You know what the beautiful thing about Summer League is? It’s a rebirth back into basketball. Some might argue that the NBA Draft is the dawn of a new day in the NBA world but I don’t think this truly starts until the first tip off of Summer League.
Summer League is special. You know why it’s special? Because guys are fighting for a dream. Yes, that sounds really cliché but it’s true. The NBA is an exclusive club and there isn’t any amount of money you can bribe your way in with or enough rounds in Pacman Jones’ clip to get your way past the velvet rope.
There’s only one way to get into the club. Beat the guy in front of you in the most selfish and selfless way the game will allow. The balance you have to teeter with is unbelievably awkward. You have to show that you’re physically capable of imposing your will so viciously on the man guarding you that people want to pay you money to do so because you’ve also shown you make the guys in the same uniforms as you better in the process.
When Summer League starts, everybody is fighting for something. The NBA Draft is all luck and decision-making that has little to do with the pursuit of a title next season. It’s not until the hardwood squeaks from rubber soles as guys get paid a pittance to show why they belong in the club that this journey begins. It’s the first step towards the quest for the NBA title. It’s the first fight of the season.
And it’s the first step for a lot of rookies and never-heard-of-befores trying to find their place in the league to help themselves, their families and their future organizations get to a dream built upon a common goal – winning a competition.
With that, we’re going to explore those rookies and never-heard-of-befores after each day to give you an update on what they’ve been doing with their summers.
Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz:
25 mins, 8 pts, 5 rebs, 2 asts, 2 stls, 2 tos, 1 blk, 3 PFs, 2/2 FG, 4/4 FT +4
Gordon Hayward didn’t have a great debut but I loved the way he played and what it showed about him. He didn’t force a single thing in this game. He was active defensively and other than a bad beat on the baseline against Derrick Brown (resulted in a dunk), he really didn’t look overmatched. The impressive thing was his poise throughout the game, despite the fact that he wasn’t putting up a lot of points. Most rookies would try to force the issue and prove they belong. He was just confident in making the right play whenever he had to. He even passed up a potential game-tying shot to get Sundiata Gaines a chance at winning the game.
Paul George, Indiana Pacers:
25 mins, 12 pts, 4 rebs, 1 stl, 3 tos, 6 PFs, 2/7 FG, 1/5 3FG, 7/7 FT, +7
I have to say that for the most part I didn’t like what I saw from Paul George. Early on in the game, he couldn’t dribble well to save his life. He looked uncomfortable dealing with pressure and got very sloppy with the ball. As the game wore on, he hijacked a ton of possessions by dribbling way too much and forcing jumpers that weren’t really there. His redeeming quality for the game was his ability to make free throws but other than that, he was a ball-stopper for much of this game. I don’t doubt that he has the ability to be a nice player in this game but his mentality has to become more team oriented and less about proving he can score.
Lance Stephenson, Indiana Pacers:
29 mins, 21 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts, 1 blk, 2 tos, 2 PFs, 8/10 FG, 5/8 FT, +5
Lance Stephenson was by far the most impressive rookie of the day. The Pacers tried him out at point guard for a lot of this game and he responded by abusing the smaller defenders he faced and racking up 21 points in the process. There wasn’t much wasted motion with Stephenson in the game. He used the pick-and-roll to get past the first tier of defense before slicing through the lane. He had the step-back jumper working in an utterly impressive way and found a way to impact nearly every second he was on the floor. I’m curious to see if Lance can have the same impact against bigger guards that he can’t bully but from what he showed today, he’s a combo guard with a ton of versatility at Jim O’Brien’s disposal.
Daniel Orton, Orlando Magic:
13 mins, 3 pts, 3 rebs, 4 tos, 2 blks, 5 PFs, 1/8 FG, 1/4 FT, -7
He was easily the worst rookie of the day. He proved that jumping into the draft and securing a first round contract was maybe the smartest thing he could ever do with his life. He sold high on his hype and now will be guaranteed at least four years in the NBA. He fumbled passes, had slow post moves with no purpose and played pretty mediocre defense. He even got in a fight with Josh McRoberts and was ejected. All of this took place in just 13 minutes of action.
