On Saturday, D'Angelo Russell upstaged the matchup of No. 1 and No. 2 picks Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas by making the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. In his next appearance Monday night, Russell claimed the spotlight the whole game with a performance that showcased his All-Star potential.
Here are grades for Russell and eight other players in action Monday:
Justin Anderson, Dallas Mavericks: C-plus
A second summer league is an opportunity for players like Anderson to try to expand their games offensively. That was a struggle for him on Monday.
At times, Anderson's ability to make plays off the dribble resulted in highlights like a nice finish off the glass while drifting out of bounds. But too often, Anderson forced the issue, resulting in missed shots (including 0-of-5 from 3-point range) and four turnovers.
On the plus side, Anderson embraced the challenge of defending Norman Powell, making Powell work for his points.
Juan Hernangomez, Denver Nuggets: A-minus
Drafted 15th, Hernangomez rated in the top 10 of my WARP projections for this year's draft and has shown why in Vegas.
Compared to most stretch big men (Hernangomez missed his only 3-point attempt, but that's usually his best skill), Hernangomez is an active presence on the offensive glass (four of his 12 rebounds were offensive) and a good passer (five assists), allowing him to contribute in multiple ways.
And though mechanical, Hernangomez moves well on defense.
Buddy Hield, New Orleans Pelicans: B-minus
The Pelicans continue to challenge Hield by using him as a primary creator with the ball in his hands. That has resulted in what we might term mixed results.
For the second consecutive game, Hield struggled badly in the first half (2-for-8 from the field) before catching fire after halftime (8-of-15), and he finished with 23 points on as many shot attempts.
Hield has generally made good reads in the pick-and-roll, and despite firing up a bunch of shots he has been willing to find teammates (he had five assists).
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Brooklyn Nets: B
If Devin Booker is too good offensively for the NBA Summer League, Hollis-Jefferson is too good on D.
I feel for opponents who have to go against Hollis-Jefferson, who is picking up full court and denying the post like it's the regular season. He picked Lamar Patterson clean and had three total steals.
As for Hollis-Jefferson's offense, that's still a work in progress. His 3-point form doesn't look any better than it looked last season. But as long as Hollis-Jefferson defends like that, shooting is gravy.
Patrick McCaw, Golden State Warriors: B-minus
The Warriors might have gotten a steal buying a second-round pick to draft McCaw No. 38 overall. McCaw's shooting wasn't great on Monday (2-of-7 from 3-point range, 4-of-12 overall) but he still showed his promise.
He'll have to tighten up his handle against NBA defenders, but in summer league McCaw can get where he wants on the court and shows good court vision and unselfishness.
McCaw is best at the defensive end, where his wingspan and anticipation make him a constant steal threat. He had four steals on Monday, and while he couldn't stop Russell when they matched up, neither could anyone else.
Chris McCullough, Brooklyn Nets: B-plus
This is McCullough's first appearance in Vegas, since this time a year ago he was still rehabbing from the ACL surgery that sidelined him the first half of last season.
At age 21, McCullough looks the part of a raw rookie. He oozes potential, what with the foot speed to defend smaller players on the perimeter and the ability to comfortably shoot the NBA 3-pointer at 6-foot-11.
Yet McCullough's decision-making remains problematic. He takes bad shots and over-helps defensively, things that should improve with time but are frustrating for now.
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets: A-minus
With Emmanuel Mudiay's summer league likely over, the Nuggets have put the ball in Murray's hands and turned him loose to run pick-and-rolls. He showed plenty of skill in that role, alternately getting to the basket and pulling up when defenders went too far under to the pick while occasionally finding teammates around the rim.
Murray is definitely more of a scorer than a playmaker at this stage of his career, but that's OK if he's going to score 29 points. And despite concerns about his lateral quickness, Murray held his own in a tough matchup against the quicksilver Briante Weber.
Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors: A-minus
Monday wasn't Powell's most efficient day, as he shot 7-of-15 from the field, but he still piled up 23 points and helped the Raptors put away the Dallas Mavericks with a pair of late 3-pointers.
With Kris Dunn sitting out Monday's game, Powell appears to be battling Russell as the early leader for NBA Summer League MVP -- pending Devin Booker's third game on Tuesday.
D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers: A-minus
Russell's game-winner on Saturday overshadowed the fact that he struggled in the first half of that game.
No such problem on Monday, as Russell torched the Warriors for 22 of his 26 points (in 24 minutes) during the first half. When Russell's 3-point shot is falling like it was Monday (4-of-7 from beyond the arc), he's tough to contain in the pick-and-roll.
And it's understandable that he got up 13 shots with just one assist, though his four turnovers are tougher to excuse.