Orlando Summer League 2016: Schedule of Dates, Times, Points System and Format
A little more than a week after the 2016 NBA draft, fans will get their first glimpse at their team's new rookies as summer-league play kicks off in Orlando.
The first of three summer-league events on the NBA calendar—Utah gets underway July 4; Las Vegas on July 8—the Magic-hosted event will feature 10 teams from nine franchises. Orlando will feature two different teams, with the Charlotte Hornets, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami Heat, New York Knicks and Oklahoma City Thunder also participating.
The unfortunate reality for those attending the Orlando festivities is that this group is lacking in high-profile rookie draws. The Hornets, Magic and Pacers traded their first-round picks before the draft. The Mavericks, Heat and Knicks did not have theirs due to previous transactions.
| Win | 4 |
| Quarter Win | 1 |
| Quarter Tie | 0.5 |
| Four 10-minute quarters | Teams Play 4 Games |
| Players Foul Out After 10 Fouls | Points Tallied After 4 Games, Then Play Closest Team |
| 2-Minute Overtime | Tiebreakers: Point Differential, Points Allowed, Coin Flip |
| Modified Sudden Death Double Overtime: Each team guaranteed 1 possession |
The Thunder and Magic cannot complete their Serge Ibaka trade until after the moratorium ends, so the highest-drafted player potentially on one of these rosters (Domantas Sabonis) won't participate. Sabonis is expected to compete for Lithuania in the Olympics as well, so his participation was never expected.
That leaves exactly two first-rounders: Henry Ellenson of the Pistons and Brice Johnson of the Clippers. Ellenson was one of the best value plays of Round 1. He finished ninth on my overall draft board and wound up slipping all the way to No. 18 due to concerns over his athleticism.
Johnson was a fine four-year player at North Carolina who never leaped off the screen but always put up solid numbers. (He was No. 40 on my final big board, so a little bit of an overreach.)
The remainder of the rosters are filled with some notables returning from last year, second-round picks, international guys and former NBA guys looking to find one more shot.
| 9 a.m. | Oklahoma City vs. Dallas | |
| 11 a.m. | Charlotte vs. Orlando White | |
| 1 p.m. | Orlando Blue vs. Indiana | |
| 3 p.m. | New York vs. Detroit | |
| 5 p.m. | Miami vs. LA Clippers | |
| 1 p.m. | Indiana vs. Charlotte | |
| 3 p.m. | Miami vs. New York | |
| 5 p.m. | L.A. Clippers vs. Oklahoma City | |
| 1 p.m. | Dallas vs. Orlando White | |
| 3 p.m. | Orlando Blue vs. Detroit | |
| 5 p.m. | Charlotte vs. Oklahoma City | |
| 1 p.m. | Orlando Blue vs. Miami | |
| 3 p.m. | L.A. Clippers vs. New York | |
| 5 p.m. | Detroit vs. Indiana | |
| 1 p.m. | Orlando White vs. New York | |
| 3 p.m. | Dallas vs. Charlotte | |
| 5 p.m. | Indiana vs. Oklahoma City | |
| 1 p.m. | Dallas vs. Orlando Blue | |
| 3 p.m. | LA Clippers vs. Orlando White | |
| 5 p.m. | Detroit vs. Miami | |
| 8 a.m. | 6th place vs. 5th place | |
| 10 a.m. | 4th place vs. 3rd place | |
| 12 p.m. | 2nd place vs. 1st place | |
| 2 p.m. | 8th place vs. 7th place | |
| 4 p.m. | 10th place vs. 9th place |
The Pistons feel like clear favorites with Ellenson, 2015 first-round pick Stanley Johnson and underrated second-rounder Michael Gbinije on the roster. Guard Phil Pressey has impressed in summer league before, and former Arizona center Kaleb Tarczewski is a big body who may impress.
The Heat bring back 2015 lottery pick Justise Winslow to lead their team, which will also feature Josh Richardson and Briante Weber. Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reported those three with NBA experience will play only limited minutes, but it's unclear how those will be split up between Orlando and Vegas.
Two interesting names on the Miami roster: Juwan Howard Jr. and Stefan Jankovic. Howard, of course, is the son of former Heat forward Juwan Howard; he played in Spain last season. Jankovic made the strange decision to forgo his final season of eligibility at Hawaii despite having next to zero shot of being drafted, but he's a fun stretch big who can knock down some shots.
The Clippers will have second-round picks Diamond Stone and David Michineau in addition to Johnson. Stone was actually rated higher than Johnson on my board, so it's possible the Clips could have found two rotation players.
Indiana has a number of names you might recognize from their college days. Nate Wolters was a small-school analytics favorite in the 2013 draft, but he never amounted to much after a promising rookie season in Milwaukee. Rakeem Christmas and Joe Young were second-round picks last year the Pacers hope will develop this summer, and Georges Niang was an interesting late pickup who would have gone higher if he were younger.
As for the remaining rosters, there is not all that much to write home about.
The Hornets have one player—2013 second-round pick Deshaun Thomas—on their entire roster who was drafted. Aaron Harrison's their only guy to play in the NBA.
The Knicks are bringing back Cleanthony Early and made a nice signing in Ron Baker, but they'll mostly be fun to see Mason Plumlee doing Plumlee Things.
Those curious about whether Satnam Singh can actually play the sport of basketball may want to check in on Mavericks games, and they also have former first-round bust Marquis Teague.
I liked Tyler Harvey and Nick Johnson coming out of college; both will be playing for Orlando Blue, along with second-round pick Stephen Zimmerman. Four-year Kentucky standout Alex Poythress is also on that roster. Orlando White features Michael Frazier, another shooter type with a chance of eventually landing on an NBA team.
As of publication, the Thunder's roster is not yet available.
Overall, Orlando is merely a table-setter for the bonanza that's coming in Vegas. By then, the free-agency dust should settle and allow us to sit down and consume some fun, meaningless basketball before the game disappears briefly before the Olympics.
