The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Las Vegas Summer League Day 5
For still-developing NBA prospects, the NBA Las Vegas Summer League is a vital part of their year. It's an ideal opportunity for young players (and a few older ones) to refine skills and potentially earn roles for the NBA season ahead.
And it's also a chance for players to garner some early attention. New Portland Trail Blazers power forward Noah Vonleh did just that on Tuesday, tallying 20 points and eight rebounds in a losing effort against the San Antonio Spurs—the team that famously won over prized Portland free agent LaMarcus Aldridge this month.
Vonleh is one of the candidates to replace Aldridge in what will likely be a platoon approach that also includes Ed Davis and Mason Plumlee. He skipped Portland's summer league debut with an ankle injury, but he contributed 13 points and seven rebounds in the Trail Blazers' 93-80 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
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"I felt like I could get to the rim anytime," he told reporters after the Dallas game. "I would either draw a foul or kick it to somebody, and it would open up the floor and create action for somebody.
"I think having a post presence, once your post guy gets going, which, I got going a little bit, they started to try to have the help there waiting for me, and then it would be just a kick and an open shot or somebody’s driving to the rim for an easy basket."
That confidence seemed to carry over to Tuesday's contest, and it just might continue in the season ahead. But Vonleh's is just one of many stories this summer. There are some good ones, some bad ones and some of the outright ugly variety.
The Good
Giving the People What They Want
The New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers didn't play in many fun games last season, and summer league contests, by nature, mostly lack the urgency necessary for excitement. But fans in Las Vegas hoping to see something attention-worthy got it in a big way on Tuesday.
Rookies Kristaps Porzingis and Jahlil Okafor guarded one another for stretches of the Knicks' 84-81 overtime win.
There was a buzz when the Knicks' Latvian lottery ticket squared up against Okafor on the perimeter, and the Sixers' post technician got deep position against his wiry opponent down low, though Porzingis blocked him twice in the second half. Bleacher Report's Ethan Skolnick noted that the matchup went pretty much how you'd expect:
The matchup didn't last long, and we're not likely to see the two guard one another much in the future. But this kind of thing is exactly why summer league can be so compelling. Two untested rookies—high-profile ones at that—squaring off in a duel they know people are itching to see. That's the good stuff.
For what it's worth, Okafor got the better of Porzingis in terms of overall production, outscoring him 18-9 and grabbing six rebounds.
Kyle Anderson's Slow-Motion Sweetness
San Antonio Spurs second-year player Kyle Anderson put up 19 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocks, leading his team to a 79-75 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday.
And if you've seen even the tiniest snippet of Anderson's game, you know he did it all at his own glorious pace.
The word "slow" comes up often when describing the versatile 6'9" forward, which is fair. But let's go with "deliberate" instead. After all, Anderson's lack of quickness hasn't been a hindrance in Las Vegas. If anything, the calculated way he dissects defenders has made his game stand out even more, as NBA analyst Seth Partnow observed:
"Kyle Anderson's old-man craftiness is majestic.
— Seth Partnow (@SethPartnow) July 12, 2015"
Against Portland, he handled the ball expertly, turned it over just once in 29 minutes and got to the foul line a game-high 12 times.
He also wore out Portland's smaller defenders on the block, per ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton:
Anderson looks like the real deal—maybe even good enough to see minutes for the loaded Spurs in the regular season.
—Contributed by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes
The Bad
Crawford, Mavericks Way Off Target
In some ways, it's a miracle the Dallas Mavericks scored 79 points. Led in futility by Jordan Crawford's 3-of-13 outing, Dallas only made 33.3 percent of its field-goal attempts in a six-point loss to the Washington Wizards. Crawford's individual performance epitomized the club's broader lack of success from the field.
The real story was from beyond the arc, where Dallas was just 3-of-31 and Crawford was 0-of-7.
No one was immune. After making a somewhat decent six of his first 19 three-point attempts in his first two summer league outings, center Dwight Powell was just 1-of-9 from three-point range on Tuesday. All told, the team made just 9.7 percent of its long-ball attempts.
It was a shooting performance that probably wouldn't make Dirk Nowitzki (or any affiliated personnel) very proud, but somehow Dallas actually stuck around in this game. For that—and that alone—this team should take at least some solace.
Celtics' Bench Destroys Heat
The Miami Heat racked up 27 personal fouls and sent the Boston Celtics to the line 33 times en route to a 101-69 blowout for the C's. Even in summer league, that kind of defensive implosion has to worry a coaching staff.
That staff will be even more concerned about a fourth quarter in which Miami was outscored 36-14.
Boston managed the decisive victory despite a woeful 1-of-11 shooting performance by starting point guard Marcus Smart. Indeed, 62 of the Celtics' points—a majority—came from the second unit, only adding to Miami's embarrassment factor.
Fortunately, the Heat can chalk this one up as a learning experience and move on. They'll have much bigger fish to fry once regular-season action commences.
The more important news may be that rookie swingman Justise Winslow left Tuesday's game with a mild left ankle sprain and never returned. The injury probably doesn't have any long-term implications, but it's always unfortunate when a setback interrupts early progress. Miami selected Winslow with the No. 10 overall pick in last month's draft.
The Ugly
Jahlil Okafor's Free Throws
The free-throw line has been an enigma for Okafor throughout summer league, and Tuesday's 2-of-7 outing was no different. Bad as things got, fans managed to muster some ironic support, as ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton observed:
Okafor was 11-of-25 in his first four summer league appearances, with a 7-of-12 performance against the Los Angeles Lakers marking his most successful outing. The good news is no one expected much more from Okafor, and he's certainly found other ways to contribute.
Porzingis Racks Up Seven Fouls in Under 22 Minutes
Porzingis also committed one that allowed Philadelphia to tie the game with less than two seconds remaining. He may have cleanly blocked the shot up top, but there's little doubt about the body contact below. That likely made the difference in the referee's estimation.
Either way, Porzingis' effort has been indisputable, if not too much of a good thing. The rookie will have to watch his fouls if he wants to earn consistent regular-season minutes. He also tallied five fouls in just 18 minutes against the Lakers on Monday.
Porzingis managed to block three of Okafor's shots, so the defensive activity wasn't all bad. Once this guy finds the right balance, he could be a scary-good two-way player.
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