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Houston Rockets forward Terrence Jones had an impressive first day at the Orlando Summer League, but his 24 point effort was not enough to overcome a sensational effort from a certain 76ers' young gun.
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However, looking too much into one game in the Orlando Summer League is like overcooking chicken, you just cannot do it. Granted there were some very impressive and dismal performances, it means little in the long run. So for now, let's look at the biggest takeaways cautiously and just be excited that there is finally basketball back on television.
Michael Carter-Williams was absolutely terrific and tremendously horrible
Michael Carter-Williams' stat line was the performance of the game. 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists. What a debut for the former Syracuse guard. However, add in the 9 turnovers and it does not look as good as it did the first time. While he showed great promise at the point, he reaffirmed all the strengths and weaknesses of his game.
A poor jump shot that allowed him to go 0-6 from behind the arc. Great passing ability led him to 8 assists. His long frame at the point gave him 7 rebounds. And his knack for being clumsy with the ball led to 9 turnovers. 9 turnovers. That a lot. OMG. But for now, MCW had a great first showing for Philadelphia. With the rebuilding project, he will have plenty of opportunities to secure his position as the team's point guard of the future.
Kelly Olynyk is the future at the stretch-four
Throughout the year at Gonzaga, Kelly Olynyk was viewed as the best player on a mid-major roster that many people never had the chance to see play. In talking about Olynyk, a majority of people had only seem him play twice this past year, first when Gonzaga visited Butler and second when Gonzaga was knocked out of the tournament by Wichita State. In both games, Olynyk played subpar and the team lost. Because of this, Olynyk's talent and draft stock was less valued by the NBA community. And when the Celtics moved up to pick him at 13th overall, many criticized their move.
A couple of weeks later, after one day at the summer league, Olynyk is starting to prove all the doubters wrong. In the Celtic's first game against the Orlando Magic, Olynyk was an unstoppable force on the offensive end. With his huge seven foot frame, he has the size to be a back to the basket scorer in the NBA. However, that is not his true game. The former Gonzaga star showed he had all the makings of a prototypical stretch-four type of player. He scored around the basket but was comfortable from long range, hitting two three-pointers on the way to a 9-12 shooting performance. He also displayed adapt ball handling skills and an explosive first step. In fact, there was even a Kelly Olynyk and Fab Melo pick-and-roll. If Boston can get that to work...watch out.
Victor Oladipo may not work out as the franchise point guard, but will be fantastic for the Magic
With word circulating that the Magic were interested in trying Victor Oladipo at the point guard position, there was considerable buzz surrounding the former Indiana standout on Sunday. Oladipo had one of the most impressive performances of the day, racking up 18 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists, and five steals. His high motor playing style was as present as ever. He was all over the place, and will be the definition of a stat sheet stuffer at the next level. I expect him to be a guy who can go for a triple-double on a regular basis (hopefully).
When I first heard that Oladipo would be played at the point, I was very surprised and was a little doubtful of how his game would translate to the point position. But, as I quickly found out, I had no reason for my doubts. He showed great ability at the one. His ball-handling was tight and on point, as he often times shredded the double team on the way to the rim. As evident of his 7 assists, he had a great day passing the ball. While it remains to be seen whether or not he can sustain this position full-time, he will surely get minutes at the point in the upcoming season and beyond.
Trey Burke and Rudy Gobert had rough starts
As the number one point guard in the draft, the Utah Jazz picked their franchise point guard for the future by trading for Trey Burke. Burke possesses great NBA intangibles and certainly will be mentally prepared to play point guard in the Association. However, his overall talents were not all there yesterday in Orlando. He shot just 1-12 (0-4 from three-point range) from the field, as he really struggled to get his shot off over larger defenders. While he did add 5 assists and 7 rebounds, his offensive game is questionable going forward.
After trading for Trey Burke, the team made another move in trading for the 27th pick and taking French big man Rudy Gobert. Gobert is one of the boom or bust players with a huge upside for growth and maturity. However, he does not look like an NBA talent, at least for now. He was by far the least impressive rookie yesterday. He showed no real offensive ability, as most of his points were dunks, and was almost non-existent on the glass, grabbing only four rebounds. I was extremely disappointed in the way Gobert played, as he shied away from contact and let stronger players push him around down low. The 7'1" Frenchman only tallied 6 points and 4 rebounds. For now, he looks like a waste of a first round pick.
