I know its a bit early to make this thread, but since the Rockets are done most of us will probably stop watching anyways... <br> For me I'd have to go with the following: Jodie Meeks: Dude can straight up ball. Looks like that 50 point game in college wasn't a fluke after all. Steal in the second round... Brandon Jennings: I think everyone expected Jennings to do ehh so-so because of his off the court "antics". However, Brandon has played extremely well through the past week. The guy is as true of a point guard as it gets. His passing is superb. His shot is a lot better than I was expecting. He can drive either way. Looks like he has star potential if he can keep his head on straight DeMar DeRozan: Good handles. Can score in bunches. Seems like he can go off on his own at times, but overall looks like a very good pick by toronto.. Austin Daye: When the Pistons made this selection, I went: " Did the pistons just select Tayshaun Prince again??". This guy seems to be the real deal though. Has amazing height and ability for his size. He has dominated the opposition in every single outing. He's been simply unstoppable. Can shoot the 3, drive, whatever you ask for offensively. Must improve strength to be a force during the regular season. Skill set is there though... DaJuan Summers: Another guy that makes me wonder how he fell so low.. Absolutely abused the other team along with his new teammate Austin Daye. Can post up, rebound in bunches, and play decent D. I like what I see out of him, and with the holes in the Detroit front court he should get a chance now rather than later. Adam Morrison: Adam really impressed me. He comes in and shows that he can still play. I think the guy still has a lot to offer. He just needs to be put into the right system ( like ours! )to prosper. We all know the offensive ability of Adam Morrison. Question is, can he play enough defense and do the other things necessary to stay on the court? Anthony Randolph: This guy is an athletic freak. He's a SF in a center's body. He can run, shoot, block shots, drive, everything. Another one who tore the opposition apart every single time he step foot on the court. Should be fun to watch him play during the regular season Tyreke Evans: Is this guy really a point guard? Outstanding athletic ability and size. Has a better shot than I thought he would. Obviously good driver and strong finisher. I think he needs to improve his play making abilities though.. Blake Griffin: He will be everything he has been hyped to be and more. Ridiculous talent. Nuff said... <br> There's probably more that I'll think of later, but just wanted to get some preliminary thoughts out before getting into the deeper discussions
Not to be a homer, but Chase averaged 68% from the field and 72% from 3P on only 22 MPG. That means, though he averaged 9 PPG less than Randolph, he also played 10 minutes less. That's among the most efficient Summer League performances I've seen in a while. Sometimes quiet consistency is better than eye-popping numbers.
Austin Daye really surprised me. He's so tall but has handles and can run the break. Too skinny but you can change that. Austin Daye was a big surprise.
Joey Dorsey has been amazing with his rebounding and blocks. His assist numbers have surprised me. The opposing team can't keep him off the boards.
Its hilarious to me how the entire BBS is referring to the guy as "Chase" like they are already endeared to him. I hope they trade him specifically for that reason lol.
Chase Budinger and Blake Griffin were the two best players on the court in all the games I watched. Both looked like they were the best and knew it, and did not make many bone headed plays. DD
i would add dejuan blair darren collison that french guard dallas has, boobeaux or something i would take morrison off that list, the guy was a top 3 pick and been in the league now 3 years, he took and made a lot of shots but the lakers SL squad doesnt have much on there. I doubt he is going to be on a nba team after his rookie contract expires. i was more impressed with mccauley and david monds on the lakers squad also i like Robert Battle on the kings
Could someone with Insider post Thorpe's top 10? http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insi...ry?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Rookies-090717
I think DaJuan Summers fell because he got off to a good start this past college season but really fell off towards the end. Maybe they question his drive. Sometimes he seems a little too passive. Glad to see he is doing good in the Summer league though.
Here's what David Thorpe had to say: http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/insider/columns/story?columnist=thorpe_david&page=Rookies-090717 Top 10 1. Blake Griffin, Clippers There is nothing left for Griffin to prove this summer. He is the most talented rookie and he plays the hardest, too; an exceptional combination. Veterans around the league should take note: This is not your typical rookie, and he'll provide them with bruises and posterizing moments to prove it. 2. James Harden, Thunder He plays like a 10-year vet -- nothing is rushed or forced -- and he was the best passer on the floor every time he suited up. Factor in his ability to shoot, score and make plays on both sides of the ball, and the case can be made that he should have gone No. 2 overall in the draft. 3. Tyreke Evans, Kings Can he crush opponents as a scorer? Yes. Is he a triple-double threat? Yes. Will he have a chance to break some kind of rookie free throws-per-game record? Perhaps. Sure, Evans has a lot to learn about playing the point guard position, but with his enormous talent, he's starting with very high expectations. 4. Tyler Hansbrough, Pacers He was not the most efficient scorer in Orlando, but those of us who watched him know just how effective he was for the Pacers. His energy not only hurt his opponents, but inspired his teammates. 5. DeMar DeRozan, Raptors Smooth and patient, with explosiveness and a sweet jumper. I love how DeRozan rarely dribbled himself into trouble and how crafty he proved to be around the hoop. And he rebounded and defended, too. He looks like he'll be able to contribute earlier than expected. 6. Tony Douglas, Knicks I've tried to avoid citing statistics in summer league because I'm not sure they are that accurate, but I've witnessed Douglas' masterful execution of the Knicks offense: 22 assists to just two turnovers so far. He has also shown the defensive chops everyone talked about before the draft. 7. DaJuan Summers, Pistons He is sneaky good and played intelligently all week. He was outstanding in three of his four games in Vegas, where he wasn't just focused on scoring. 8. Austin Daye, Pistons It's fair to suggest that Joe Dumars had an excellent draft. Daye is talented, as everyone knew, but he's also tougher than he looks. His biggest problem -- turnovers -- is mostly a result of his lack of strength. But when he gets bigger, watch out. 9. Darren Collison, Hornets He easily could have been in the top six of this list. I love how he controlled his team and created all sorts of scoring opportunities for them. He also played really well with Marcus Thornton -- the two rooks have potential as a backcourt tandem off the bench this season. 10. Jodie Meeks, Bucks Meeks earned bucket after bucket this week, from near and far. He has a powerful body and a pure shooter's stroke. And he plays with supreme confidence. Honorable mentions DeJuan Blair, Spurs Blair was a beast among the rookies, as expected. He manhandled people inside and finished shots with ease. Stephen Curry, Warriors Yes, he shot poorly and had terrible shot selection. But he found other ways to contribute (defense, rebounding and passing), and never lost his confidence. Chase Budinger, Rockets He was the hottest shooter in Vegas, from inside and outside the arc. If he learns to rebound and make plays on defense, he has a chance to be the steal of the draft. Marcus Thornton, Hornets Thornton needs lots of shots to score, but he is an excellent basketball player with supreme confidence. On both sides of the ball.
I agreed. From summer league games, I saw Budinger always gave opponents too much space when he defended. That is not rockets defense style. Just like what Kenny Smith said about Utah players during playoffs: soft defense. Hopefully, Rockets defense culture will change him.
Nice analysis, but confused on this one. I mean, if the Pistons did select Tayshaun Prince again, wouldn't that be a great thing? The guy has been an All Star (though questionable) and one of the more underappreciated players in this league. He can do a littel bit of everything and is a great defender. So just wondering about the Prince comment followed by "This guy seems to be the real deal though", as if Tayshaun isn't..
