OT: NBA Summer League roundup, including former M players
NBA Summer League is in full swing now. A few teams have already played a couple games but the rest of the league kicks off over the next couple days. Here's a sloppy sort of round up for you:
Former Michigan players:
Caleb Houstan - he's played very well for Orlando off the bench tonight. He's scored 20 points and is currently 5 of 9 from deep off mostly catch-and-shoot 3s. He's doing exactly what is asked of him and the team is playing to his strengths.
Franz Wagner - Not on the roster for Orlando this year. He played really well last season and doesn't need to risk injury.
Zavier Simpson - He has 3 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and a block(!) off the bench tonight. Putting in a workman-like performance. Not a lot of flash to his game in the NBA, as expected. Great guy, great player for Michigan, just doesn't have the skills to make it in the NBA.
Moussa Diabate - The Clippers won't play their first game until Saturday at 9:30pm on ESPN3. Moussa is on the roster.
Eli Brooks - The Pacers begin play Friday at 6pm on ESPN2.
Devante Jones - I saw him listed as a player for the OKC Thunder but I didn't see him listed in any box score for the team. The Thunder have played multiple games already so this is a bit disconcerting.
Chaundee Brown - Atlanta begins play on Saturday at 7:30pm on ESPN3.
DJ Wilson - Toronto begins play on Saturday at 3:30pm on ESPN3.
Isaiah Livers - Playing right now with the Pistons on ESPN. He is starting.
Other teams/players of note:
Paolo Banchero - very strong start to his Summer League. Looked in control as both a scorer, distributor, and primary ball-handler for his team. He proved he was worthy of the number 1 selection. It will be interesting to see how Franz and Paolo play together. That Orlando team is loaded with young talent. Can they make it work though?
Chet Holmgren - Looked dominant in his first game with more than 20 points and multiple blocks, less so in his second game, rested in the third game. Chet and Josh Giddey look like future stars for the OKC Thunder.
Jabari Smith - The third pick might feel as though he had something to prove and came out a bit stiff in the first half against the Magic. He finished strong in the 2nd half even though his team lost the game. Side note: Josh Christopher looked in control of the Rockets team throughout and led his team in scoring.
Pistons Notes:
They're playing right now on ESPN. Cade Cunningham is practicing with the team and is listed on the roster but not likely to play. Same for Saddiq Bey. Killian Hayes, Jaden Ivey, Isaiah Livers, Isaiah Stewart, and Jalen Duren are starters tonight. First play of the game was an alley-oop pass from Ivey to Duren. Those two are going to be fun to watch. Interesting note that both of the Boeheim brothers are on the team though only 1 of them (Buddy Boeheim) has much of a chance at making the roster. Buddy has already signed a 2 way contract to play for the Pistons and the Motor City Drive.
The Pistons roster is one of the strongest in the entire Summer League. If they gel, I expect them to challenge for the Summer League Championship, not that it means much.
Things to watch for: Jaden Ivey - can he shoot? Killian Hayes - how much has his command of the offense improved? Isaiah Stewart - can he make 3s consistently? Jalen Duren - how many dunks/alley-oops will he have? 100? 200? :)
(Jalen Duren just received another alley-oop lol. Love that they got him in the draft.)
I'm happy for Houstan, but dammit - why couldn't he have played like this last season? He showed more energy and shooting ability last night than I saw beyond a few home-court flashes.
This has got to be a mistake. All the armchair NBA scouts on mgoblog told me this guy fucking sucks and was a moron for even considering the NBA.
Well, he has a non-guaranteed second-round contract, so I'd pump the brakes on declaring his decision to go pro a success
He isn't asked to do as much at the NBA level. He's got guys who can work the defense and pull defenders away from him. A lot of his shots were wide open catch-and-shoot 3s in transition.
All of the armchair box scores were annoying last season too.
This game might be fun to watch if the officials weren't doing their best to ruin it. I think that's the 3rd technical foul call I've seen. All of them were completely unnecessary. Not to mention all the nickel-dimers they've called throughout. All 3 officials look really young so they might be new.
Of note: Duren hasn't played much but his athleticism has been on display when he has. He's had multiple blocks and dunks. Keep in mind he just started practicing with the team today because the trade didn't go through until yesterday.
Ivey has alternated between exciting and inexperienced. He's had quite a few turnovers but also a few dunks and he's shot well from the perimeter. He looks great and with time he should iron out his inconsistencies.
Isaiah Livers has looked super athletic! He's had 2 blocks that would get everyone out of their seats in the Palace back in the day.
Killian Hayes has played well. He hasn't done much but he looks very confident out there. He had 4 assists in the first quarter alone and drained 1 of his 2 three pointers. Hasn't been asked to do a lot but has been impactful when he has.
