Draft Express: Las Vegas Summer League Day Four

Game Four: Houston Rockets 100, Phoenix Suns 97

Houston

Donte Greene: 40 Points, 12-20 FG, 5-10 3FG, 11-12 FT, 3 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 3 Fouls

Greene played out of his mind today. He looked incredible comfortable knocking down catch and shoot jumpers from NBA three point range, and even better taking his man off the dribble. Greene showed a very nice perimeter repertoire, but had a hard time taking some athletic defenders, namely DJ Strawberry, off the dribble when they weren’t recovering. When he did get the ball with a defender closing out, he showed the ability to not only get by him, but also change direction and spin to the rim when the defender caught up.

Greene’s shot was lights out today, and when he wasn’t knocking down shots from the perimeter, he was making a killing at the rim where he finished consistently and earned quite a few trips to the line. His footwork was very solid, and he created separation with ease against the Suns lackluster big forwards. Greene didn’t do much rebounding or playmaking, but picked it up in those areas when the Suns moved their stopper, DJ Strawberry, onto him defensively. Greene effectively won the game with a great spinning assist late, but was clearly winded by the middle of the third quarter. It will be interesting to see if Greene plays this well against a team with a comparably athletic player at his position.

Mike Harris: 21 Points, 9-14 FG, 1-2 3FG, 2-2 FT, 13 Rebounds, 1 Block, 6 Fouls, 2 Turnovers

Harris earns mention here for having one of the most efficient performances we’ve seen this Summer League. He has great athleticism and strength, and while he did most of his damage inside, he stepped out a knocked down a couple a deep jumpers. Harris was dominant when he got the ball with room to operate, his leaping ability makes him a very good finisher, and he’s almost impossible to stop when he has a head of steam. He showed great touch at the rim, and isn’t afraid of contact. His aggressive nature earned him a ton of rebounds and he effectively compensated for the absence of Joey Dorsey. Harris is a great combo forward, and showed today that he can do a lot of things well. If he keeps this up he’s on his way to

Maarty Leunen: 16 Points, 6-13 FG, 1-6 3FG, 3-4 FT, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 8 Fouls, 2 Turnovers

Leunen had a very good game today showing that he is a capable role player at this level. He knocked down his midrange jumpers with consistency, but struggled mightily from three. Leunen has the form to be a very good outside shooter, and just needs to acclimate his game to NBA range. His basketball IQ shined through on a couple of occasions, especially in the final play of the game where his backdoor cut earned him a reverse lay-in and a win for his team. His ability to handle the ball for a bigman is a nice asset, and while he’s not athletic enough to do anything with it, he takes care of the ball and doesn’t miss the open man. Defensively, he’s a definite liability due to a lack of lateral quickness, but will work hard to grab rebounds. Leunen has a shot at being an end of the bench role player, but seems like he could be a nice player overseas too.

-Aaron Brooks had a very poor outing, taking far too many trips into the paint in situations where he was presented with space from the perimeter. Last year, Brooks made a killing from the perimeter, and he seemed to realize that late in the game where he used a few outside shots to set up his drives.

Nothing really new here but it's nice to hear it from a DE scout.