What I Learned from the 2014 NBA Summer League

Nothing much, to be honest. Some players looked good. Some players looked bad. Some players looked good and bad. Lot of players hunted for shots because this is their big chance to make the NBA. I read somewhere that a lot of these guys are paying for their own flights for the hope of making it. Anyways.  Some of the rookies like Jabari Parker

 had their moments. He showed off some of his shooting and ball handling skills that he showed throughout high school. His teammate Giannis looked like the best player on the team and possibly better than any wing prospect in the 2014 Draft. His ball handling skills and aggressiveness are just great to see. Looked like an improved shooter as well.

Andrew Wiggins had his moments. He showed off some of that amazing athleticism. Not gonna lie and pretend I really believe this guy's "potential". He really can't dribble at all and his shooting is just ok at this stage.  Anthony Bennett looked much improved from where he was last season but still way too jumpshot heavy for a guy of his physical talents. That should be worrying.

Noah Vonleh. 30% shooting in summer league! W!T!F?!

Nik Stauskas looked great. Basically what we saw from him in college. Great shooter, good ball handler. Can do a little bit of everything offensively. This might end up actually being a really good pick for Sacramento regardless of the defensive issues they failed to address. McLemore actually looked pretty bad the first couple of games but improved as things progressed. McCallum also was pretty good.


Marcus Smart looked strong. I guess. We already knew that, though. I don't remember his shooting % but it was low. Exum showed flashes of his quickness and playmaking abilities. Trey Burke looked alright.

God, I'm getting tired writing about this.

Zach LaVine actually impressed me. I was team LaVine for a couple months when he was at UCLA, then I kinda soured on him. Probably due to everyone calling this guy a point guard like we were still in high school. Regardless of that this guy still has a solid base of skills. Solid enough handle(though he mainly uses it to get his jumper), good jumper and INCREDIBLE athleticism. So why Andrew Wiggins rated higher than this guy? Eh, we'll never know.  Shabazz looked pretty good too but I expected that. But man..does this guy HUNT for shots. You can't hate the aggressiveness tho, especially when you have a guy as good on the offensive boards as he is. Dieng is Dieng. Beast. But he ain't 21 so NO P0T3NT1AL

The player that probably most impressed me was Elfrid Payton. I liked the pick when Orlando made it, but I didn't like them drafting Aaron Gordon at #4(and he really looked alright in SL). He was cool, calm, collected. Yukon or the lexus. He looked like the best point guard by far. A "pure" point guard. Smart enough to know his strengths and his limitations. Probably why that Rondo comparison works so well. The future is bright for Orlando.

Kentavious Caldwell Pope  KCP!  Looked great as well. lot of strides. Can't wait to see how he looks this year  in Detroit with more playing time. McDermott shot like a shooter should. Alliterations. Tony Snell did the same. Bulls gon win a lot of damn games. With or without Rose.

Digging deep in my memory banks....I just watched too much...I feel like if I continue I'm just gonna have to list everyone and I don't wanna do that. Alright Jarnell Stokes was a grown ass man, dog. Nick Johnson looked like a possible steal for Houston. Kyle Anderson really looked ok and I like the guy, but it's possible he'll do better in a more structured Spurs system.

Ah yeah. Shabazz napier. Never was that high on the guy. And then Miami traded away valuable picks for him for Lebron and Lebron dipped ANYWAYS! Yeah he looked ok for some stretches, pretty bad for others. James Ennis played pretty damn well. The Hamilton fellow had his moments as well. Miami should be fine.

Alright I'm tired. I'm sorry if I left anyone out, but NBA is done for a couple months. It's football time. CFB, NFL, MOE, DOA. Time to get this basketball out of my system for a while cause I know I damn sure won't be thinking about it once preseason hits. Alright. Bye.