Orlando Summer League 2015: Saturday Scores, Stats, Highlights and Reaction
The NBA's annual summer tradition of showcasing rookies and under-the-radar players in games for teams to look at is finally here. Independence Day marks the start of this year's Orlando Summer League, with five games on the schedule.
Notable rookies making their pro debut include the Miami Heat's Justise Winslow, the Orlando Magic's Mario Hezonja and the Indiana Pacers' Myles Turner. It's a great platform for those players, and many others, to show off where their game is at right now and what the future may look like.
Here's a recap of all the action, as well as some of the top highlights from the games.
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Results
| Miami Heat vs. Indiana Pacers | Heat def. Pacers, 92-76 |
| Detroit Pistons vs. Orlando Magic (White) | Magic def. Pistons, 87-76 |
| Orlando Magic (Blue) vs. Los Angeles Clippers | Magic def. Clippers, 75-74 (OT) |
| Charlotte Hornets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | Thunder def. Hornets, 76-74 |
| Memphis Grizzlies vs. Brooklyn Nets | Grizzlies def. Nets, 81-73 |
Grizzlies def. Nets, 81-73
In Saturday's finale, the Memphis Grizzlies got 20 points and five rebounds from Jordan Adams to defeat the Brooklyn Nets 81-73.
Adams, who was the 22nd overall pick last season, didn't have a great shooting day. He hit just five of his 14 attempts, but went 10-of-10 from the free-throw line to lead all players in scoring.
Memphis rookie Andrew Harrison had a solid debut with eight points on 2-of-5 shooting and throwing in three assists just for good measure.
Cory Anderson led the Nets' balanced scoring attack with 13 points. He appeared in 50 games for them last season, though bigger things could be in store in 2015-16, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post noted the 24-year-old looks much different now:
Yet all eyes were on Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for the Nets. He finished second on the team with nine points, including a nice drive and pull-up for his first bucket, seen here via the NBA's YouTube channel:
The 23rd overall pick also had three rebounds and two assists in the loss. Hollis-Jefferson is a stellar defensive player, so any strides he can make on offense this summer will be an added bonus for the Nets.
Thunder def. Hornets, 76-74
The Oklahoma City Thunder outscored the Charlotte Hornets 21-15 in the fourth quarter to secure a two-point victory in the summer-league opener for both teams.
D-League veteran Frank Gaines had a big game for the Thunder, scoring 17 points in the victory. He was named the development league's most improved player in 2014, so there could be something clicking for the 24-year-old.
Oklahoma City's first-round pick Cameron Payne didn't play in the game, as Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy noted he's still dealing with a hand injury but "should be fine in two weeks."
Charlotte rookie Frank Kaminsky was able to play in the game, and the Wisconsin star made his presence felt with a double-double consisting of 19 points and 12 rebounds.
As good as Kaminsky was, it was a Duke player once again upstaging him. This time, though, the Blue Devils player was on his team as Quinn Cook nailed a long three-point shot to beat the buzzer at the end of the first quarter, via NBA TV:
The Hornets have been seeking offensive help for a long time, even when they made the postseason as the Bobcats two years ago. Kaminsky has a long way to go to prove himself as a capable scorer, yet his past resume suggests his talent and work ethic will carry him far.
Magic def. Clippers, 75-74 (OT)
The Orlando Magic's two summer league teams had a perfect Saturday, as the blue squad squeaked by the Los Angeles Clippers 75-74 in overtime.
Making this game and day even better for the Magic is the performance of last year's fourth overall pick, Aaron Gordon. The young power forward finished with 22 points and 18 rebounds, including showing range on his shot, as this package from NBA TV shows:
Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports took notice of how much better Gordon's shot looked:
Gordon struggled through a disappointing rookie season, playing in 47 games and scoring 5.2 points per game while shooting less than 45 percent from the floor. It's easy to look at that as an indictment on his talent, but don't forget he was a young draftee and doesn't turn 20 until September.
For perspective, Gordon is only two months older than 2015 draftee Karl-Anthony Towns. He does have to take a step forward in his second season, and this effort is a positive sign.
Also on display in this game was Orlando's first-round pick this year. Hezonja had a solid start to his professional career, scoring 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting. He also showed no signs of concern in crunch time, hitting the game-winning three-pointer with 12.9 seconds left in overtime.
The Magic need Hezonja's shooting touch to show itself quickly, as they are devoid of players able to score consistently. They have a number of strong defenders, like Gordon and Victor Oladipo, so this first showing for the foreign rookie is a great impression to make.
In the losing effort, the Clippers did get a nice effort from their rookie Branden Dawson. He had a team-high 14 points and 14 rebounds off the bench.
Dawson played under Tom Izzo for four years at Michigan State, so if any player knows how to play fundamental basketball and will be ready for the NBA, it's the 22-year-old.
Magic def. Pistons, 87-76
The Magic used a huge second half, outscoring the Pistons 47-34, en route to an 11-point victory in the summer-league opener for both teams.
The Magic opted to use a roster of free agents and potential D-League talents in the victory. Keith Benson, who played three games with the Golden State Warriors in 2012, led all scorers with 19 points off the bench. Keith Appling added another 17 points and four assists in the win.
In a losing effort, Detroit got to see what top pick Stanley Johnson had to offer. The former Arizona Wildcats star had 13 points, four rebounds and three assists in 24 minutes.
Johnson's first bucket was a three-pointer, which is an encouraging sign for the Pistons. One area in which scouting reports knocked him was shot selection and being able to create.
It's just one shot in a summer-league game, but Johnson is an immensely talented player who just has to make a few tweaks to his skill set to become a superstar in the league. Small steps are everything this time of year.
Detroit's second-round pick, Darrun Hilliard, also made his debut. It wasn't as impressive as Johnson's. The former Villanova star started the game, scoring five points on 2-of-10 shooting.
Overall, this result is about what should have been expected considering Orlando went with a more veteran-laden lineup and the Pistons wanted to see what their young guys had to offer.
Heat def. Pacers, 92-76
The Heat got a nice glimpse of their immediate and long-term future in a 92-76 win over Indiana in the day's first game.
Winslow, who was taken 10th overall in June's draft, picked up right where he left off during Duke's NCAA championship run. He started the game, played almost 27 minutes, scored 15 points on 4-of-8 shooting and dished out three assists.
Here's what Winslow said after his impressive debut, per the Miami Heat on Twitter:
That confidence was evident from Winslow as a freshman at Duke and seems to have carried over to the NBA.
As good as Winslow was, though, undrafted second-year player Tyler Johnson provided the highlight of the game with this drive and dunk around three Indiana defenders, via NBA TV:
In a losing effort, the Pacers were able to see what their top pick, Turner, could turn into. He dropped a game-high 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post was particularly encouraged by Turner's shooting touch:
The Pacers have needed to get more explosive and athletic for a couple of years. Turner was inconsistent in his freshman season at Texas, but there's a lot of potential for the 19-year-old that head coach Frank Vogel can work with.
Both the Heat and the Pacers had to love what they saw from their first-round picks in this game, even though Miami ultimately got the last laugh with a 16-point win.
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.jpg?w=600 "Offseason Moves for Every Team 👉")