2019 Vegas Summer League

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Hoard's decision making is brutal at times
 
https://www.blazersedge.com/2019/7/9/20687162/podcast-blazers-summer-league-2019

The Trail Blazers’ Summer League squad are two games into their quest to repeat their 2018 Summer League Championship. How do they look? Who has the hot hand, who still needs work, and who has been a surprise?

Blazer’s Edge staff members Miles Custis, Steve DeWald and Tara Bowen-Biggs share their observations about the games and the atmosphere at the tournament.

1:00 Miles’ earthquake report and first impressions of Summer League.

2:30 Overall impressions of Game 1 against the Detroit Pistons. Communication was rough and that made it difficult to get any rhythm.

4:00 Some of the younger guys like Little and Hoard are still learning the NBA vocabulary.

5:00 There was a night and day difference between the first and second games. It helped that the shots were falling (and the competition was pretty undersized).

7:35 How much will the Blazers be looking to Anfernee Simons for playmaking? What can he work on to be more effective in regular season games?

http://dcs.megaphone.fm/VMP4186367523.mp3?key=0a2cf2d01d0fec94ecb57cf79fe1178c

Simons and Trent look like NBA players and Hoard looks like a good 2 way pick up. The rest better get use to the G league or Europe. As for Simons playmaking, not sure if he's there yet or will get there but the kid can score so he has a place. I see him possibly in a rotation but either Lillard or McCollum will need to be on the floor with him.
 
I'm happy that Simons and Trent are playing well.

I'm meh on Simons running the team.

I'm unhappy that Skal isn't playing, Hoard isn't starting, Little isn't starting, and Daum not getting a lot of PT, or plays run for him.

Not thrilled about being 1-2, but it feels like we're not playing our actual team.
 
Being a huge UK fan I knew Herro was gonna be a stud, he’s gonna own that town just watch.

E062D15E-9D38-4270-9732-5D6E30D462CF.jpeg

I did think it would take him one more season at UK to be this good however.
 
Nyce :) #1 & #2 (from Las Vegas Review-Journal's perspective)

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sport...mances-so-far-of-vegas-summer-league-1708479/

Top 5 performances (so far) of Vegas Summer League

2. Gary Trent Jr., Guard, Portland Trail Blazers

Trent Jr. didn’t get to show much during his rookie season in Portland.

July 7 against the Houston Rockets, he showed everyone what he could do.

Trent Jr., a 2018 second-round pick, had 31 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 97-87 win. He was remarkably efficient, needing just 12 shots to reach his point total thanks to a 6-of-7 mark from 3.

He made a pretty good case that he should receive a raise on the 7.4 minutes he averaged per game last season.

1. Anfernee Simons, Guard, Trail Blazers

If this list is any indication the Trail Blazers, who reached the Western Conference Finals last season, have plenty of reason to be optimistic about the future.

Simons, the No. 24 pick in 2018, made his case for a larger role July 9 against the Utah Jazz where he was practically unstoppable despite his team losing 97-93. He scored 35 points (still a Vegas Summer League high this year) while going 13-of-18 from the floor and 6-of-7 from 3.

He threw in six rebounds, two assists and two steals in the performance of the event (so far).
 
My impressions so far, trying to focus on what players could potentially offer rather than results.

Simons- guy can score on all levels. Not sure about running an offense this coming season. It’s obvious he’s still raw in that department but that’s expected since he’s naturally a two. He can only get better. He’s also got a couple months to add some weight, although I think his strength is a little underrated.

Trent- guy had an nba body last year but this year he looks like wes Matthews in his prime, physically. He’s gotta be hovering around 220. I like the potential of his inside out game but you can still see how raw it is. For example I think his post up game has real potential he just needs to do a better job of backing down/establishing closer to the basket instead of bailing defenders out with tough attempts. Same with his shot. When he’s in the flow of the offense or set he’s really good. When he starts jacking up crazy shots he’s not. But it’ll be interesting to see how he does in a more structured setting because Stotts isn’t going to let him go wild anyway. His passing has looked better than Simons’ tbh. Not really a knock on Simons, just an evolution in his game.

Little- I’m not surprised he hasn’t put up numbers in this setting because everything about him right now screams role player. He’s barely even had an opportunity to have the ball in his hands so maybe my assessment of that is off. His energy and athleticism will translate immediately and should be another guy that will stand out more when he’s surrounded by better players, if that makes sense.

