Welcome to the NBADraftBlog.com Review of the NBA Summer League from Orlando.  Check in each night has I review the teams and players performance each day.  The first day had its highs and lows, but overall, the play was good and should get better as the players get used to each other in game situations.  That being said, for all of my TWolves fans out there - Ndudi Ebi took a DNP- Coach's Decision tonight. 

Charlotte Bobcats    85        Utah Jazz    83

 

I only caught the 2^nd half of this game, so I will wait until tomorrow before commenting on the players.  I do want to point out that Gordon Hayward showed a lot of the good (playmaking, control) and bad (lacks aggression) that he showed at Butler.  He looked very comfortable out there and I still expect a big week from him.

 

 

 

 

Indiana Pacers  86        Orlando Magic 77

 

Who Impressed – This game was all about Lance Stephenson (21 pts, 4 rebs, 3 asts).  Stephenson spent a lot of time running the point for the Pacers and, aside from a little too much flashiness, he was very impressive.  His court vision was spectacular, and his shot seemed to be dialed in from the perimeter as well.  If he keeps this up all week, he may head into fall camp as the Pacers starting point guard.  The other Pacers’ rookies, Paul George and Magnum Rolle, had their moments as well.  George showed off his perimeter stroke in the first half, though he was quiet in the second half.  When the ball wasn’t coming his way, he would try and force it once he touched it, and he also seemed to have problems with perimeter traps.  Rolle ran the court well all game and showed the ability to put the ball down well in transition. 

 

For the Magic, both Stanley Robinson and Patrick Ewing Jr. shook off rough starts to show off their great athleticism.  Ewing Jr, playing for his dad here, showed the ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the hoop, and a few times even stepped back to nail the three.  Robinson had one monster jam off an offensive rebound and I expect a few more this week.  Jeff Adrien was a monster in the lane, moving around players much bigger than he is.  Donnell Taylor showed very good ability getting to the rim and was very active on the defensive end.

 

 

Not Impressed – I don’t know if there are enough words to describe how lost Daniel Orton seemed out there.  Every time he wanted to set a screen, he moved (though this happened an awful lot today, players unfamiliar with each other); he was often out of position on both offense and defense; and finally got himself and Josh McRoberts (who was having a good game to this point) ejected in the 3^rd.  If you were to look at Jerome Randle’s stat line (8 pts, 6 rebs, 5 asts) you might think it was a decent game.  Decent is an overstatement.  I am impressed by his speed, but he needs to get the “little man” chip off his shoulder, because he tries to force too many things he shouldn’t be doing. 

 

For Indiana, Thomas Heurtel, the French point guard, was another one who tried to force too much.  He is not good enough to dictate the flow of the game, so he needs to play within it.  He did show a nice ability to hit from the outside, and as he becomes more familiar with his teammates, he may be a decent backup point guard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oklahoma City Thunder  87     Boston Celtics   82

 

Who Impressed – The Thunder, who had been down by as much as 18 in the game, rallied behind impressive performances by Eric Maynor, Byron Mullens, and James Harden.  Maynor was able to get into the lane at will in the 2^nd half, and if he wasn’t dumping off a nice pass, he found a way to score.  Mullens was impressive in the post, especially after Serge Ibaka went out with a leg injury.  Mullens still needs to work on his defensive footwork, but he has shown great progress on the offensive end. 

 

On the Celtics’ end, Luke Harangody looked like he had been in the league a few years, seemingly showing that he could do a bit of everything, including hitting 4 of 6 from three-point range.  Of course, he showed plenty of the post play and rebounding that he has been known for.  I was impressed with Oliver Lafayette, who did a great job running the Boston offense, and showed the ability to penetrate against the OKC guards.  Ryan Thompson also showed off his ability to get to the rim and draw contact, though I would like to see him attempt more shots on the perimeter, especially off the pass.

 

Not Impressed – No one in this game really stood out as unimpressive the first time around.  I’ll check in tomorrow after seeing them again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Philadelphia 76ers     84         New Jersey Nets    74

 

Who Impressed – Jrue Holiday played a great all-around game – running the offense well, hitting from the perimeter, getting into the lane, and running the break.  The only letdown was that he seemed to let up on the defensive end too often.  Jodie Meeks showed that he can still score in a variety of ways, and Cedric Simmons played tough down low and even had a great dunk in transition.

 

Damion James had a nice debut for the Nets, showing his ability to rebound among much bigger players and going to the basket strong.  Terrence Williams had exactly the kind of start he needed in Orlando.  Williams was near unstoppable off the dribble, showed the ability to run the team on offense, and was a pest on defense.

 

Turner v. Favors – The Nos. 2 and 3 picks were on display here and at times even went one-on-one against each other.  Both were very good and somewhat disappointing in this game, so I will reserve judgment on their play  until later in the week.  That being said, Evan Turner showed why he could have amore than a few triple doubles in the league, and Derrick Favors showed toughness and athleticism which will make him very valuable to the Nets.

 

Not Impressed – The only player who I was somewhat disappointed in here was Ben Uzoh.  I expected him to be a much better decision maker and his passes seemed a bit tough to handle.  Tweety Carter was much better tonight and may get more time tomorrow off of it.

 

Make sure to check back tomorrow as I recap Day 2 of the Orlando Pro Summer League.