Stanley Robinson, Orlando Magic:
19 mins, 4 pts, 7 rebs, 2 asts, 1 to, 2 PFs, 1/4 FG, 2/2 FT, -11
There wasn’t much to get out of Stanley’s performance Monday except for the fact that he too didn’t try to prove he belonged by forcing up terrible shots and trying to be something he’s not. Robinson didn’t have a great game but he had a very controlled game. He hit the boards well and defended the wing. It’s this kind of decision-making and calm in his game that could earn him some extra minutes this season.
Luke Harangody, Boston Celtics:
27 mins, 23 pts, 4 rebs, 1 blk, 1 to, 5 PFs, 9/13 FG, 4/6 3FG, 1/2 FT, -5
Harangody can’t do much on the court but if you leave him open for a jumper he’s going to bury it. Harangody scored from all over the halfcourt while attempting to be a big body inside. The Thunder dominated the Celtics in the paint during the second half but a lot of that had to do with the perimeter breaking down defensively and putting the Boston big men in a lose-lose situation. Luke’s stroke from outside looks very funky and might even remind some people of the way Omri shoots. But it fell on Monday and allowed him to shed some early labels of being Brian Scalabrine 2.0.
Damion James, New Jersey Nets:
27 mins, 11 pts, 5 rebs, 1 stl, 2 tos, 7 PFs, 4/10 FG, 0/1 3FG, 3/4 FT, -11
Jones was not shy about putting up shots and actually had a very good overall game. His offense was okay but he hit the glass hard and was very active defensively. On a team like this in which Terrence Williams is going to initiate a lot of the offense for himself first, Jones has to be active away from the ball and find lanes to cut through. He moved well on Monday but will likely need to work on that chemistry a little bit more with Williams, who is a very willing passer.
Derrick Favors, New Jersey Nets:
24 mins, 8 pts, 9 rebs, 2 asts, 2 blks, 4 tos, 7 PFs, 2/8 FG, 4/7 FT, -5
First half of his Summer League career wasn’t exactly a how-to on making your presence felt early. Favors struggled with his movements inside, worked out the rim with his shots and had questionable footwork at best. He got away with a lot of pushing for rebounding position instead of working smarter with his body. However, he showed a nice defense presence for much of the second half, threw down a nice dunk while diving to the basket and owned the boards. He grabbed a couple of key offensive rebounds, which led to points. Favors has to work on fighting for good position early in possessions and being more aggressive as the pick man on pick-and-rolls. But his size and athleticism are definitely on display and he should put together a couple nice games.
Evan Turner, Philadelphia 76ers:
27 mins, 12 pts, 8 rebs, 4 asts, 2 stls, 2 tos, 6 PFs, 2/5 FG, 8/8 FT, +15
Turner also struggled in his summer time debut. He had the unenviable task of being guarded by Terrence Williams who proved he can use his teammates beautifully in defending a scorer/playmaker. Turner isn’t quite quick enough right now to blow past players with an explosive first step so he has to rely on finding angles when he drives. It reminds me a lot of a young Paul Pierce. Eventually he’ll find those angles and get into the paint to cause a little trouble. His jumper looked pretty horrible but we can try to make an excuse and chalk it up to nerves. He did rebound the ball extremely well for a guard and found a way to make a few plays.
Other Notable Things
- James Augustine: Dude wants a job. You know how I can tell? Because he straight outworked everybody on the floor. He was going against a pretty formidable frontline too. Okay, Pape Sow isn’t good at all but Alexis Ajinca is big and Derrick Brown can hover like Marty McFly in the year 2015. But Augustine just continued to bully his way through and put up a lot of points. He finished with 20 points on 9/10 shooting.
- Sundiata Gaines missed a game-winning three? I know it was weird for all of us. We’re used to him ruling the big moment. However, he did have a chance to hit another buzzer-beat from the right side of the floor and just missed the three. Could have been his calling card. Now, he’s a choker and will never be a winner and count the rings.