Hoard- he’s looked more polished than I was expecting. Like if he were to be put in an nba game I don’t think he’d embarrass himself. I think as far as comps go he’s somewhere between Aminu and Harkless. He’s more skilled than Aminu but not as athletic as Moe. I said he was more of a three when he was signed but now I think he could be more of a four after he’s done developing physically. He’s another guy that profiles well as a role player.

Beyond those guys no one else is really worth talking about as I doubt any of them will be signed. Daum looks overmatched athletically. Robinson is probably the closest one to a contract but probably not with Portland.
 
FYI

The NBA Summer League is currently "on course to break its attendance record" of
139,972 set last year, according to Alan Snel of LVSPORTSBIZ.com. Opening Day on
Friday in Las Vegas "was a sellout and so was Saturday on Day 2 -- the first time the
Summer League has sold out 17,500 strong on its first two days." Attendance was 14,263
on Sunday, 13,866 on Monday and 11,803 on Tuesday. The all-day ticket price is $35 -- a
"fraction of the NBA game ticket cost during the regular season" -- allowing fans who
"otherwise would not get a first-hand glimpse of an NBA player a chance to see" them in
person. There are 83 games played at UNLV's Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion
over the course of the 11-day event (LVSPORTSBIZ.com, 7/10). Las Vegas Events President
Pat Christenson said that the growth of the NBA Summer League "stuns even him." In Las
Vegas, Jackie Kostek noted Summer League attendance has "been on the rise" since
starting with just 5,000 fans in '04, with "new total attendance records set the last two
years". KTNV.com
 
Alright @dviss1 why are you bumping all these threads?

So the relevant threads would be at the top and the zombie threads go away.

Frankly, I'm sick of whiners whining about whining.

Don't complain about someone bumping a zombie thread whilst simultaneously complaining about someone who thinks threads should be merged.
 
https://www.reviewjournal.com/sport...nassir-little-in-vegas-summer-league-1708952/

As NBA draft pick after draft pick disappeared off the board June 20, most of the attention turned to Bol Bol’s startling drop from potential lottery selection to the No. 44 choice.

He overshadowed another expected top pick invited to New York for the draft who also didn’t go as high as many expected.

But for Nassir Little, he fell to what looks to be an almost ideal situation. He went 25th to the Portland Trail Blazers, a team stocked with talent coming off an appearance in the Western Conference finals, where it was swept by the Golden State Warriors.

Easy does it

The Blazers are in the position to slowly bring along the 19-year-old out of North Carolina rather than ask him to step in as a leader right away.

“The game’s really fast for him right now,” Blazers Summer League coach Jim Moran said. “Once he kind of settles in and catches his breath, I think everything will fall into place for him. As he gets more reps in our offense and gets more comfortable, I think he’s really going to be able to find his spots where he can be effective.”

Portland has been bringing Little off the bench, but he was averaging 22 minutes entering Thursday’s play in the Vegas Summer League, third on the team behind Anfernee Simons and Gary Trent Jr., who each have averaged 26.3 minutes. Simons at 22 points per game and Trent at 17.7 also have been the Blazers’ leading scorers.


Little has averaged 4.3 points and 4.3 rebounds, and he likely will be a role player next season for the Blazers’ main squad. Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum are the expected offensive leaders.

“For me, I just want to rebound, defend, be an energy guy, hit open shots,” Little said. “Dame and CJ can carry most of the offensive load. If I just play my role, then we’ll be fine.”

North Carolina coach Roy Williams used Little mostly inside, and at 6 feet 6 inches and with a 7-1 wingspan, he became a top-level defender. If Little is to eventually make the offensive impact expected of a first-rounder in the NBA, he will need to improve his outside shot.

“He can guard multiple positions,” Moran said. “Offensively, he’s trying to figure it out. We’re asking a lot out of him. He’s only had a week of practice in the NBA, and we’re trying to acclimate him into our system. It’s been a lot of information thrown at him.”

He can handle it

Little can probably handle it.

He grew up in a family where both parents served in the military, taking them to posts in England, Hawaii, Japan and Spain.

Adapting to new situations isn’t unusual.

Little took exception to a question about falling in the draft, but agreed with the general point that he landed in a good spot. He went to an organization that can be patient with his development, one that already is built to compete for the championship, though there are plenty of contenders in the Western Conference.

He didn’t go to the New York Knicks or Orlando Magic or some other team desperate for a turnaround and willing to give big minutes to a young player not ready for that kind of responsibility.

“It gives you a chance to be a rookie and learn things and not always have the answers right away,” Little said. “I think that’s the best way to do it.”
 
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