Just watched the Grizzlies/Pistons summer league game…

DETROIT

The Good

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the best player on the court and finished with a superb 30 points, 12 boards, 3 assists, and 2 steals on 10-20 shooting and 4-8 from three. He’s very smooth and has a really dependable jump shot. I didn’t always like him as a rookie but I think he’s turning into a very decent shooting guard. 

Peyton Siva once again left an imprint on the game. He has really nice court vision, a pretty solid crossover, and has a knack for hitting the big man perfectly on the pick and roll. I really enjoy watching him monitor the game on both ends. He ended with 12 points, 7 assists, 5 boards, 2 steals and just 2 turnovers. Looks like he’ll definitely get more playing time this season with Billups and Stuckey (presumably) both taking off. 

DeAndre Liggins will never score a ton of points, but he’s the type of player that makes an impression defensively and does all of the little things. He’s crafty, and has a veteran-like game for such a young player. He’s long, disrupts a lot of passes and plays hard. He had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. He might not make the Pistons roster, but teams like long athletic defensive-minded combo guards. He might make a team.

Justin Harper. Incredibly effective jump shooting for a 6’9” player. He’s long, athletic and pretty solid defensively too. He was 5-8 for 11 points. Really think of him as a true stretch 4

The Bad

Brian Cook…Not sure what Detroit’s trying to get out of him. He’s old, and has a bad body. And he shot 1-9 today. 1-8 from 3 with 4 fouls. He ended up with 4 points. He sucks. He should just retire.

Tony Mitchell – barely saw him today, he doesn’t stand out. He doesn’t have a position and disappears at times.  

Other than that, Detroit has a pretty darn good summer league team.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES 

The Good

Jordan Adams is a fantastic offensive player. He had 3 and-1’s in the second half. He can score while enduring contact, he has a really mature scoring repertoire, he hit all 7 of his free throws. He had 20 points and 7 boards today. He kept the Grizz in it. He’s pretty trigger happy, but he has a lot of ability scoring the ball.

Jarnell Stokes is a beast. A 6’8” 260 lb wrecking ball. He’s athletic too. He had 16 points and 12 boards today and a lot of players just couldn’t handle his physicality. He had a sweet blow by, reverse slam. He’s definitely going to make the Grizz a better team and will probably get minutes as a rook. He’s active and versatile.

Okaro White is a human energizer bunny. He was all over the court. He had a big block on Tim Olbrecht where he had to leave his help position and come over and make a huge swat. He kept a lot of balls alive. He had 11 points and 4 boards. Doesn’t have much offensive talent and certainly has no position. But his energy was eclectic.

The Bad

Janis Timma…He’s really bad. He had 0 points and 3 turnovers in 6 minutes. He has no translatable skill, is physically unimpressive and doesn’t make his teammates better. Not sure if he has a future in the league

Jamaal Franklin, aye aye aye…2-14 shooting? First off, Franklin should NEVER take 14 shots in a game. He’s not good offensively and cant shoot. He didn’t see a single shot he didn’t like today. Very quick trigger and most of the time un-warranted. Jordan Adams is far and beyond the better long term player and I don’t see Franklin playing a role on Memphis’s team in the near future.

Jarrid Famous…Not good, got consistently beaten down the court, went 1-5 from the field and had 2 fouls. Just not good.