Orlando Summer League 2015: Wednesday Scores, Stats, Highlights and Reaction
NBA Summer League play continued Wednesday in Orlando, Florida, featuring several highly touted prospects who were selected in the lottery portion of the 2015 draft.
Charlotte Hornets big man Frank Kaminsky, Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner, Detroit Pistons swingman Stanley Johnson and Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow were among those scheduled to take the court at Amway Arena.
The summer league represents the first opportunity for basketball fans to witness what some of the best up-and-coming players in the sport can do in a professional setting, and that made for an exciting atmosphere Wednesday.
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Here is a look at how every game has played out thus far, complete with recaps and important statistics for each of the matchups.
Wednesday's Orlando Summer League Scores
| 1 p.m. | Orlando Magic White Team | Charlotte Hornets | 81-68, ORW |
| 3 p.m. | Indiana Pacers | Detroit Pistons | 90-65, DET |
| 5 p.m. | Los Angeles Clippers | Miami Heat | 87-85, MIA |
Orlando Magic White vs. Charlotte Hornets
The Orlando Magic's White Team improved their Orlando Summer League record to 3-0 Wednesday afternoon as they defeated the Charlotte Hornets by a score of 81-68.
Former Oakland University center Keith Benson led the way for the Magic with 16 points, while former Florida guard Scottie Wilbekin chipped in 15 more. Here is a look at some of the most notable stats for Orlando, courtesy of NBA.com:
| Melvin Ejim | F | 30:00 | 3-6 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Glen Rice Jr. | G | 16:19 | 3-14 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Keith Appling | G | 18:41 | 5-8 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Scottie Wilbekin | G | 25:04 | 5-12 | 15 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Keith Benson | C | 15:38 | 5-8 | 16 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
The Hornets received some solid performances from brand-name players such as reigning College Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky, who scored 13 points and nabbed seven rebounds, although it took him some time to get rolling. Here is a rundown of how Charlotte's top prospects fared:
| P.J. Hairston | F | 32:58 | 4-8 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Frank Kaminsky | F | 33:59 | 4-11 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 |
| Aaron Harrison | G | 34:56 | 5-13 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 |
| Kevin Murphy | G | 37:00 | 4-7 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
| Jonathan Wallace | G | 14:20 | 3-6 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
All eyes were on Kaminsky as the former Wisconsin standout entered Wednesday's contest with three strong games under his belt. He struggled mightily throughout the first half, and as pointed out by Sam Vecenie of CBSSports.com, he simply wasn't knocking down his shots:
That is uncharacteristic of the 7-footer since hitting open looks was perhaps his greatest strength with the Badgers. Kaminsky was able to get going a bit in the second half, though, which resulted in an acceptable stat line.
Even though it wasn't his best game, Steve Wyche of NFL Network thoroughly enjoyed watching the big man do his thing:
Kaminsky wasn't the only well-known player who took the court for Charlotte, as former North Carolina forward P.J. Hairston and Kentucky's Aaron Harrison combined for 29 points. Harrison had another strong game after going undrafted, but it wasn't a perfect showing by any means.
As seen in this video tweeted out by Vecenie, Andrew Harrison's twin brother was absolutely victimized by Benson when he attempted to throw down a dunk:
Benson, who has played in Estonia, Lithuania, China and Belarus since playing in the NBA Development League in 2013, was Orlando's most impressive player Wednesday as he excelled both offensively and defensively.
Wilbekin wasn't to be outdone, though, as the former Gators great filled up the stat sheet. After dropping 15 points, Wilbekin expressed his hopes moving forward, per Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders:
Orlando lacks depth behind Elfrid Payton at point guard, so Wilbekin has a legitimate chance to make the team if he continues on his current upward trajectory.
Hungry players such as Benson and Wilbekin who are looking to break into the NBA outperformed guys who are guaranteed a roster spot next season such as Kaminsky and Hairston. Even so, it is clear that the Hornets have plenty of young talent, and they have a bright future because of that.
Indiana Pacers vs. Detroit Pistons
The Indiana Pacers' overall team struggles continued Wednesday against the Detroit Pistons as they fell to 0-3 in a 90-65 loss, but there was undoubtedly a silver lining because of the play of their talented draft picks.
