NBA Summer League

[Mazhude]

Hollinger: The worst of Vegas summer league, from Hornets’ woes to Lakers’ draftees

"James Bouknight and Nick Smith are exactly the kind of quick, score-first guards who usually crush summer league, and they rather emphatically did not. Bouknight, in particular, was notably bad despite entering his third season, and Charlotte should be having a real discussion about whether it’s worth picking up his fourth-year option for $6.1 million in 2024-25, a decision that must be made by late October. (This presumes he even makes the team...)"

 

[alphasigko]

Hollinger: The worst of Vegas summer league, from Hornets’ woes to Lakers’ draftees

"James Bouknight and Nick Smith are exactly the kind of quick, score-first guards who usually crush summer league, and they rather emphatically did not. Bouknight, in particular, was notably bad despite entering his third season, and Charlotte should be having a real discussion about whether it’s worth picking up his fourth-year option for $6.1 million in 2024-25, a decision that must be made by late October. (This presumes he even makes the team...)"

Here is his analysis of Hawk's play:

"Fourteenth pick Jordan Hawkins isn’t quite as a young as the other players on this list, but he played every bit as badly. The crux of the problem was a renowned shooter going 9-of-36 from 3, which is likely a bit of small-sample theater. But he also turned the ball over way too much for a catch-and-shoot specialist and underlined the fact he almost has to shoot 40 percent from 3 to be a valuable player because of his other limitations."

Yikes!

 

[REB1094]

Here is his analysis of Hawk's play:

"Fourteenth pick Jordan Hawkins isn’t quite as a young as the other players on this list, but he played every bit as badly. The crux of the problem was a renowned shooter going 9-of-36 from 3, which is likely a bit of small-sample theater. But he also turned the ball over way too much for a catch-and-shoot specialist and underlined the fact he almost has to shoot 40 percent from 3 to be a valuable player because of his other limitations."

Yikes!

Most of the shots he was missing were pretty decent looks. I’m actually not too worried about his poor shooting splits. If he consistently gets the same looks he got in summer league, he’ll shoot a good percentage over time

Turnovers were mostly caused by him trying to dribble and create shots for himself (nature of summer league), which is the opposite of what a catch-and-shoot specialist will be doing in the regular season

Hawkins had 2 horrible games and 3 games where he scored 16. I’m guessing Hollinger didn’t watch the games much, and probably didn’t watch Hawkins in college.

 

[superjohn]

Here is his analysis of Hawk's play:

"Fourteenth pick Jordan Hawkins isn’t quite as a young as the other players on this list, but he played every bit as badly. The crux of the problem was a renowned shooter going 9-of-36 from 3, which is likely a bit of small-sample theater. But he also turned the ball over way too much for a catch-and-shoot specialist and underlined the fact he almost has to shoot 40 percent from 3 to be a valuable player because of his other limitations."

Yikes!

It's a more than fair criticism. If he doesn't make shots at a good clip he isn't playable at the NBA level at this stage in his career.

 

[auror]

Here is his analysis of Hawk's play:

"Fourteenth pick Jordan Hawkins isn’t quite as a young as the other players on this list, but he played every bit as badly. The crux of the problem was a renowned shooter going 9-of-36 from 3, which is likely a bit of small-sample theater. But he also turned the ball over way too much for a catch-and-shoot specialist and underlined the fact he almost has to shoot 40 percent from 3 to be a valuable player because of his other limitations."

Yikes!

It's a more than fair criticism. If he doesn't make shots at a good clip he isn't playable at the NBA level at this stage in his career.

Yeah it's a little unfair in the wording, but the last point is correct.. he wasn't just being a catch and shooter when he turned the ball over a ton. They were having him on ball and specifically having him pull up off the dribble from 2, trying to have him work on his expanded game.

But it didn't go particularly well, so yeah his value is going to be limited to spot ups, off ball screens, and attacking closeouts for the early parts of his career.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Yeah it's a little unfair in the wording, but the last point is correct.. he wasn't just being a catch and shooter when he turned the ball over a ton. They were having him on ball and specifically having him pull up off the dribble from 2, trying to have him work on his expanded game.

