SHOOTING, we talked a lot about this very topic prior to the NBA Draft in our various blogs and tweets. Although it is important to have good athletic ability and it certainly is nice to have size, the name of the game is to put the ball in the basket and so far the Summer League Las Vegas has been a showcase for guys who can knock it down.
-Steph Curry hasn’t had the consistency the Warriors hope he will during the winter but his ability to shoot it from deep has led him to some big games.
-Austin Daye has been one of the best players of the week because he makes shots for the Pistons, oh by the way, Jonas Jerebko and Dajuan Summers have been good as well. Detroit seems to have had a solid draft.
-Adam Morrison is coming off ACL rehab and a trade to the Lakers and scored well (21 ppg) in Vegas.
-Chase Budinger has gained confidence with every game and although he does literally NOTHING else, he can make shots in bunches (68% FG) and averaged 17 ppg.
-Anthony Morrow made a name for himself here last summer and broke the Summer League scoring record with 47 points tonight a bulk of which came from beyond 20 feet.
-Jodie Meeks, who we’re hearing will stick with the Bucks, had a great game today scoring 29, shot the lights out and averaged 19 points per game during the summer league.
-Dante Cunningham from Villanova has taken his mid-range stroke to Portland and excels in the Pick and Pop game and Marcus Thornton from LSU had a nice week as well. DeMar DeRozan is also shooting the ball well for the Raptors.
SECOND PICK?
Again, reflecting back to our pre-draft rankings, I was critical of Hasheem Thabeet. We watched him again tonight at UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center versus the LA Clippers and #1 Pick Blake Griffin. Although Memphis won and the game had some great highlight dunks, nothing of value came from the big man. Again, one game or one week at summer league doesn’t make or break a career but I think this exposes some of his weaknesses and our concerns prior to the draft.
Thabeet played 30 minutes going 1-3 from the floor and 5-6 at the line (his best stat). To go along with 7 points he added a whopping 3 rebounds, committed 7 fouls and 5 turnovers. No assists, no steals, and NO BLOCKED SHOTS! He is that guy that people called a game changer?
His teammate, former Wisconsin Badger, 6′11 Greg Stiemsma came off the bench to play 11 minutes, going 3-4 from the field and 2-2 from the line, grabbing 1 rebound (same ratio as Thabeet unfortunately), committing 3 fouls and 2 turnovers. However, Stiemsma not only outscored Thabeet in 1/3 the minutes but he managed to grab a steal and also blocked 3 shots, including one on Griffin directly.
Hamed Haddadi, the huge 7′2 264 pound backup center from Iran, played only 10 minutes and managed to out number Thabeet (per minute) as well with 2 points, 3 rebounds, an assist, and 3 blocked shots.
Yet a guy like DeJuan Blair (Pitt) is too small, a tweener, not quick enough, has bad knees and collected another 20 points and 5 boards for the Spurs. Joey Dorsey (Memphis) is 6′8 on a good day and he posts an 11 point, 20 rebound, 5 assist, 3 steal, and 2 blocks stat line in the Rockets win over the Lakers. Can I get an amen?
NOTES
-NetScouts is hearing Christian Eyenga will stick with the Cleveland Cavaliers despite playing in the second division in Spain. He comes from the same club as Ricky Rubio, DKV Joventut and although listed at 6′5, he’s actually 6′6 1/2 and about 215 and very athletic.
-Boxing star Floyd Mayweather was again in attendance and as usual he is GREAT with fans. He brings a sharpie and signs every autograph request with a smile even during the action while he is trying to watch, he takes the time to sign. Doing that for kids and your fans, you are a stud man, nice job!
More from Vegas tomorrow.
-Chris Denker
Tags: basketball, Christian Eyenga, Dante Cunningham, Daye, DeJuan Blair, Denker, DeRozan, Floyd Mayweather, Houston Rockets, Joey Dorsey, nba, NBA Summer League, nbadraft, NetScouts, Portland Trail Blazers, rankings, Raptors, rubio, Scouting, Spain, Stephen Curry, Thabeet, toronto raptors