First-round selection Myles Turner and second-rounder Joseph Young provided almost all of Indiana's offense as they combined for nearly three-quarters of the Pacers' scoring output, according to Scott Agness of VigilantSports.com:
Here is a closer look at how they fared against the Pistons:
| Myles Turner | C | 31:25 | 9-16 | 23 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 4 |
| Joseph Young | G | 31:57 | 9-15 | 25 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Detroit's production was spread out much more effectively as four players scored in double figures, but there is no question that first-round pick Stanley Johnson stole the show as the former Arizona Wildcats star dropped 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.
Second-round guard Darrun Hilliard was solid as well, as seen in this breakdown of the Pistons' top contributors:
| Stanley Johnson | F | 26:24 | 8-15 | 20 | 2 | 10 | 3 | 2 |
| Spencer Dinwiddie | G | 18:42 | 3-6 | 11 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Darrun Hilliard | G | 23:59 | 5-15 | 14 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Sundiata Gaines | G | 21:18 | 5-9 | 14 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Jared Berggren | C | 22:21 | 4-6 | 8 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
Johnson scored 24 points a couple of days ago against the Los Angeles Clippers, and while he didn't quite reach that same level of scoring production Wednesday, it can certainly be argued that he enjoyed his best all-around game.
The Pistons received a lot of criticism for selecting Johnson ahead of Justise Winslow, but Sam Vecenie of CBSSports.com has been blown away by what the wingman has been able to do in the summer league thus far:
Johnson showed a great deal of versatility in terms of his scoring Wednesday, but his best highlight of the day may have been this emphatic block captured by Michael Gallagher of Rotoworld:
While Johnson had the luxury of guys such as Hilliard, Spencer Dinwiddie and Sundiata Gaines offering offensive support, Turner and Young weren't so lucky on the other side.
Both players were excellent, but none of their teammates scored more than four points. Turner also had to carry the load on the defensive end, as evidenced by this video courtesy of NBA TV:
The summer league is about getting players acclimated to the NBA and seeing how they perform against their peers, so the Pacers have to be thrilled regardless of the game's result. Both Turner and Young look like guys who can be big-time contributors in 2015-16, and if that is the case, then Indiana will have had a very successful draft.
Detroit has a potential gem on its hands in Johnson as well. All of the top players who were supposed to shine did precisely that in this game, so observers certainly got everything they bargained for.
Los Angeles Clippers vs. Miami Heat
The Miami Heat improved to 4-0 in Orlando Summer League play with a last-second 87-85 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.
A mad scramble for a loose ball with time winding down sent Heat point guard Shabazz Napier to the free-throw line with 3.8 seconds remaining, and he calmly drilled both attempts to ice things.
The Clippers dropped to 1-3 with the loss.
Napier was one of four Miami players to finish in double figures, as the former UConn standout dropped 14 points in 17 minutes.
Here's a look at how some other notable Heat players fared in the box score:
| Shabazz Napier | G | 17:04 | 4-9 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| James Ennis | F | 29:39 | 2-8 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Zoran Dragic | G | 27:47 | 3-8 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Willie Reed | C | 29:33 | 7-10 | 17 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 4 |
| Justise Winslow | F | 7:45 | 0-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Clippers second-round selection Branden Dawson continued to turn heads, posting yet another double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds over the course of 31 minutes. He also tallied three steals and four blocks, one of which came in emphatic fashion, according to NBC Sports' Michael Gallagher:
Diante Garrett paced the Clippers throughout, scoring a game-high 20 points (9-of-18 shooting, 1-of-3 from three) while grabbing six boards and dropping three dimes. D.J. Newbill—formerly of Penn State—added 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
| Branden Dawson | F | 31:32 | 7-13 | 15 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 4 |
| Diante Garrett | G | 36:40 | 9-18 | 20 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| D.J. Newbill | F | 26:03 | 7-13 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| C.J. Wilcox | G | 32:44 | 2-14 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
Despite turning the ball over a whopping 20 times, the Heat were able to outlast the Clippers by shooting a superior 42.1 percent from the field—5.2 points better than L.A.'s total.
The Clippers also committed a ghastly 37 personal fouls, which produced 41 Heat free-throw attempts. Miami converted those freebies at a robust 82.9 percent clip in order to stay undefeated despite a limited showing from first-round pick Justise Winslow.
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