LAS VEGAS – News, notes and insights as the NBA’s summer league comes to a close …

Quickly to the point

With the understanding that evaluating a player based on summer-league play is akin to liking clothes because they look sharp on a mannequin, the buzz in Sin City this month is that this playmaking class has a chance to be special. Top pick Markelle Fultz bowed out early with an injury, but the dynamic Fultz is considered close to can’t miss. Lonzo Ball had stretches of brilliance – as chronicled here – while De’Aaron Fox flashed the speed and midrange game that made him a star at Kentucky.

Who could put this crop among the elite: Dennis Smith Jr. The Mavericks’ point guard drew rave reviews last week, with rival executives praising his athleticism and polish. There were several reasons Smith slipped to ninth on draft night – a rocky season at North Carolina State that was plagued by inconsistency being the most influential – but his talent was never in question, and Dallas officials are already talking about Smith as a Day One starter.

Asked what Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told him to focus on over the next three months, Smith was succinct.

“Efficiency,” Smith told The Vertical. “He’s been telling me to be efficient on both ends, make the right plays, get my teammates involved and be a great leader.”

View photos Lonzo Ball is defended by fellow summer-league sensation Dennis Smith Jr. (Getty) More

Ranking a point-guard class is subjective – the 2008 group, headlined by Russell Westbrook and Derrick Rose, has a pair of MVPs; the ’09 class, led by Stephen Curry, had nine that developed into starters – but there is no question this group has the talent to compete. Of the five point guards drafted in the top nine, four are likely opening-night starters and New York’s Frank Ntilikina projects to get plenty of playing time on a rebuilding team. Throw in Utah’s Donovan Mitchell, another summer-league standout, and this lottery class is loaded.

“Coming in, we knew it was going to be a great point-guard class and in summer league we proved it,” Fox said. “None of this matters at the end of the day. What matters is what we do when we actually get in the league in the regular season.”

Jayson Tatum shines

If Lonzo Ball was the biggest star at summer league, Tatum, a sinewy 6-foot-8 forward, was arguably its best player. Tatum dazzled scouts with his footwork and polished midrange game, while reminding Celtics coaches of a former Boston great.

“He really reminds me of Paul Pierce,” Celtics assistant coach Walter McCarty told The Vertical. “With the footwork and how he scores, just lulling you to sleep. With Paul, he could get to his shot no matter who was guarding him. Tatum plays the same way.”

In coach Brad Stevens’ position-less system, Tatum has a chance to make an immediate impact. The Celtics are crowded at the wing positions, but Tatum has the size and length to make an impact as a small-ball power forward. And while strength, particularly in the lower body, will be an issue early, Tatum has the offensive skills to be a matchup nightmare in his first season.

“He just has a natural ability to score,” McCarty said. “Right hand, left hand, rise up and finish, shoot over you. He has it all. The footwork is impeccable. The one-legged jump shots, the step-throughs, the in-and-outs. He really has a chance to be special. And he wants to be a great.”

It figures to be an interesting season in Boston. The addition of Gordon Hayward fortified a top-seeded roster, while dismal seasons by the Nets (who will fork over their 2018 first-round pick) and Lakers (who owe Boston their ’18 pick if it falls between Nos. 2 and 5) will help the Celtics continue to build for the future. In addition, rival executives expect Boston to be keeping close tabs on New Orleans, which is entering a critical season. The Pelicans are committed to seeing if an Anthony Davis-DeMarcus Cousins frontcourt can work, but if the season goes awry, it’s widely believed the Celtics will make a strong run at Davis, who is under contract through 2020.

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