans get their little taste of basketball mid-summer as they watch their favorite team's young players battle it out for a spot on a roster while the DFS players get to guess which rookie might be the biggest hit.
This time around, Victor Wembanyama won't be taking the court, so we don't have to talk about the obvious number-one option that was on almost everyone's roster yesterday. We get to take a look at all of the first and second-year players that could deliver some great value. Summer League rosters can be tough to predict, so we'll take a look at the players most likely to get the most opportunities and bring back the most fantasy points to give you the biggest bang for your buck.
This article will highlight some DraftKings NBA Summer League daily fantasy options to consider for Saturday, July 8, 2023. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome new NBA injuries report tool. Good luck, RotoBallers!
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DraftKings Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Tre Mann, SG - OKC vs. DAL ($7,900)
Mann probably doesn't even need to be in any summer league games this time around. The 22-year-old is entering his third season with the Thunder and has shown flashes of serious talent. The only issue has been consistency.
While his shooting percentages haven't been great in the league (39.3 FG%, 33.8 3P%), he still has enough skill to look great against this inexperienced crop of players. Mann scored 20 or more points in all three of their games during the Salt Lake City Summer League and displayed a good all-around game. He should continue this type of play for at least the first game in Vegas.
Dru Smith, SG - MIA @ BOS ($6,500)
The Miami Heat are looking for any type of 'diamond in the rough' players they can get their hands on as they try to put together a supporting cast around Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. Their younger role players will be even more important if they do end up trading for Damian Lillard.
Enter Dru Smith, who is going to be in his second year in the league after appearing in 15 games during his rookie season. He's a Heat culture type of player that will play hard-nosed defense and take on any type of role that's needed. In their two games in Salt Lake City, Smith totaled 22 points, six steals, seven assists, and eight rebounds. He'll be the best option to get some added fantasy points from defensive stats.
Jason Preston, PG - LAC @ UTA ($5,500)
Preston looks to be the starting point guard for the summer Clippers roster and this is his second time partaking in the Vegas action. He played in 14 games during his rookie season and even finished one of those games with 12 points and eight assists.
Against younger, more inexperienced talent, Preston is likely to at least get close to a double-double as he'll be looking to display his play-making abilities alongside his scoring. He's especially worth the shot at the lower price point while facing a Jazz team that is unsure about the status of Keyonte George at the moment.
Also Consider: Jaden Ivey ($9,700), Andrew Nembhard ($9,500), Jordan Goodwin ($8,500), Jaden Springer ($7,800), Johnny Juzang ($5,800)
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DraftKings Forwards/Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Chet Holmgren, PF/C - OKC vs. DAL ($10,300)
After a season-ending injury robbed everyone of seeing Holmgren play last season, he's back to looking like a force so far this summer. He has shown some outstanding defensive prowess and rim protection along with the potential of a deadly offensive game so far.
He's good for a double-double with anywhere from three to five blocks to go along with it. He'll be going against a solid defensive big man in Dereck Lively II, but that shouldn't stop him from putting up one of the better stat lines of the day.
Jalen Duren, C - DET @ ORL ($9,400)
Duren already looks like a man amongst boys coming into this year's summer league. The up-and-coming second-year big man has put on even more muscle and played 67 games during his rookie year all while not even turning 20 years old yet.
He was built well enough to average 9.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 24.9 minutes per game last year, so he should be able to dominate in the paint against weaker competition. They'll look to feed him early and often so they can see his development and then get him off of the floor after the first game to save him for the regular season.
Nikola Jovic, SF - MIA @ BOS (8,900)
As mentioned earlier, the Heat need to find a homegrown player that doesn't cost a lot of money to step up as a big-time role player. Jovic came highly touted in the 2022 NBA Draft but hasn't exactly found his footing just yet. He played in only 15 games during his rookie year and averaged 13.6 minutes per contest.
During the Sacramento Summer League, however, he's scored more than 20 points in both of their games while contributing on the boards and keeping his turnovers on the lower side. Jovic is going to look to make his presence felt and establish himself among the younger opponents to earn more playing time for this coming season.
Also Consider: Bennedict Mathurin ($9,900), Ochai Agbaji ($9,200), Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($8,100), Taylor Hendricks ($7,900), Kenny Lofton Jr. ($7,400), Ousmane Dieng ($5,800)
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