Vegas Summer League 2012: Tony Wroten and Early Surprising Performances

The 2012 Vegas Summer League is only two days old, but it has already been full of surprises. 

It's important to take these early games with a grain of salt, but when it comes down to it, these kids are just out there playing basketball.

As unimportant as some people may think the summer league is, there have already been plenty of telling performances—and some of those have also been fairly perplexing.

With that being said, let's take a look at the most surprising early results and what exactly to take away from them. 

Tony Wroten Can Shoot

I watched every last one of Wroten's games with Washington during his freshman season, and if I had a nickel for every time he went 2-of-3 from three-point range and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, I would have zero nickels.

That was the knock on Wroten coming in. He can't shoot. The form on his jumper, most notably, was always too inconsistent. But on Saturday against the Knicks, as the dynamic point guard went for 19 points on just nine field goal attempts, it became clear Wroten has put in some work.

The rest of his game, like always, was noticeably present, as he racked up eight rebounds (three offensive), six assists on an array of beautiful dimes and two steals. 

I always said Wroten would be seen as a steal in a couple years, but if this is a sign of how quickly he is going to progress, the former Husky will be seen as a steal this year. 

Jimmer Fredette Can Not 

So, Wroten, a 19-percent three-point shooter in college, had a stroke that was locked on. By contrast, Jimmer Fredette, a 40-percent three-point shooter in college, has looked atrocious. 

On Friday, the former BYU star jacked up eight threes against Charlotte. And missed them all. In his defense, Fredette came out on Saturday against the Lakers with just as much confidence, as he put up six more three-pointers. This time, he managed to make one.

In two games, Fredette is now shooting .227 from the field and .071 from long range. He's averaging 11 points per game and has almost as many turnovers (five) as assists (six). 

The sophomore point guard had a pretty bad rookie season, and if his early summer league play is any indication, he's not going to shed the "bust" label anytime soon. 

Another surprising—in the disappointing fashion—result from the same team: Thomas Robinson.

The highly-touted rookie is scoring at an inefficient rate (.333 from the field) and has turned the ball over 11 times in two games. Chalk it up to nerves and overdoing it at this point. 

Josh Akognon, Instant Offense?

While some of Akognon's Sacramento teammates have struggled immensely, the rookie from Cal State Fullerton is showing he can absolutely light it up on the offensive end. 

Akognon has taken an interesting path to where he is now. 

The former high-school standout went to Washington State for two seasons before transferring to Fullerton. Once there, he established himself as one of the best scorers in college, as he averaged 24 points per game during his senior season.

That, however, was back in 2008-09. 

After college, Akognon made his way overseas. He played in a few different countries before landing with the Dongguan Leopards, where he has averaged just under 30 points per game during two seasons in the Chinese Basketball Association.

And finally, here he is, in Las Vegas. The 5'11" point guard is proving that his offensive prowess translates across different levels, as he has dropped 40 points (15 against Charlotte, 25 against Los Angeles) in just 37 minutes of play.

Akognon is streaky, but if he continues to play like this he is going to attract a lot of attention. Teams love streaky offensive players for their bench, and that's exactly what Akognon brings.

Keep an eye on this guy, he's fun to watch. 

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