LAS VEGAS _ The casinos that litter the streets of Las Vegas are homes to absolutes. Either the dice say "4" and "3" or they don't. The roulette wheel stops with the ball landing in a red or black space (or, if I'm betting, the green). You win the hand or you lose it, the chips either stay with you or they run for the house.
But in those shadows on UNLV's campus, things get murky for a few weeks in the summer.
The NBA's Summer League is a showcase that previews what recent draftees may be as professionals, and at the same time, it can be nothing more than a desert mirage, with the ramifications disappearing as soon as teams head home.
One of the few opinions you can find shared by scouts and executives in the stands is that the on-court product during the summer isn't wildly conducive to making any concrete statements about the prospects on the court.
Take, for instance, Atlanta guard Trae Young, whose early performances in the Utah Summer League and in Las Vegas left people trying to figure out just how big of a mistake the Hawks made in trading for him instead of keeping Luka Doncic, whom they sent to Dallas after picking him No. 3 to acquire Young and a future first-round draft pick.
Doncic didn't play in Las Vegas _ he didn't sign his contract until Tuesday _ but by not being here, he didn't have the chance to underperform like Young.
In his first four games in Utah and Vegas, the 6-foot-2 Young averaged 11.8 points on 24.2 percent shooting (16 of 66) from the field and 17.6 percent (6 of 34) from 3-point range. These aren't exactly "next Steph Curry" numbers.
"Atrocious shot selection," one Western Conference scout said. "Just too small," another added.
But still, there was some optimism about the No. 5 overall pick, especially after he led the Hawks to wins over Chicago and Indiana, averaging 23.5 points and 6.5 assists while shooting a combined 14 of 33 (42.4 percent) from the field, including 9 of 20 from long range.
Young is a dynamic passer, though, and some believe better decision-making will come with more time on the court.
At his best, Young's a dynamic scorer capable of pulling up and hitting 3-pointers from way beyond the arc, forcing opponents to stretch their defenses to impossible lengths, setting up express lanes to the basket.
At his worst, he's a streaky, inconsistent, bad-shot-taking, ball-dominant guard who passes much better than he does anything else.
Here's what else scouts, coaches and executives _ who spoke off the record because they can't speak publicly about the players _ were saying about some of the top-line prospects in Las Vegas:
