Monte Morris was one of the best players at Summer League, but did he do enough to earn the backup job?

LAS VEGAS — By the time Thursday afternoon rolls around and tournament play is well underway at Summer League, few media members, front office executives or coaches actually want to be here.

Everyone is exhausted, both mentally and physically. Seven-straight days of 100-plus degree heat and hours upon hours of meaningless basketball played by mostly NBA journeymen leads to arguments about Cedi Osman and if he’s the difference between the Cavs making and missing the playoffs next season. After spending the week locked inside Thomas & Mack Center you’ve eaten the arena’s staple — Chicken Fingers and Fries — from the concession stand more times than you care to admit.

The players who thousands of fans flocked to UNLV’s campus to see are mostly all shut down by now. Coaches and team personnel are secretly rooting for their team to lose so they can go home early. Running into Robin Lopez at the blackjack table and Adrian Wojnarowski on the strip is a normal Wednesday night. On the plane home, you’re researching juice cleanses and detox supplements.

If you’re still in Las Vegas by Wednesday or Thursday, the first thing a fellow reporter or executive asks you is: “Why are you still here?”

But that’s Summer League, where for 12 days in July everybody and anybody descends into Sin City. The basketball that’s played serves as a front for what’s really a two-week networking seminar. Deals get brokered, people get hired, information gets leaked and maybe a player or two — like Torrey Craig did a year ago – can come out of nowhere to earn a contract.

After winning their first three games, the Nuggets fell in the first round of the “playoffs” to the Raptors Wednesday night. Denver will play its final game in Las Vegas Friday. Out of contention for the championship, the Nuggets will likely rest their top players and give the end of their bench a chance to play significant minutes.

Here’s what we’ve learned about the Nuggets over the past week.

Monte Morris was one of the better players in Vegas

With a current vacancy at backup point guard, Morris had a chance to make a big statement to the Nuggets that he could fill that role in Denver next season. He did exactly that by posting four strong showings.

Morris was one of the most impressive players at Summer League this week. The 23-year-old averaged 17.5 points and 6.2 assists in four games. Morris handed out 25 assists to just five turnovers and proved that he could effectively run a team at this level of competition.

At 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, Morris isn’t the biggest lead guard, but he was an active and effective defender in all four of his outings. Nuggets coach Jordi Fernandez spoke about his leadership both on and off the floor on multiple occasions and Morris played into the role of Denver’s captain while in Las Vegas.

As expected, Morris’ play in the pick-and-roll was excellent. He scored out of the two-man game often and showed off an impressive feel around the rim where he hit shots from every angle, off every foot and with both hands. Morris is also a gifted passer and was able to find his roll man routinely with ease.

He wasn’t afraid to take over in close games when the Nuggets may have been struggling to generate scoring opportunities either. Morris shot a healthy 5-14 (35.7 percent) from three-point range and attempted and made big-time shots all week long.

Morris proved this week that he’s the Nuggets’ backup point guard of the future. But what’s the ETA on him solidifying a spot off the bench as Jamal Murray’s backup? That might be a little further down the road than some anticipate. Morris is signed to a two-way contract again next season.

Vlatko Cancar looks like an NBA player

There were rumblings over the past few weeks that Cancar had impressed in pickup runs at the Nuggets’ practice gym in the lead up to Summer League, but expectations stayed relatively low for the 2017 draft-and-stash prospect who Denver selected 49th overall in 2017.

Cancar didn’t make any Summer League top-10 reels. He won’t wow you with tomahawk slams or crafty ball handling skills. But Cancar looked like a player who can one day contribute to an NBA team. He’s a combo forward and a good athlete who checks in at a legitimate 6-foot-8. He effectively guarded two and sometimes three different positions at Summer League and more than held his own.

Although the Timberwolves still scored here, Cancar pieces together a picture-perfect defensive possession where he rotates effectively multiple times.

Offensively, Cancar shot well from distance and hit six of his 16 three-point attempts. He got to the rim well too. But what was more evident from watching Cancar than just his counting stats, was the fact that he has a gifted feel for the game. Cancar is always in the right spot and knows how to move to open space. He doesn’t need the ball to be a factor on offense. When Cancar breaks through to the NBA he could be the ultimate glue guy.

Cancar’s confidence also grew with every minute he spent on the floor this week. He’s young at 21 years old and could be the type of player who improves the more reps he gets. The joy Cancar plays with is infectious, and his encouraging performance at Summer League will likely lead to a larger role with his international team next season. He’s still a year away from contributing for the Nuggets, but Cancar proved in Las Vegas that he’s someone to keep close tabs on next season.

Honorable mention

Malik Beasley characterized his performance through four games as “okay.” It’s a fairly accurate description. Beasley averaged 16 points in three matchups (he sat out the Nuggets’ win over the Bucks with a sore left wrist) and shot 3-12 from three. He wasn’t terribly efficient and hit just 39.1 percent of his field goal attempts. Beasley was able to get in the passing lanes and tallied seven steals across the three games he appeared in. As a player who’s entering his third season, Beasley could outmuscle his opponent and get to the rim with ease. Finishing when he got there was another story. Overall, Beasley proved by the end of Denver’s fourth game that he deserved the label of “too good for Summer League.”

Kenrich Williams did a lot of things well in Las Vegas, outside of score. Like Cancar, Williams has a gifted feel for the game. He’s an expert rebounder. He grabbed eight boards in just 17 minutes against the Timberwolves. Williams can read balls and how they’ll bounce off the rim really well. He’s a great defender too. But Williams struggled to shoot the ball and failed to make a three through four games in Las Vegas. The word on Williams coming into the draft was that teams were concerned about his knees. Williams had microfracture surgery on both his knees while at TCU and missed the entire 2015-16 season. At times, it looked like he struggled to explode to the rim. He’s talented and a smart enough basketball player to find a spot in the NBA.

Tyler Lydon is an NBA-level shooter. If he can ever get on the floor for the Nuggets or another team, he’d settle in at a near 40 percent marksman with deep range. He hit a couple of threes in Las Vegas that came from well beyond the three-point arc. Lydon still appears to be working his way back from a torn meniscus that ended his rookie season. He was playing well in the G League at the time but could have really benefited from the minutes and reps. Lydon has sneaky upside as a defender and rim protector but wasn’t quick enough on that end of the floor to have a noticeable impact at Summer League. A year after the Nuggets’ 2017 first-round pick shot just 4-20 from the field in five games, Lydon converted seven of his 18 field goals this year. He wasn’t as aggressive as he needed to be this week.

DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell plays with an edge that could get him a look from a team as a potential two-way player. He played abroad in Denmark last season, so the 25-year-old will have to decide what his priorities are going forward. But his energy, athleticism and intensity on defense — all similar qualities to what Craig showed last summer — are attractive to NBA teams. He also shot 6-12 from three and showed he could finish at the rim. Denver doesn’t have a two-way, or roster spot available for Akoon-Purcell, but he deserves a chance somewhere.