UConn @ NBA Summer Leagues

[huskymedic]

Was struggling to get open but then had a mean looking ankle injury. Hoping he’s okay and it’s nothing serious, I’d be shocked if he played again today

 

[REB1094]

Wasn’t watching but looks like Whaley had a great game yesterday. 14 points and 4 rebounds on 75% shooting in 16 minutes

Summer league is wrapping up. It was the last game yesterday for the Bucks (Andre), Bulls (Sanogo), Pacers (Newton), Pelicans (Hawkins), Mavs (Whaley)

Today is the last game for the Nets (Tyrese), Spurs (Castle although he hasn’t been playing), Blazers (Clingan)

The Grizzlies (Cam) are playing in the semifinals today, so they could play tomorrow too if they win. But Cam hasn’t played in the last 2 games due to injury, not sure if he’ll be playing

 

[mihusky]

Wasn’t watching but looks like Whaley had a great game yesterday. 14 points and 4 rebounds on 75% shooting in 16 minutes

Summer league is wrapping up. It was the last game yesterday for the Bucks (Andre), Bulls (Sanogo), Pacers (Newton), Pelicans (Hawkins), Mavs (Whaley)

Today is the last game for the Nets (Tyrese), Spurs (Castle although he hasn’t been playing), Blazers (Clingan)

The Grizzlies (Cam) are playing in the semifinals today, so they could play tomorrow too if they win. But Cam hasn’t played in the last 2 games due to injury, not sure if he’ll be playing

reported that Cam is done w SL w sore ankle

 

[HU5KIES]

Unfortunate that Cam is out, his Grizzlies just advanced to the SL finals. The other semifinal game is going on, and if the Warriors win, he would have played against his brother, Pat, in the finals.

 

[aceboon]

We were about 45 seconds from Cam probably begging the Grizzlies to clear him and let him play in the final vs his brother but Pat had a couple of turnovers on back to back possessions that sealed Golden State's fate. Pat looks like an NBA player to me, he was impressive a couple of seasons ago in the preseason for GSW and earned a 2-way last year.

 

[imno1]

Sanogo was dominant as usual this summer. He really should be on the Bulls main roster instead of a 2 way. Adama has proven he can play at the highest level. I was surprised he didn't take a 3 this summer.

 

[REB1094]

Tyrese started slow in the summer league but has strung together a few solid games. Playing well today

 

[REB1094]

Assuming Cam is still out today with his injury, UConn guys in the Summer League are officially done playing! I've watched more Summer League than any normal person should, and caught at least parts of most of our guys' games. Here's a summary of their stats and my personal thoughts on how they did

Worth noting that Summer League is pretty much a glorified pickup tournament, so box scores may not always tell the full story

Warning: this will be a long post

Stephon Castle - 3 games
17.3 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.3 SPG, 2.3 TO/G. 37.0% FG, 25.0% 3P, 66.7% FT

• Don't let the shooting percentages fool you here. Castle played really well
• Showed no rust transitioning to full time PG. Managed pick & rolls very well, made great reads and passes, and was able to get downhill on demand
• Same great defense we're used to. Obviously needs to keep working on his jumper, but I see a LOT of potential in a CP3-esque midrange pullup coming off of screens. He took a lot of those but the efficiency isn't quite there
• Stephon Castle with a jumpshot is an All Star player. He has STAR potential

Donovan Clingan - 4 games
9.0 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 4.3 BPG. 35.7% FG, 23.1% 3P, 50.0% FT

• In his first game, Clingan looked really unconditioned and uncoordinated. I could barely recognize him on the court. But....
• He gradually looked better. Pretty sure 4.3 blocks per game is the highest in the history of the Vegas Summer League
• Despite general offensive struggles, his defense shined. He made game-saving defensive plays in 2 of his 4 games, and held #2 pick Alex Sarr to 0-15 shooting
• Topped off his summer with a great performance, 16 points/12 rebounds/4 blocks on 54.8% and 2 threes in his final game
• Offense will get better when he plays with better guards, but overall he is about what we thought he was. A great rim runner who OWNS the paint defensively. Offense will be a work in progress

Jordan Hawkins - 5 games
13.0 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 3.8 TO/G. 29.0% FG, 24.0% 3P, 79.3% FT

