Orlando 95 Boston 88
Boston opened their 2013 Summer League against the host Orlando Magic. I’ll start by stating the obvious; Kelly Olynyk dominated, scoring 25 points on 9-12 shooting, while grabbing seven rebounds. His scoring came from posts up, facing the basket, as well as knocking down two three-pointers. He looked comfortable, particularly on offense, getting open often in pick-and-pop situations. Defensively he faired well in the post, holding his ground by building a wall. Its easy to get excited about such an opening game performance, but I stress (and will continue to this month) that strong Summer League play doesn’t always translate to the league. Still, what’s most encouraging about Olynyk’s performance were the different ways he hit shots. He possesses a sound offensive skill set that will aide him in the league.
Fab Melo finished with nine points on 3-5 shooting and eight rebounds, but don’t read too much into those numbers. Defensively he didn’t put himself in good position, at one point getting shoved out of the way on a box out by Orlando’s Kyle O’Quinn, who grabbed the offensive board and finished. He didn’t move down the floor well, and failed to finish offensive plays set up by teammates. The only positive to take away was his rebounding, which was better than most of bigs around him. Again, its early to call Melo a bust. He is a long term project who’s potential NBA impact is at least two years away. However, when one of the biggest plaudits made in terms of his development is that he’s lost weight, he needs to show more in the coming games.
Others worth noting are Phil Pressey and Tony Mitchell. Pressey, who went undrafted, started poorly, making bad decisions on offense. He seemed out of sync with the rest of the team, something that comes from a lack of familiarity. His performance improved as the game continued however, finishing with 11 points (3-4 shooting) and four assists. He committed five turnovers, but three of those came in the first half. Pressey seems capable as an NBA point guard, but I would like to see his decision making improve over the summer league.
Mitchell quietly played well, scoring 16 points on 5-10 shooting. He used his athleticism to his advantage, attacking the basket strong. He also converted all four of his free-throw attempts.
There are intriguing pieces on this Celtics roster. Melo and Olynyk will be on the regular season roster, but Pressey and Mitchell could make it in Boston or on another roster with a strong summer league.
And finally, my completely irrelevant points of analysis:
- Darius-Johnson Odom had a poor game, but he will always be remembered in my household as the player who dunked on me in high school and then framed a picture of it in his beach house.
- Colton Iverson, aside from having the best name on the Celtics roster, could also be the illegitimate son or younger clone of Bayern Munich winger Arjen Robbin. While similar in appearance their style of play differs, as Iverson passes the ball.
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