The Thunder may have found a diamond in the rough
As I sat at home watching the Thunder and the Pacers square off, I was pretty amazed at some of the talent the Thunder had on their roster. Jeremy Lamb, Grant Jerrett, Steven Adams, and Dwight Buycks are all notable talents. However, Lamb is already a recoginized name and Adams played absolutely horrible. Except for Rudy Gobert (and if you count Colton Iverson), Steven Adams was the least impressive rookie yesterday. So that leaves Grant Jerrett and Dwight Buycks, two guys who had absolutely tremendous performances for OKC.
Selected with the 40th pick in this year's draft, the Thunder were not expecting much from Grant Jerrett heading into Sunday. Since then, the team has gotten a lot more than what they have bargained for. Through one game (and two if you count this morning), Jerrett has been out of this world impressive on both ends of the court. Defensively, he has corralled rebounds and blocked shots with force, as he swatted Orlando Johnson off the backboard multiple times. As for the offensive end, he scored around the rim but also popped out to the outside, knocking down four three-point shots, on the way to 17 points.
At the point guard postion, Dwight Buycks was sensational in leading a young Thunder team to their first victory in the 2013 Orlando Summer league. Buycks played overseas last season in a French League (that has considerable NBA talent) and was named the league's MVP. He carried his experience and basketball talent back to the states on Sunday, leading Oklahoma City to a victory. He was terrific on offense, getting to the rim with ease (and finishing) and dishing the rock to open teammates at the right times. From what I have seen, Buycks should make the OKC roster as a third option at point guard. His final totals included 12 points and 13 assists.
It was a good day to be a Plumlee
The Orlando Summer League kicked off with two Plumlee brothers in the fray, Miles representing the Indiana Pacers and Mason representing the Brooklyn Nets. The former Duke big men were nothing short of spectacular during the first day in Orlando. While neither of them may play large minutes during the regular season, they are certainly showing why they were both first round draft picks.
In the fourth game, Miles led his Indiana Pacers against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Plumlee's matchup was the twelfth overall pick in this year's draft, Steven Adams. Plumlee dominated Adams in and outside of the post. He used his strength and superior athleticism to get to the rim on offense and contest shots on defense. Plumlee had two major highlights of the day in Orlando. First, he threw down a tenacious two-handed reverse jam on the Thunder big men. Then, on the ensuing defensive possession, he charged across the lane and blocked a player's shot. Miles tallied nine points and nince rebounds as well. And to top it all of, he tied the Orlando Summer League record with six blocks. Lets see Mason top that.
Playing right after his older brother, Mason started at center for what seemed like a very talent-lacking Brooklyn Nets squad. In one of the storylines of the day, new head coach Jason Kidd was coaching the team. We will sidetrack for a moment. At times, Kidd looked uncomfortable on the sideline. Much of the coaching was done by lead assistant Lawrence Frank. However, Kidd did receive a technical late in the game. Now, back to Plumlee. Mason had the highlight play of the day, taking the ball coast-to-coast, adding in a sweet spin move, and dunking over Kentavius Caldwell-Pope. He also added 10 points and 14 rebounds. Not too shabby Mason.
Plumlee Bro's Stat Line: 19 points, 23 rebounds.
Andre Drummond has no business in Orlando
As I settled down to watch the Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets square off in the last game of the day, I was a bit surprised to see Andre Drummond take the floor for Detroit. And after just a couple minutes of watching him, it was obvious that he has no business being in Orlando. The former UCONN star was a physical monster on both ends of the court. Aside from Mason Plumlee's coast-to-coast dunk, Drummond had the highlight of the day with a vicious put back dunk. It was more of a classic Dwight Howard-esque throwing the ball in the hoop rather than a dunk.
The crowd was blown away with Miles Plumlee's six blocks (tied for the Orlando Summer League record) in the game before. Drummond had four in the first half. He was an intimidating force on both ends of the court. I will not be surprised if Drummond is sent home early, similar to how the Warriors sent Klay Thompson home after he dismantled the competition in last year's Las Vegas Summer League.
On a side note, Detroit was by far the most exciting team to watch in yesterday's action. With a lineup of Peyton Siva, Kentavius Caldwell-Pope, Kris Middleton, Tony Mitchell, and Drummond, the Pistons were without a doubt the most explosive team on the floor. While KCP had a rough shooting performance, Kris Middleton found his scoring touch, adding 16 points in the Piston's win. Also, former Missouri standout Kim English knocked down a pair of threes off the bench and played great defense for Detroit. The Pistons are my favorite to take home the 2013 Orlando Summer League title (If Drummond stays).
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