But it didn't go particularly well, so yeah his value is going to be limited to spot ups, off ball screens, and attacking closeouts for the early parts of his career.

The only unfair point was an expectation that he won't start making shots. I'm sure he will. But his handle is minus, his defense is neutral at best and he needs to get stronger and stronger on the ball. Probably become a better passer too. I think he'll have a productive career, but never saw him as really NBA ready for a significant role now.

 

[Fan1978]

The only unfair point was an expectation that he won't start making shots. I'm sure he will. But his handle is minus, his defense is neutral at best and he needs to get stronger and stronger on the ball. Probably become a better passer too. I think he'll have a productive career, but never saw him as really NBA ready for a significant role now.

Unfortunately, he had to go but needs more growth. As great as his stroke is, his 3 point fg percentage should be much higher. Watching him shoot you expect 42 -45 percent. Pretty certain he was around 38. I thiink he just lacks confidence at times. Time will take care of that but might take 2-3 years to blossom.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Unfortunately, he had to go but needs more growth. As great as his stroke is, his 3 point fg percentage should be much higher. Watching him shoot you expect 42 -45 percent. Pretty certain he was around 38. I thiink he just lacks confidence at times. Time will take care of that but might take 2-3 years to blossom.

He was better all year at taking contested shots than open shots. It was weird and kind of impressive. But eventually he has to start hitting the open looks.

 

[djct1999]

Word out of Atlanta is Tyrese will be waived today.

 

[HCCForever]

Word out of Atlanta is Tyrese will be waived today.

Too bad, hope he catches on somewhere else.

 

[CardiacAndre7]

Word out of Atlanta is Tyrese will be waived today.

Yup.

 

[3rdbass]

Yup.

Too bad as he probably looked the best out of all the Huskies during summer league. Hopefully he can catch on with another team. I was hoping to see him develop here in the ATL but it won't happen.

 

[Palatine]

Watching Bouk in the SL, he just looked like he was coasting. He is guaranteed 19+ million bucks. So maybe he is just coasting.

 

[gwhuskyfan]

Not a great write up from Sam Vecenie

The Pelicans picked Jordan Hawkins at No. 14 hoping to add an elite-level floor spacer next to Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. My guess is that he’ll ultimately prove to be that, but his five games in Las Vegas were largely ineffective, as he made just 25 percent of his 7.2 3-point attempts per game. More than anything, what I took away from Hawkins was that he has to shoot it at an elite level to provide the commensurate value of a lottery pick. Even playing as largely an off-ball scorer, Hawkins turned it over 17 times in five games and struggled physically to match up on defense. The good news is that there is every reason to bet on him being a great shooter. The pathway, however, is quite narrow. Even if he’s more of a 37 percent 3-point shooter off high-level movement as opposed to a 41 percent guy, that probably makes him more of a backup than a starter.

 

[Waquoit]

Watching Bouk in the SL, he just looked like he was coasting. He is guaranteed 19+ million bucks. So maybe he is just coasting.

Why wouldn't he? Look at the guy on Atlanta playing hard and effectively. He just got cut.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Not a great write up from Sam Vecenie

The Pelicans picked Jordan Hawkins at No. 14 hoping to add an elite-level floor spacer next to Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. My guess is that he’ll ultimately prove to be that, but his five games in Las Vegas were largely ineffective, as he made just 25 percent of his 7.2 3-point attempts per game. More than anything, what I took away from Hawkins was that he has to shoot it at an elite level to provide the commensurate value of a lottery pick. Even playing as largely an off-ball scorer, Hawkins turned it over 17 times in five games and struggled physically to match up on defense. The good news is that there is every reason to bet on him being a great shooter. The pathway, however, is quite narrow. Even if he’s more of a 37 percent 3-point shooter off high-level movement as opposed to a 41 percent guy, that probably makes him more of a backup than a starter.

It’s why he was suppose to develop his handle while he was here like Jeremy did and could’ve spent more time becoming a three level scorer. His freshman year he showed off a nice mid range pull up and it was even talked about during practice reports. We hardly saw that this year.

