Vegas Summer League 2012: Players Who Will Improve on Disappointing Starts

The NBA's Summer League tour through Sin City is in full swing, and several young players are wowing spectators with dominant performances. 

There's also the flip side of that. Some rookies, or young players, are failing to perform up to their expectations. Their stat lines may not look "bad," but they don't compare to their competitors'.

Let's take a look at three underwhelming athletes who will bounce back with big Summer League showings.

Dion Waiters

Waiters came to Cleveland as one of the more NBA-ready prospects in this year's draft class, but he's struggled so far.

His stat line doesn't look bad. He's averaging double figures (10.5 PPG), and he's played solid otherwise (3.5 APG and 2.5 RPG). 

That doesn't look half bad, right? It doesn't, but his efficiency does.

In Cleveland's opener against Charlotte, Waiters played 32 minutes and scored 10 points, but he was just 3-for-11 from the floor. He followed up that performance with a 4-for-14 (11-point) performance against the Mavericks Monday evening.

It's encouraging to see Waiters playing aggressive basketball, and I do think he will find a consistent scoring touch. He plays with a ton of energy, but he has to learn how to harness that.

When he does, look out.

Austin Rivers

First of all, is it just me, or does Rivers get handled every time he takes the ball to the cup? Maybe it's just me, but I had to ask.

Either way you cut it, Rivers has struggled. He's averaging 10 points per game through New Orleans' first two contests, but he's struggled to find any semblance of consistency (much the same as Waiters).

Rivers scored 14 points in the Hornets' opening game against Portland, but seven of those points came from the charity stripe. He was just 3-for-13 from the floor. He also had four turnovers. 

On Monday night he scored six points against Milwaukee in a losing effort, but he did have five assists. He was just 1-for-6 from the floor.

Rivers' NBA role is unmistakable. He's here to shoot the ball and shoot some more. It's taking the former Blue Devil a few games to get his legs under him, but there's no denying his pure offensive ability.

People question his attitude, and I do think he's a bit overrated overall, but he has a silky smooth shooting stroke.

You will see it before too long.

Quincy Miller

Miller was the No. 38 overall selection in this year's draft, but he is much better than that. His lanky 6'9'' frame oozes upside, but he hasn't shown that high ceiling so far in Summer League play.

He's averaging 5.5 points through two games. He's a combined 4-for-15 from the floor during that span, but he has snatched an average of seven boards per game.

Miller is a bit of an enigma. He carried some injury concerns into the draft, and that caused him to fall down the draft board despite his significantly high ceiling on the offensive end. He's a versatile scorer with an ever-evolving skill set.

He will be dangerous once he adjusts to professional play. It took him awhile to acclimate himself to college basketball last season, but he showed spurts of his natural talents. 

Miller will need a big effort to make Denver's roster this season, and I expect him to deliver. He has as much upside as anyone in this year's draft crop.