Elfrid Payton, one of the hometown Magic’s high first-round picks, excelled Monday, nearly recording a triple-double.
Pacers 96 – 77 Celtics
After trailing by as many as 18 in the second quarter, the Pacers fought hard to earn their first summer league win. It was mainly a collective effort from the Pacers, but former St. Louis forward Willie Reed really set the tone on both ends. Reed went undrafted in 2011. He spent time with both the Kings and Grizzlies over the last two years, but failed to make either roster. Reed had his way down low finishing with 18 points on 8-12 shooting in just 24 minutes. He abused Colton Iverson off the dribble and had a number of nice finishes at the basket, including two nice alley-oops. For a big guy, Reed possesses pretty good quickness and ball-handling. He uses his body well to create scoring opportunities off isolations or when cutting to the basket. On the defensive end, he had four blocks and six rebounds. After the game Reed, swung by NBA TV for a chat. “The D-League helped me to expand my game defensively,” Reed said. “I’m going to give it everything I have (to make an NBA roster), and hopefully everything will work out for itself.”
The Celtics just shot the ball terribly Monday. Their starting unit of Pressey, Smart, Johnson, Olynyk and Iverson shot 16-49 from the field. Marcus Smart continued to shoot the ball poorly, going just 3-15 from the field. It looks as if he may really struggle with his percentages this year. He still played good defense but failed to get as many steals and deflections as last game, and without the easy transition points Smart struggled to score. Mike Moser had his second quality game in a row. Undrafted out of Oregon, Moser has shown the potential to be a stretch four in summer league. After going 3-6 from beyond the arc against Miami, he converted 3-7 against the Pacers. Moser also showed hustle on the boards with six rebounds, including two offensive boards. I expected Moser to utilize his athleticism to finish at the rim, but I didn’t forsee him passing the ball this well (seven assists in two games). Call it a long shot, but something tells me he might make an NBA roster.
Where are they now player?
James Nunnally signed 10-day contracts with both the 76ers and Hawks last year, but failed to stick. So far, he has really struggled to find his shot in either of Indiana’s games, but he has successfully gotten to the line, which has helped his scoring.
Magic 87 – 69 Rockets
There’s a lot to talk about in this one so let’s get down to business. After a subpar first game, Elfrid Payton bounced back with 12 points, eight rebounds and nine assists, while going a perfect 5-5 from the field. Payton was much more decisive Monday, either passing or driving the ball quickly. In his previous game, he got caught in the middle and ended up with four turnovers. Payton showed a terrific change of speed and used his athleticism well when finishing at the rim. We saw him finish with his weaker right hand, dunk over people and drop it off to his big men around the rim. It was really fun to watch.
Aaron Gordon had a great first half but really struggled to impact the game in the second, finishing with nine points and seven rebounds. Gordon hit his first jump shot of summer league, but there was also another airball, not to mention some back-rim clankers. Still, it’s progress. What most impressed me was Gordon’s ability to handle the ball. He showed good control and court vision, even if it didn’t translate in the box score. This game reinforced what I already thought: At this stage of his career, Gordon will score the majority of his points from fast breaks and putbacks where he can use his speed, athleticism and strength to his advantage.
Nick Johnson came back down to earth after a stellar first game, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds and two assists, along with an ugly seven fouls. Johnson struggled to contain Payton. Despite his athleticism, Johnson’s lack of lateral quickness and lack of size really showed. However, he did show other good defensive tendencies. Matched up with 6-8 Romero Osby at one point, Johnson managed to front him and deny the ball to the big man, making up for the mismatch. Johnson again displayed a good shooting touch, although he did appear to force some shots, hence his field goal percentage of just 25 percent. Despite this, I still came away impressed. Johnson really uses his athleticism; rarely two minutes go by where you don’t see him flying in for a rebound or layup attempt. One area he will have to improve is his passing, he often leaves the ground with nowhere to go. For now he gets away with it, but at the NBA level opposing wings will turn those opportunities into steals.
Where are they now player?
Jabari Brown was seen as a mid-second-rounder but never did hear his name get called on draft night. Coming in pegged as a 3-point shooter, Brown has struggled thus far. He missed all four of his 3-point attempts against the Magic. If Brown wants to latch onto a roster and become the next Wes Matthews, or perhaps more appropriate, the next Hollis Thompson then he needs to improve his play.
Thunder 98 – 84 Nets
This game featured the brilliant play of young power forwards Mitch McGary (18 points, 13 rebounds, two assists) and Mason Plumlee (13 points, six rebounds, three assists). Mitch McGary was the most impressive player on the floor. His physical traits are simply implausible for a young big of his size. On multiple occasions, McGary would haul in a rebound and start the fast break himself. He shows comfort and ease when it comes to running the floor. McGary moves so well that he took defenders off the dribble a few different times Monday night: one time he was stripped by a Brooklyn player and another time he finished nicely with his left hand. Additionally, McGary displayed a beautiful jumper on the offensive end, knocking down several midrange shots. He seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
For Brooklyn, Plumlee was equally as impressive. It’s insane to me how much he has truly improved since he was at Duke. When he was a Blue Devil, he had one of the ugliest free-throw strokes I had ever seen. Monday, he knocked down 5-6 attempts from the stripe and did so with a very nice-looking stroke. Plumlee, who is also evolving as a passer, made several tremendous feeds today and sent in two great lobs to teammates Markel Brown and Cory Jefferson for alley-oops. Brown and Jefferson were both selected in the second round by Brooklyn, and they both had solid outings today. Brown is a freak athlete with a pretty jumper, while Jefferson displays a lot of potential on both ends.
Despite being the victim or some early criticism in summer league, Jeremy Lamb (26 points, eight rebounds) had a really nice outing for the Thunder Monday. You can tell Lamb is really working on getting to the hoop, and that was his primary focus in the game. Lamb used a vast arsenal of moves to get to the hoop and did so efficiently. Unfortunately he really struggled to finish, and you could tell he was getting frustrated with himself at various points of the game. Ultimately, we know he can shoot, so it’s promising to see him working to expand his offensive versatility.
Where are they now player?
It wasn’t long ago that Marquis Teague (10 points, four assists) was Chicago’s first-round pick after leading the Kentucky Wildcats to a national championship. Last season, he was then shipped to the Nets. Teague is still a gritty, tough player, who fearlessly drives to the hole and can finish through contact.
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