I love the NBA Summer League (correction, NBA2K Summer League). I love almost everything about it: the AAU tournament-style scheduling with games back-to-back on multiple courts in the same venue. I love the opportunities it provides to lesser-known players to make a name for themselves, the interviews with coaches, and the franchise players watching courtside.

The Summer League feels like a perfect mix of a Pro-Am, NBA, and college games smashed into the center of Las Vegas. The play is unlike any other league—it’s scrappy yet controlled, fast yet methodical, and imperfect in all the perfect ways. Players diving on the floor, airballs, flashy plays, countless turnovers, step-backs, and missed shots; the Summer League is basketball in its purest form. 

The Summer League contains a wide range of players, from the top-pick Paolo Banchero to a player that might end up playing in Mexico’s second league. It allows players to showcase their talents and gain experience in front of top NBA executives and coaches. The league also enables lower-level coaches to show what they can accomplish on the sidelines.

From a consumer’s standpoint, the Summer League is refreshing; it depicts basketball in a fun and enjoyable manner. This year we saw more interviews during the games with coaches and crazy reactions from players on the sidelines that bring basketball back to its roots of a simple game built for entertainment. 

I also commend the NBA for “spicing” things up in their off-season league. This year, it featured a referee cameo courtesy of an NBA veteran and ESPN broadcaster, Richard Jefferson, which became must-see TV as fans of the game everywhere tuned in and realized the difficulty of officiating. The NBA also decided to award the winning team with Summer League champion rings to offer a little more incentive to the players: a nice touch to sophisticate the league a little more.

Overall, the Summer League is more enjoyable than any other off-season league; however, I believe they can make a small change to increase the competitiveness of teams—make a tournament. Currently, every organization only plays five games, and the championship is chosen by taking the two top teams based on their record and point differential. I would love to see four preliminary games to determine the top 16 teams playing in a four-round single-elimination tournament. The remaining 14 teams would each play four more consolation games among themselves. Also, the eliminated teams from the tournament would play four more games to increase the total games played by each team to eight. Personally, I think five games is too little for many of these players as they adjust to a faster game. The extra three games will allow the players to settle in more and play to the best of their abilities. The tournament would also be easier for the average fan to absorb instead of following point differentials and records. A tournament is also very simple and appealing, as we have seen with the NCAA’s March Madness.

Nonetheless, if the NBA keeps innovating and putting effort into this league each summer, they can continue something special, entertaining, and beneficial for the NBA and its community.