We emphasized three point shooting and now he’s going to live and die with it at the next level with nothing else to fall back on. It’s a bad strategy for trying to develop guys to succeed in the NBA and should not be a primary focus. I hope that changes in the future for our players.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Not a great write up from Sam Vecenie

The Pelicans picked Jordan Hawkins at No. 14 hoping to add an elite-level floor spacer next to Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. My guess is that he’ll ultimately prove to be that, but his five games in Las Vegas were largely ineffective, as he made just 25 percent of his 7.2 3-point attempts per game. More than anything, what I took away from Hawkins was that he has to shoot it at an elite level to provide the commensurate value of a lottery pick. Even playing as largely an off-ball scorer, Hawkins turned it over 17 times in five games and struggled physically to match up on defense. The good news is that there is every reason to bet on him being a great shooter. The pathway, however, is quite narrow. Even if he’s more of a 37 percent 3-point shooter off high-level movement as opposed to a 41 percent guy, that probably makes him more of a backup than a starter.

I honestly think its pretty fair. He really struggled at times in Summer League but Sam seems still hopeful he can turn it around. I believe he'll settle in and be the knockdown shooter he was at UConn but like others have commented, I think his handles could be a bit better. His game reminds me of Ray Allen at the late stage of his career where he constantly needs to come off screens to get his shot off or if a guy sleeps on him and leaves him open.

 

[HuskyHawk]

It’s why he was suppose to develop his handle while he was here like Jeremy did and could’ve spent more time becoming a three level scorer. His freshman year he showed off a nice mid range pull up and it was even talked about during practice reports. We hardly saw that this year.

We emphasized three point shooting and now he’s going to live and die with it at the next level with nothing else to fall back on. It’s a bad strategy for trying to develop guys to succeed in the NBA and should not be a primary focus. I hope that changes in the future for our players.

Nah. He did improve it. He was almost unplayable early on at UConn. His defense was atrocious and his ball handling was terrible, especially at speed. He got much better. He'll be able to improve both more in the NBA than he could have here.

All it shows is why he wasn't going to be taken much before 14. We have blinders on sometimes, but while he was elite at one thing, and stopped being bad at defense and ball handling, he wasn't really ready to be an NBA SG right now. None of this is surprising except the poor shooting, and I think that was an aberration.

 

[superjohn]

Nah. He did improve it. He was almost unplayable early on at UConn. His defense was atrocious and his ball handling was terrible, especially at speed. He got much better. He'll be able to improve both more in the NBA than he could have here.

All it shows is why he wasn't going to be taken much before 14. We have blinders on sometimes, but while he was elite at one thing, and stopped being bad at defense and ball handling, he wasn't really ready to be an NBA SG right now. None of this is surprising except the poor shooting, and I think that was an aberration.

The championship run really helped him. I think he would've been an end of the first round type of pick without the run. He went from a shooting guard who has a weak handle and knocks down tough catch and shoot shots but at something like a 36% clip from three to a shooting guard with a weak handle who knocks down tough clutch threes from all over in a big game settings at a 50% clip.

Everything for him depends on his shooting and he seems to be a slow starter. I just hope the Pelicans are patient with him if he starts off the season shooting it poorly. They should be, it's good he was a lottery pick it gives you more cushion to play through things. He will have to eventually become a knock down shooter to play a lot, there's no reason it shouldn't happen for him.

 

[HuskyWarrior611]

Nah. He did improve it. He was almost unplayable early on at UConn. His defense was atrocious and his ball handling was terrible, especially at speed. He got much better. He'll be able to improve both more in the NBA than he could have here.

All it shows is why he wasn't going to be taken much before 14. We have blinders on sometimes, but while he was elite at one thing, and stopped being bad at defense and ball handling, he wasn't really ready to be an NBA SG right now. None of this is surprising except the poor shooting, and I think that was an aberration.

I don’t agree with the he was unplayable notion as I’ve stated on here many times with the Auburn game as proof. The biggest change this year was simply playing time and having the offense ran around him. He pretty much just looked like he did those first three games. If we stopped playing Jeremy Lamb in January his freshman year people would’ve said he was unplayable too.

