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Summer League usually means very little. The Charlotte Hornets won Summer League last year, and while they did have a lot of success, that title didn't lead to any postseason success for the actual team.
This is for multiple reasons. First, the gameplay is different from the actual NBA. Playing a Summer League game is not the same as an NBA game. Second, half the rosters don't make the NBA. It's a nice bridge between prospects and players, but it's not quite NBA competition.
There are, however, things that do translate over. Kon Knueppel proved that last year. This year, one thing lottery pick Hannes Steinbach was elite at should translate. That's great news for the Hornets.
In Summer League, Steinbach kind of dominated on the offensive end. Mostly, though, he was, as expected, an excellent rebounder. That should translate to the NBA, at least according to NBA analyst John Hollinger.
The Athletic writer posted a piece about several top Summer League standouts like AJ Dybantsa and Caleb Wilson. You might not have expected Steinbach to ever be compared to those guys, but he got a mention.
"Summer-league rebounding translates, and Steinbach was the best rookie rebounder in Vegas. He snagged 46 boards in five games, posting a 20.4 percent rebound rate," Hollinger wrote.
He noted that it's not surprising since scouts expected Steinbach to be an excellent rebounder. The offensive uptick for Steinbach is impressive, too, but it's harder to determine whether or not he'll be dropping 20+ nightly as he did in Summer League.
The rebounds, though, are certain to follow. It was his biggest strength, and against the increased level of competition, it showed up. Why shouldn't that continue in the NBA?
What's more, Steinbach was also able to avoid a pitfall in Summer League. We all remember seeing some Kon Knueppel and Brandon Miller before him stat lines with an absurd amount of fouls. That's typical of Summer League.
Not for Steinbach, though. "In an environment where most rookie bigs foul like crazy, Steinbach was only whistled for 11 personals in his 121 minutes," Hollinger concluded.
Steinbach is an exciting part of what the Hornets are building, and so far, the early signs are highly encouraging. We can't really expect him to drop 20-point double-doubles in the NBA, but we can expect his excellent rebounding to continue.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/hornets/onsi as One Key Part of Hannes Steinbach's Summer League Will Translate for Hornets.