- Derrick Brown/Gerald Henderson combo: This should be outlawed for Summer League. These guys are clearly too advanced to be here. Derrick Brown was spectacular attacking the basket and playing defense on opposing wing players. He did awkwardly miss a dunk and then try to blame one of the ball boys for it but overall it was a good game. Gerald Henderson was just a smooth scorer. There’s not a player in this summer time exhibition who can guard him. They both had 20 points.
- Sherron Collins: There’s a reason this guy wasn’t drafted and it was on display. He’s not quicker than your lower-tiered NBA point guard. And he’s smaller than just about everybody he’s going to face. If being slower and smaller than NBA players were the criteria for making the league, we’d all be in it, instead of reading the words I’m putting on this computer screen.
- Alexis Ajinca: I saw this guy last year and thought he’d be lucky to ever pick up a basketball again. He was arguably one of the worst players I’d ever seen. A year later, he has a decent jumper, long limbs that help any move toward the basket and he played completely within himself for the most part. He finished with eight points, four boards, three blocks and six fouls. He’s still a project but no longer horrendous.
- Magnum Rolle: He scored 13 points in 18 minutes and showed to be capable of role-playing quite well. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on this week.
- Richard Hendrix: I swear if this guy was two inches taller, he’d be starting in the NBA. He made a lot of positive things happen on the floor and ended up with a +13 in 23 minutes.
- Jeff Adrien: When Rick Kamla wasn’t busy grunting over Adrien’s body, Jeff Adrien was busy bumping guys out of the lane like a human game of Sorry. He notched 13 points and 10 rebounds in 20 minutes. He’s too strong for these kids.
- Donnel Taylor: He’s completely capable of putting up points in a flurry. I fully expect him to drop 25 or more in a game very soon. And it has to be soon too because he’s only here this week.
- Patrick Ewing, Jr: Please stop shooting.
- Oliver Lafayette: He did most of his damage in the first half but ended up with 15 points and five assists. He killed the Thunder until they realized half of their roster is from the actual regular season roster and decided to dominate.
- Ryan Thompson: Jason Thompson’s brother scored 13 points on three shots. He was 9/9 from the line.
- Thunder free throws: 35/43 from the floor. God I love Summer League.
- BJ “Byron†Mullens: His stat line looks great with 24 points on 12 shots, 15 trips to the line and seven rebounds. But I’m afraid of his defensive rating when he actually plays in the regular season consistently because he’s way too slow to guard anybody or rotate properly.
- Serge Ibaka scare: He banged knees with Semih Erden and crumpled to the floor. He had to be helped off the floor and it looked bad for a few minutes. Luckily, he walked it off on the sideline and appears to be just fine.
- Eric Maynor: Within two years, he’s going to be the best backup point guard in the NBA and it won’t be close.
- Brian Zoubek: Some were outraged that this guy didn’t get drafted despite the fact that he’s not very good and can’t move with NBA bodies. I know he’s a great rebounder but he’s still not very good. He grabbed three rebounds in 13 minutes. Not bad but not “this guy HAS to be in the NBA†either.
- Terrence Williams: Put. On. A. Show.
- Trent Plaisted: He’s 6’11†and didn’t grab a single rebound in 24 minutes, despite the fact that he played inside. That’s hard to do.
- Marreese Speights: This guy is destined to get paid from a contract year and then never contribute once after that. He was 1/11.
- Jrue Holiday: Stop playing the rest of the summer. You proved you’re above this. 23 points, eight assists, 8/13 shooting.
- Jodie Meeks: Please try to score more. I love watching you with the ball. 18 points like it was nothing.
- Cedric Simmons: Believe it or not, Cedric Simmons was really good in this game. He had a couple of active dunks. Eight points and four boards in nearly 16 minutes of work.
Okay, that’s enough for now. The rest of these probably won’t be nearly as long. I’m just excited to have some basketball back.