Boston Celtics

 

Player	Position	Age	Height	Weight	College/Country
Luke Harangody	PF	22	6’8	255	Notre Dame
Ryan Thompson	SG	22	6’6	220	Rider
Ryan Wittman	SF	22	6’7	215	Cornell
DeShawn Sims	SF/PF	22	6’8	225	Michigan
Art Parakhouski	C	22	6’11	260	Radford
Oliver Lafayette	PG	26	6’2	190	Houston
Rodney Green	SF	22	6’5	210	LaSalle
Jaycee Carroll	PG	27	6’2	180	Utah State
Tony Gaffney	SF	25	6’8	212	Massachusetts
Semih Erden	C	24	7’0	240	Turkey
Matt Janning	SG	22	6’4	198	Northeastern
Vyacheslav Kravstov	C	22	7’0	270	Ukraine

 

 

The Rookies –  In contrast to the Thunder entry, the Celtics squad is chock full of players fresh out of college, though first round pick, Avery Bradley, will not be among them.  Bradley is out with a wrist injury which sidelined him towards the end of the pre-draft process.  The group in Orlando is led by 2^nd round pick Luke Harangody.  Harangody is a very efficient big man and is a beast down low when his body is set.  He is joined by 4 other recent graduates, all of who bring something to the table.  Ryan Thompson, the younger brother of the Sacramento Kings’ Jason Thompson, is a smooth shooting guard who has the ability to get to the rim.  He needs to improve his perimeter shooting to play at the NBA level.  Ryan Wittman is the opposite – deadly from long range, but he needs to work on getting to the rim and being able to beat his man one-on-one.  DeShawn Sims played a power forward at Michigan, but projects to be more of a small forward.  He needs to adjust to playing on the perimeter, though he already has an effective mid-range game.  Art Parakhouski is a classic center, not too athletic, but bullies people down low with his size.  He needs to work on his footwork over the summer to adjust to the speed of NBA level centers.

 

The Vets –  Oliver Lafayette and Tony Gaffney have both spent some time on the Celtics roster and should be effective acting as team leaders.  Lafayette will be running the team’s offense, while Gaffney should be the primary option on offense from the wing.

 

The Wild Cards –  Two foreign big men – Semih Erden and Vyacheslav Kravstov – round out the roster and, from what little I have seen of both, have a long way to play at the NBA level.  Both need to work on their toughness and being more physical on the blocks.

 

 

 

 

 

Charlotte Bobcats

 

Player	Position	Age	Height	Weight	College/Country
Alexis Ajinca	C	22	7’0	220	France
Derrick Brown	SF	22	6’8	227	Xavier
Gerald Henderson	SG	22	6’5	215	Duke
Nathan Jawai	C	23	6’10	275	Australia
Alade Aminu	SF	22	6’10	225	Georgia Tech
Antonio Anderson	SF	25	6’6	215	Memphis
Brandon Bowman	SF	25	6’8	225	Georgetown
Denis Clemente	PG	24	6’1	175	Kansas State
Sherron Collins	PG	23	5’11	225	Kansas
Marquis Gilstrap	SF	23	6’7	215	Iowa State
Marcus Ginyard	SG	23	6’5	220	North Carolina
Jerel McNeal	SG	23	6’3	200	Marquette
Darius Miles	SF	28	6’9	235	Portland/Memphis
Jeremy Pargo	PG	24	6’2	219	Gonzaga
Pape Sow	PF	28	6’10	250	Senegal
PJ Tucker	SF	25	6’5	225	Texas
Shawne Williams	PF	24	6’9	225	Memphis
Brandon Hazzard	SG	23	6’2	192	Troy

 

The Rookies –  With word going around that Raymond Felton will not be coming back, the battle between Sherron Collins and Denis Clemente here in Orlando could be a battle for the backup point guard spot with the Bobcats.  Collins is the more natural point guard, Clemente is more of a scorer.  If Collins can get back into shape, he should easily win this battle.  One other rookie to watch is Marquis Gilstrap out of Iowa State.  While he played in the shadow of Craig Brackins last season, Gilstrap is very athletic and knows how to get to the rim.

 

The Vets –  Gerald Henderson will look to improve on his rookie season, which at best could be called inconsistent.  Henderson is very athletic, though he needs to become a more consistent perimeter shooter, especially with the defense closing on him.  Nathan Jawai is a monster presence in the paint, but still needs to improve his foot speed to compete effectively at the NBA level.   Alexis Ajinca is also still a bit unpolished, but has shown flashes of being an effective NBA role player, especially on the boards.

 

The Wild Cards –  The big unknown here is Darius Miles.  Extremely talented, but very troubled during his previous NBA stints, Miles is looking for a fresh start here with the Bobcats.  If he still has any of the explosiveness which characterized his Portland years, he may make a case for being on the NBA roster.  Pretty much the same things can be said about Shawne Williams, who is also on the roster.

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Part 3 of my preview of the Orlando Pro Summer League looks at the Utah Jazz and the Oklahoma City Thunder.  Make sure to come back tomorrow for Part 4 and daily reviews of the games during the week.

 

Oklahoma City Thunder

 

Player	Position	Age	Height	Weight	College/Country
James Harden	SF/SG	20	6’5	218	Arizona State
Serge Ibaka	PF/C	20	6’10	235	Congo
Eric Maynor	PG	23	6’3	175	VCU
Latavious Williams	SF	21	6’8	205	Tulsa 66ers
DJ White	PF	23	6’9	251	Indiana
Kyle Weaver	SG	24	6’5	201	Washington St.
Ryan Reid	PF	23	6’9	235	Florida State
Byron Mullens	C	21	7’0	275	Ohio State
Robert Vaden	SG	25	6’5	205	UAB
Mustafa Shakur	PG	25	6’3	190	Arizona
Cliff Hammonds	PG/SG	24	6’3	210	Clemson
Marcus Lewis	PF	23	6’8	245	Oral Roberts

 

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