NBA Summer League: Top 5 Players

I’m afraid my UK fandom is keeping me from watching Bruce Pearl coach the US team in the Maccabiah Games (I hear that they absolutely destroyed Mexico), though I do wish to give a hearty “Shalom Aleichem” to all of the Jewish readers. Fortunately, the NBA Summer League provided some entertainment in this basketball wasteland. The games end tonight, so it’d be a bit foolhardy to give a full retrospective, however, I want to take you on a journey – a journey to meet the Guys Who Really Stepped Up. I suppose the full caveats are in order. Obviously, performances are a bit skewed since teams only include players who have been in the league for three years or less. It’s more of less a series of practices, allowing new players to get to play with some members of their team in a NBA game setting. Still, they give us a glimpse at how talent is unfolding, and provide basketball junkies like me a much needed mid-summer fix. Without this, I’d turn in Gollum, watching and re-watching high-light reels while whispering ‘my precioussssssss’.

Right, well now that I have that borderline creepy over-share out of the way, I can get to my picks (note: they are in No Particular Order). I am only picking rookies because I feel like the Summer League presents a good middle ground for them to really start showing off. Adam Morrison being a top 5 scorer is nothing big – he has spent some time in league and is getting those points against players who have less experience than he does. Not to take away from Anthony Morrow’s record-setting 47 points – that’s good no matter how you want to spin it. Anyway, that’s my justification, and you can take it or leave it. Get ready to get your blood-boiling – if you think I’ve picked wrong, I want to hear about. Please include curse words and thinly veiled threats.

1. Blake Griffin – Basically the only “sure thing” of this years draft, Griffin has been showing the Clippers that they used their number 1 pick well. The Clippers have only played 4 out of 5 games (their last one is tonight and you can watch all of it here), but unless Griffin does an about face and decides to stand with his back to the hoop, close his eyes, and stick his fingers in his ears, I’m guessing that his domination will continue. He’s been lighting it up, averaging 20 points a game and 11.5 rebounds.

Game to watch: Check him out in his debut against the Lakers, or, if you want to compare the number 1 and 2 picks, watch him against the Grizzlies. Griffin’s enthusiasm, tenacity, and point-scoring really contrast with Thabeet’s performance.

2. Jodie Meeks – I swear this isn’t my homerism shining through. Jodie Meeks has been on fire, shooting like he has something to prove, which honestly, isn’t a bad way for Jodie to play. He’s a pure scorer and he’s being doing just that, at each game, consistently making shots and ending with a team high 19 pointes per game, which translates to a whopping 55.7 field goal percentage. This couldn’t have happened, though, without Brandon Jennings dishing to Meeks with efficiency and skill that has only grown throughout the Summer League. Jennings is averaging 8.2 assists per game, and at least going off these few games, it looks like the Meeks-Jennings pair is the start of a beautiful friendship.

Game to watch: Even though the Bucks lost to the Raptors, Jodie’s 29 point performance (25 of which were scored in the second half), is worth watching.

3. Chase Budinger – Who would have thought this mid-second round pick would be one of the breakthrough stars of the Summer League? Answer: no one, including me. Honestly, his performance shouldn’t be too terribly surprising. After all, Budinger was ranked in the 1^st round in the 2008 draft. He chose to remain in school, and slipped into the second round this year. Averaging a team-high 17.8 points per game and an atmospheric 68.1 field goal percentage, Budinger is not sitting around twiddling his thumbs. The Rockets are undefeated, and it looks like Budinger could be a serious contributor.

Game to watch: If you like watching players sink baskets, watch the Rockets take on the Lakers. If you want to see a more complex Budinger, watch Rockets v. Warriors.

4. DeMar DeRozan – Honestly, the numbers he put up for the Raptors might not be as impressive as some other players, but his makes the list due to his unselfish play and ball-handling skill. He had a solid performance overall, putting up decent points and extremely respectable rebounds. He led his team over the Bucks in one of the most intense games of the Summer League (it all came down to basically a buzzer-beater). His 3 point shot needs improvement, but overall, this guy looks like he could be a real asset to the Raptor franchise.

Game to watch: Definitely watch Bucks versus Raptors. It has everything – a close game, a last minute shot, Jodie Meeks (OK, that was my homerism).

5. Austin Daye – It never ceases to amaze me when people complain that Daye is too lanky for the Pistons. I mean, I can think of at least one other incredibly lanky guy whose done quite well for himself and for his team. His name is Tayshaun Prince and he’s pretty good, so please, look him up. Daye got off to a slow start, however, by his second game he was really getting on target. He’s killing it, playing nearly the whole game and making every minute of game time count. While he needs to watch his turnovers and be careful of foul trouble, Daye’s lanky build doesn’t seem to be keeping him from making his presence known on the court.

Game to watch: See Daye lead his team to victory over the New York Knicks with 27 points and 13 rebounds.

I can’t finish this post without mentioning Joey Dorsey. I know he isn’t a fresh, new, crisp draft pick, but he really came out of nowhere (technically, I guess, he came out of Memphis), to lead the entire league in rebounds. The Rockets have had a great team together this year, with both Budinger and Dorsey making huge contributions and leading the Rockets to an undefeated Summer League. I hope Dorsey can keep this fire going. Overall, that is my concern for all of the Summer League players. While this approximates NBA play, it’s not quite the same as actually being in a game since so many of the teams lack basically the entire starting line-up. Looking at efficiency may provide some clue as to how an individual may perform, but with so many players drafted based on potential, we may not be seeing an accurate representation of performance.

Eh, whatever. I’m just happy to see some hoops.

Tags: ailanthus altissima, Austin Daye, Blake Griffin, Chase Budinger, DeMar DeRozan, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, Jodie Meeks, LA Clippers, Milwaukee Bucks, nba, NBA Summer League, Success!, Toronto Raptors
Categories: Domestics

This entry was posted on Monday, July 20th, 2009 at 12:41 pm and is filed under Domestics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.