[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

I understand that in a dead period that any news is big news, but please understand what the summer league is. It is an introduction. It is wonderful when guys like Samardo Samuels, Anthony Roberson, C.J. Watson, and Pooh Jeter play themselves into a contract, but that lasts until October. I hope guys like Josh Akognon, Derwin Kitchen, and Art Parakhouski get training camp deals, but that is as far as that goes. For a true fringe guy, the league matters because you hope for a good look leads to another look. Even then, Wes Matthews was undrafted, shot 34.8 percent and averaged 6 points in the summer league with the Jazz and 34.6 with Sacramento, and not only made the Jazz but contributed. The results for the rookies and recent draft picks is not that meaningful. It is better to be good than bad because it is always better to be good than bad, but it means little for the season to come. Derrick Rose shot 29 percent and averaged 4 turnovers. Anthony Randolph average 29 points per game 9 rebounds and 3 blocks, and come the season was still Anthony Randolph. If you liked Dion Waiters before the draft, then nothing that happened should change that. If you disliked him, nothing was justified. The same goes for Nicholson, Beal, Lillard, Henson, Barnes, Marshall, Rivers, Ross, Teague, Lamb, White, Jones, etc.

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2010/stats/
2010 Vegas Points Leaders
Player PPG
John Wall (WAS)  23.5
Reggie Williams (GSW)  22.6
DeMar DeRozan (TOR)  21.0
JaVale McGee (WAS)  19.5
Sam Young (MEM)  19.4

2010 Vegas Rebounds Leaders
Player RPG
DeMarcus Cousins (SAC)  9.8
Joey Dorsey (TOR)  9.8
Jeff Pendergraph (POR)  9.5
JaVale McGee (WAS)  9.3
Trent Plaisted (CHI)  9.0

2010 Vegas Assists Leaders
Player APG
John Wall (WAS)  7.8
Darren Collison (NOH)  7.0
Dominic James (MIL)  6.0
Pooh Jeter (CLE)  5.4
Toney Douglas (NYK)  5.2

2010 Orlando Points Leaders
Player PPG
Jrue Holiday (PHI)  19.3
Damion James (NJN)  18.8
Terrence Williams (NJN)  18.8
Joe Crawford (ORL)  17.8
James Harden (OKC)  17.5

2010 Orlando Rebounds Leaders
Player RPG
Marreese Speights (PHI)  9.0
Paul George (IND)  7.8
Jeff Adrien (ORL)  7.3
Kosta Koufos (UTA)  7.3
Derrick Brown (CHA)  7.0

2010 Orlando Assists Leaders
Player APG
Jrue Holiday (PHI)  6.0
Oliver Lafayette (BOS)  5.8
Jeremy Pargo (CHA)  5.3
Eric Maynor (OKC)  5.0
Curtis Stinson (ORL)  5.0

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2009/statistics/index.jsp
http://www.nba.com/magic/09sl_stats.html

2009 Points Leaders
Player PPG
Anthony Randolph  (GSW)  26.8 
Anthony Morrow  (GSW)  24.7 
Nick Young  (WAS)  23.8 
Eric Gordon  (LAC)  21.5 
Adam Morrison  (LAL)  20.8 

2009 Rebounds Leaders
Player RPG
Joey Dorsey  (HOU)  14.8 
Andray Blatche  (WAS)  11.0 
Blake Griffin  (LAC)  10.8 
Taj Gibson  (CHI)  10.0 
Jon Brockman  (SAC)  9.2 

2009 Assists Leaders
Player APG
Marcus Williams  (MEM)  8.2 
Brandon Jennings  (MIL)  8.2 
Jonny Flynn  (MIN)  7.4 
Toney Douglas  (NYK)  7.0 
Goran Dragic  (PHX)  5.4 

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2008/statistics/index.jsp
http://www.nba.com/magic/news/sl_stats.html
2008 Points Leaders
Player PPG
Jerryd Bayless (POR)  29.8
Donte Greene (HOU)  22.6
Quincy Douby (SAC)  22.3
Alando Tucker (PHX)  21.6
Anthony Randolph (GSW)  20.8

2008 Rebounds Leaders
Player RPG
Kevin Love (MIN)  13.5
Marreese Speights (PHI)  10.2
Elton Brown (DEN)  10.0
Richard Hendrix (GSW)  10.0
Ian Mahinmi (SAS)  9.0