The only part of his game that visibly improved a lot was his defense. I don’t think we could say whether he got much better at moving off the ball because his freshman year he wasn’t asked to do that. Nor were we a good enough passing team for it to matter.

I’m in no way saying that Hawkins should’ve stayed. Just saying that he probably could’ve focused on improving other parts of his game more than his three point shot which was already a strength.

Because inevitably he is going to have struggles from 3 point range like everyone does and he’s going to need something else to fall back on. I’m rooting for him to become a big part of what New Orleans has going on.

 

[Waquoit]

At the end of the day, summer league doesn't mean squat. A top performer just got cut. I'm gonna wait until he plays with real teammates before I worry too much.

 

[superjohn]

A top performer just got cut.

Who?

 

[husky429]

The summer league wraps up today with no more UConn players playing (championship is Cavs vs. Rockets). All 5 of our guys played 5 games each, and here are their stats:

James Bouknight:

• 13.2 PPG
• 4.8 RPG
• 0.8 APG
• 40.3% FG / 27.2% 3P / 87.5% FT

My summary: Had 1 great half, otherwise unfortunately a very rough summer league. Struggled to hit 3s, stay in front of his man, and break down defenders 1-on-1. His future opportunities are very limited, I think the biggest key to earning his spot back will be to hit his threes and minimize time isolating. Unfortunately I did not really see any improvement in this summer league vs. last year

Jordan Hawkins:

• 12.8 PPG
• 5.2 RPG
• 2.2 APG
• 31.9% FG / 25% 3P / 55% FT

My summary: 3 solid games of 16pts each on 40-43% FG, and 2 miserable games where he shot a combined 3-25 that dragged his stats down. I'm confident his 3P and FT percentages will bump back up in the regular season when he's running real NBA sets, but the next step in his development is being able to put the ball on the floor and create a shot himself. He had a few flashes of this, but for the most part still looks uncomfortable dribbling and driving through contact.

Andre Jackson:

• 5.4 PPG
• 6.4 RPG
• 2.4 APG
• 33.3% FG / 20% 3P / 100% FT

My summary: His game in college was pretty much identical to his game in the summer league. A lot of great plays, a lot of dumb plays, and his value is a lot better than his box score. As we all know, his NBA longevity will be dependent on him hitting a respectable enough amount of his open threes which he struggled with this month. But on the flip side, he definitely got the most highlight reel plays of the bunch and made the winning plays that helped the Bucks take one of their games. The full Andre Jackson experience.

Tyrese Martin:

• 13.2 PPG
• 6.0 RPG
• 2.6 APG
• 44.4% FG, 34.8% 3P, 76.9% FT

My summary: He had 2 games of 20+ points, 1 game where him (and most starters) played limited minutes, and 2 pretty rough games. I think Tyrese is the ultimate build for NBA role player. Good size, super athletic, 100% effort every play, and good enough shooting where defenses have to respect him. I hope he gets a guaranteed deal, definitely deserves it. Remember he averaged 18 a game in the G League last year so he's proven he can contribute at that level

Adama Sanogo:

• 10.2 PPG
• 8.4 RPG
• 0.8 APG
• 65.7% FG / 50% FT

My summary: It's amazing how good Adama is. His role was pretty much exclusively a roaming big that just sets screens and dives to the hoop, just 3 months after his role was low post bully ball superstar. It took him 1 game to get used to this new system, and he was dominant for the other 4 games. He was great on the offensive rebounds, set a million great screens without fouling (moving screen was a VERY common call across the Summer League), and positioned himself well to finish inside. Great performance from Sanogo

Good stuff man. I was particularly impressed with Jordan's passing. 2+ apg is great for him.

 

[REB1094]

Good stuff man. I was particularly impressed with Jordan's passing. 2+ apg is great for him.

His defense was surprisingly good too. I thought he’d get bumped around a lot because of his weight but he held his own. I’m pretty confident the shots will fall soon, so the only glaring deficiency is the individual scoring. That’ll be a project for him

 

[imno1]

The determination and effort are there. Jordan will improve. I'm certainly not worried about his shooting ability but he does need to get stronger.