The NBA Summer League is good for a couple things; sneak peak at rookies game, ridiculous stat lines from otherwise marginal NBA players and gravity defying dunks. These spectacular posterizing dunks are made possible by the lack of defense from the opposition and the athleticism of the new crop of NBA hopefuls trying to make a mark.
Regardless the reason, here are the top ten dunks from the Orlando and Vegas NBA Summer League. Enjoy!
1- Andrew Wiggins - Pre Game warmup dunk.
Alright this is pretty ridiculous considering Wiggins is just warming up. Not only does this require a gravity-defying vertical jump but also the coordination to pull this off is off the charts. I’m certain that this isn’t the first time Wiggins has done this as he was about as nonchalant as one can be about it.
2- Nick Johnson, Houston Rockets
Watch this hammer dunk from Johnson and keep in mind that this young man is a mere 6’3” in height. Not only is he running the point for the Rockets summer league team but he apparently isn’t afraid to attack the rim. This is a classic example of the kind of defense synonymous with the Summer League but nonetheless Johnson comes to a two-foot stop on the outside of the key only to elevate and throw down a vicious left-handed hammer dunk over a hapless defender.
3- Andrew Wiggins, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Philadelphia 76ers
This move and finish could easily be a top pick as the entire drive, spin, elevation and finish combines for a ridiculously athletic snippet of what is to come for Wiggins. He starts off by beating his defender to the baseline where he is promptly met by a strong-side defender. Sensing that his own defender was trying to catch up to the play, Wiggins spun abruptly towards the key, planted his right foot and elevated to finish with a two-handed rim rocking dunk. Adding to the play was the fact that the weakside help was rotating over in the form of Nerlens Noel who ended up being a step late and not much more than window dressing on a spectacular move.
4- Eric Griffin, Dallas Mavericks vs. Shane Larkin, New York Knicks
This one is a beauty as the ball movement finds Griffin all alone outside the arc and he is able to put the ball on the deck, get into the lane and elevate for a huge throwdown. Griffin is just inside the jump ball circle at the top of the key and he skies in to posterize poor Larkin enroute to a very impressive slam.
5- C.J. Fair, Dallas Mavericks vs. Bruno Caboclo, Toronto Raptors
This one stands out as the former Syracuse product who stands at 6’8” and who has guard-like ball handling skills to go along with a deft touch from the outside; here shows off a great left-handed spike after going the length of the court. Adding to the difficulty is that he thoroughly schooled the 6’9” Caboclo who boasts of a 7’7” wingspan. I love the determination here from Fair going against the bigger and longer defender.
6- Zach Lavine, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Phoenix Suns
Coming into the NBA Draft, Lavine wowed everyone with his off the charts vertical jump at the Los Angeles Lakers pre-draft workout, so there was no question about this young man’s vertical. This one-handed cocked back throw down should absolutely erase any lingering doubts. Here we see Lavine get a nice ball high screen that effectively rubs off his defender which allows for Lavine to drive strong-side and elevate for an uncontested cup-jam.
7- Anthony Bennett, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Milwaukee Bucks
Bennett came into the Summer League with something to prove; not only to legions of fans and critics who are already calling him a draft day bust but also to himself. He did have himself a solid few weeks of summer ball as he is moving well and keeping up due to his increased level of fitness from last season. This dunk makes the list as Bennett is the trail man on a four on three fast break. The floor is spaced nicely and Bennett is free to run down the middle through an open lane. A nice pass gets to Bennett in stride and he throws down a nice two footed dunk from just inside the top of the key.
8- Rion Brown, Charlotte Hornets vs. New York Knicks
A nice as an individual effort is it is always a crowd pleaser too see when teammates hook up on an alley-oop. This was the case as the Hornets executed a play to perfection that resulted in a baseline alley to Brown for the two-handed throw down. A high ball screen at the top of the key had the point guard roll to his left. His defender was slow to get through the screen which resulted in the defender having to cheat up and protect the pick and roll. This left the baseline wide open and rather than try and spot up for a corner three, Brown ran to the basket and there waiting was a perfectly threaded alley-oop which he deposited with authority.
9- Jarnell Stokes, Memphis Grizzlies vs. Detroit Pistons
Good to give some love here to the big guys in the post as they are not always thought of when it comes to impressive dunks. Here we see Stokes posting up on the low block with his defender trying to front him on the high side. Stokes catches the ball and spins immediately baseline where he dribbles once then strides to the right side of the rim before elevating and throwing down a one-handed reverse slam. Adding insult to injury is that Stokes throws the ball through with such force that his defender almost caught it in the face as he was just trying to get out of the way.
10- Nick Johnson, Houston Rockets vs. Brooklyn Nets
As evidence by his previous showing on our countdown, Nick Johnson has some serious hops in those legs. Here we see some pretty poor effort in getting back on defense from Johnson that results in him getting a easy run out for an uncontested 360 degree one-handed dunk. Even without a defender there, Johnson still elevates off a two-foot jump and uses every inch of his 6’3” frame to reach out with one hand to finish off this pretty spin dunk.