• Hawkins had a rough summer league. He was mostly playing a score-first PG role, which shows the Pelicans want him to develop this part of his game. His handle looks a bit tighter than last year, but still not near an NBA-level
• He showed some potential in the 2nd half of his 1st game. After a miserable 1-9 shooting performance, bounced back for 16 points in the 2nd half for a total of 24 points on the game
• Unfortunately he would mostly struggle to get separation and good looks the rest of the way, and left after an injury 11 minutes into his last game
• We know he's a red hot shooter, and there may be some bench backcourt minutes for him for that skill alone. I was a hardcore Hawkins defender throughout this thread but now am inclined to listen to others who say he needs to develop another NBA skill to get his team option picked up after this year

Andre Jackson - 3 games
4.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 3.0 TO/G. 50.0% FG, 14.3% 3P

• Really only 2 games because he got injured very early into the third game. But Andre was about what we saw last year
• Rugged perimeter defender, great passer, wants to push the break. Unfortunately he's not a scorer and only made 1 of 7 threes
• With the Bucks picking up Taurean Prince and Gary Trent Jr, I think Andre gets pushed further onto the bench next year. He needs to become a reliable 3pt shooter

Tyrese Martin - 4 games
11.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG. 46.9% FG, 42.1% 3P, 80.0% FT

• I've been saying for years that Tyrese is the perfect role player. 6'7, athletic, strong, and now can shoot well enough to demand respect beyond the arc
• After 2 slow games, he came alive with 16 points on 6-7 shooting and 19 points on 5-10 in his last 2
• I think someone should, at the minimum, have him at the top of their G League team. But Martin feels like an NBA role player to me. He's 25 and ready to contribute

Tristen Newton - 5 games
9.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.2 SPG, 2.8 TO/G. 20.0% FG, 18.2% 3P, 89.3% FT

• In Newton's first game with real minutes, he looked completely overwhelmed. Looked too slow, unathletic, and frankly couldn't keep up
• While he struggled with his efficiency over the rest of his games (7-33 FG in his last 3 games), he did average 14 PPG in those games because of his familiar ability to get to the line (24-25 FT)
• I hope he gets a two way deal because we know he can play better than this, but he could use a lot of G League training to play in the NBA successfully. Especially in a high powered Indiana offense

Adama Sanogo - 4 games
15.0 PPG, 8.8 RPG, 2.8 TO/G. 62.2% FG, 87.5% FT (14-16!)

• Sanogo is simply a beast. His role was mostly roaming around the perimeter setting screens, but he's so good at getting himself open in great positions near the hoop (as we know very well)
• This leads to great position with entry passes and great positions for rebounds. He has the touch to finish down low
• Not great defending in space, but was pretty good at walling up and defending guys trying to back him down
• He was probably the best player on the Bulls summer league roster and was the best player on their G League team last year. If the Bulls are going to blow it up and rebuild, I'd love to see him get real NBA minutes. But with his size, lack of vertical athleticism, and not being a super efficient jumpshooter then I think the 2 way deal makes sense right now

Cam Spencer - 3 games
13.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.7 APG. 55.2% FG, 50.0% 3P, 100.0% FT (1-1 lol)

• Wow. Cam played GREAT. Hyper efficient, always moving off ball (required to be a UConn guard, but very uncommon in Summer League) and nailed his threes at an insane rate
• Still not the best perimeter defender, but gave such a high level of effort that his lack of quickness wasn't really noticeable
• He secured a 2 way pretty quickly, but I would not be surprised to see him on the official Memphis roster more than a few times. Again, he played GREAT

Isaiah Whaley - 5 games
5.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG. 61.1% FG, 40.0% 3P (2-5), 80.0% FT (4-5)

• I missed a couple of Whaley games, but in the ones that I saw he played pretty well. Hustling down the court, active on the boards and in the paint (2 blocks in each of his last 2 games)
• Offensively still not much of a threat, but was did hit a few threes. So it's clear he's been working on that part of his game
• Finished his Summer League performance with a really strong game - 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks on 6-8 shooting

 

[HuskyInfinity]

This is pretty special to see with Kemba being someone DC probably looked up to and watched as a UConn hero during his youth.

 

[huskymedic]