I LOVED what I saw from Stewart. He was popping that three late in the 2021-22 season and it looks like it's in his repertoire for real.
- Jalen is a freaking man-child. The 'kid' isn't even 19 yet and he was the biggest guy on the court. Maybe Stewart was bigger. He got lost every now and then, but with him not even practicing for but a half-day, he was pretty good. We didn't see too much of him in the second half, did he get injured?
- Jaden has got all the tools. Summer League doesn't really space well so he didn't drive too much, but he showed the ability to run the point and distribute on the move. He also showed some defensive chops.
- Killian did Killian things in the first half, but he did them well. Ran the offense, distributed well. There have been rumblings about Killian needing to prove himself, but I think it would be a big mistake to get rid of him, at least for the sake of getting rid of him. I think if he keeps looking to score and he's successful, he's a keeper.
- I think Key is functional, I like him as a player, but there were times he was out of control.
- Isaiah Livers played with hustle and was effective as well. I think the Pistons have some good role players and he's one of them.
- Saban Lee, yikes. He was the definition of out of control. I think he felt the need to impress, but he depressed instead. Did shoot 10-13 from the free throw line, though.
Overall, I like what I saw from the team - except Saban - on to game two!
Livers made some plays on defense but his shot wasn't falling at all. 1-8 from three right now with the game almost over.
Ivey has shown flashes but has also looked sloppy and out of control at times. Filled up the stat sheet but he was getting a lot of usage.
Stewart has played a lot surprisingly, been our best shooter all game. Tells you how bad the shooting has been.
Duren was instant impact. Didn't play many minutes but his athleticism was on display.
Refs were horrible, so many whistles, combined with the horrible shooting, made it hard to watch.
Sharpe hardly played for Portland but showed off his athleticism with an early goaltend where he about jumped out of the gym.
Ivey as advertised. 20-6-6 should've been more but Jaden looked like the best player on the court at times.
Duren is an 18 year old man child, not sure if he had more dunks or blocks, Very exciting to see him play despite the limited playing time.
Livers was great defensively, didn't shoot well, but we all know he can.
Beef Stew keeps answering the question of his ability shoot the 3 ball--he can-- solid effort.
Cade & Bey DNP's
Almost time to cut bait on Saban Lee and Killian Hayes was meh. Really like Braxton Key's play tonight. Portland played tough defense but we still got a win...game was fun to watch.
Houstan 5 of 9 from NBA 3? Unless that game was played in Orlando it's probably his best road game since high school. Good for him, anyway.
D. J. Wilson playing in the summer league is a little bit like the Wooderson character in "Dazed and Confused."
Houstan went 5/7 from 3 @ Indiana in case you forgot
OK, second-best road game. I was referring to his tendency to shoot much better at Crisler. That obviously wasn't clear.
4/7 @ Nebraska.
The shooting split is more of a tiny sample size quirk than anything, and I would be shocked if it stuck in any fashion at the NBA level
Stewart shooting well is huge for the Pistons and him. Chet getting bullied to the basket in game 2 by a small wing is everyone’s fear.
That fear can be diminished by adding muscle over the next 2 years. It's going to take him some time to get to where he needs to be.
The NBA spacing and transition play definitely seemed to be helping Houstan get open shots. Not to mention the Summer League isn’t known for its defense
Simpson looks slimmer. I didn’t recognize him amongst other pros because he wasn’t the stocky short guy.
He was just the short guy?
Okay, it needs to be said, I love Jadens' mom! Well not that part, but she is an amazing woman! She is beautiful inside and out; you can see why Jaden turned into such a fine young man.
I'm going to stop before I say anything awkward.
There was an Ivey dunk where he put the ball straight down through the hoop, caught it on the way down, and when he landed, gave the ball a little spin. Got called for delay of game; the camera caught Niele giving that a big eyeroll. Enjoyed that one.
Luka Garza looks like "the after" in an ad for Slimfast. Still trying to find a role in the NBA. Hard to believe the former NCAA player of the year, will be a end of NBA bench guy someplace despite literally working his butt off.
Many of the players yesterday just signed their contracts, so it is hard to make too much of an over officiated scrimmage. Ivey shows great speed and Duren is a freak who does resemble Shawn Kemp. The Pistons may not make the playoffs this year but will definitely be more fun to watch.
He can’t guard anyone and he’s primarily a post player in a league that rarely runs post ups, what’s hard to believe?
Simpsons only bucket was you guessed it, a hook shot.
https://twitter.com/orlandomagic/status/1545237135883583489?s=21&t=PcaodP7T86RBTLmr8CSMag
I'm just here for all the "why didn't Houstan do that regularly when he was at Michigan" takes.