2008 Assists Leaders
Player APG
Ramon Sessions (MIL)  7.3
Aaron Brooks (HOU)  7.0
Bobby Brown (NOH)  6.3
C.J. Watson (GSW)  4.8
John Lucas (TOR)  4.6

http://www.nba.com/summerleague2007/statistics/index.jsp

2007 Points Leaders
Player PPG
Marcus Banks (PHX)  42.0
Louis Williams (PHI)  25.2
Von Wafer (DEN)  24.2
Marco Belinelli (GSW)  22.8
Craig Smith (MIN)  21.8

2007 Rebounds Leaders
Player RPG
Amir Johnson (DET)  12.0
LaMarcus Aldridge (POR)  11.0
Justin Williams (SAC)  10.6
Josh Powell (GSW)  9.8
Corey Brewer (MIN)  9.6

2007 Assists Leaders
Player APG
DJ Strawberry (PHX)  6.4
Jose Juan Barea (DAL)  6.2
Nate Robinson (NYK)  6.0
Mustafa Shakur (SAC)  6.0
Sergio Rodriguez (POR)  5.4

[220Participant]

You’re absolutely right. It’s easy to get caught up in a guys stats against lesser competition and be overly impressed. I personally try not to get too excited one way or another based solely on summer leagues. I do like to see certain things though, for example how athletic big guys are. Summer league is the first time I watched Donatas Motiejunas play and he’s far stronger and more athletic then I imagined. Will his numbers translate right away, maybe maybe not, but a 7 footer who can move and seemingly has a good basketball IQ is certainly a value. On the same note a guy like Garrett Siler or Paulo Prestes are tall, but extremely slow footed which will make it a bit harder for them to be effective.

I also watch to see guys shooting form which can often give you a clue to how well they can shoot at least as a rookie. I also prefer to watch match ups against better competition rather then guys who aren’t going to be in the league come November. So while Miami and Golden State demolished the Lakers, it doesn’t mean as much to me because the Lakers don’t have much young talent.

 

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Here’s the way I look at it: EVERYBODY puts up stats in college. Do all those guys put up stats in the NBA? NO. Some guys put up great stats in Summer League. Do all those guys put up stats in the regular season? Again, no. But, I think the odds of getting a great stats guy in the Summer League to be successful in the NBA is better than taking some random guy who puts up stats in a mid-major conference and turning him into an NBA star.

There are some players here who put up stats, like Joey Dorsey who isn’t an NBA all-star, and isn’t even in the league. But, he did put up a great rebounding game a couple of years ago for the Raptors. The guy can play, I think, but he is more of an undersized guy. Nothing he could have done in the Summer League would have made him taller. … maybe that guy needs another chance.

I actually think that Sam Young is pretty decent. But, there were a ton of wings on the Grizzlies and a bunch of them on the 76ers. He gets lost in the shuffle. Early last year he played his best game for us at the power forward position. He can score inside and slash, just not a great outside shooter. Good finisher though. He also played ok in the 2011 playoffs.

Those two guys are solid NBA types who could make it as a 10th/11th man in the right situation. That’s what we thought they might be coming out of college and I think summer league confirmed that.

Jeremy Pargo is a guy I saw who struggled to see the floor, but he was driving hard and playing fairly well last year when he started for us. He struggled more coming off the bench or being a pass-first point guard.

Some guys need a chance. I think these three guys are solid players, but there is so much depth in the league now that there is not much difference talent-wise between the 10th guy on a team and a guy who gets cut and ends up as a starter on a D League team.

I think the odds of a guy getting great stats in summer league ending up being a solid, productive NBA player is higher than taking a a college guy getting great stats in a mid-major and turning him into a serviceable NBA player.

But, I think if you take a guy with great college results at a great program who does very well in summer league and has all the right measurements and all that and is coachable, I think that you will have a solid NBA player on your hands. Maybe not an all-star, but a possible rotation guy for 8-10 years.

[phila9012Participant]

 the only thing that sort of matters is when you watch individual matchups. Like if barnes and MKG matched up on each other, or when Jeremy Lin showed that he could play when he played John Wall a couple of years and he did pretty good.

Summer league just helps build confidence in the top draft picks. It also helps team determine who to invite to to camp.

[Author]

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