What did we learn from Summer League?

[Rastapopoulos]

That Olshey needs to go get more bench players?
That Thomas Robinson is really important?
That Meyers Leonard really rubs most of us wrong?

I thought, of all the team, that CJ showed the most promise. He always looked comfortable. However, his shot needs to start actually falling more often. But he has a Brandon Roy-ish game when he gets on a roll.

I love Will, but he really is another Nate Robinson: he's like throwing in a grenade - just as likely to blow up and kill your own guys as theirs. He'd thrive in a team that played helter-skelter, but does any team play that way any more?

Robinson's performance in the first Atlanta game made us forget how many of us were blasting him for the previous two. Like Will, he thrives on chaos. If those two could combine to create chaos, they'd be a lot more use.

Freeland looked bad. He looked much worse against Summer Leaguers than he did last season against actual NBA players. Did his injury take more toll than we know?

Bobby Brown is not a PG. I hope his extended run did not mean we are keeping him. He has all Mo's worst features.

Crabbe.... looked a lot better in the last game. And yet he was also the worst +/- guy with -13.

Now our next action is FIBA worlds, with Batum and Claver (and possibly Damian, but I kinda hope not).

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

Passing on Giannis was a HUGE mistake.

CJ is not a PG. I think he and Dame could be a dynamic backcourt.

Crabbe isn't an NBA player. At least not yet. I can't believe he led the Pac12 in scoring.

Barton is ready for 6th man duties.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Passing on Giannis was a HUGE mistake.

At least we're not alone in that. And at least he went to the Bucks, a sorry franchise that deserves a bit of luck.
That draft had a bunch of nice players. I wanted Dieng, and while he's nowhere near Antetokounmpo, he's a fuck of a lot more use than Meyers. And possibly TRob, too.
I also wanted Schroder. He's improved - in fact he improved a lot between the first and second time we played them in Summer League.

Funny, that's three foreign players. After years of disappointment, we've finally hit a new seem of good non-US talent.

 

[Rhal]

Summer league is even worse then preseason or D league stints in figuring out how players will look in the NBA. Fun to watch though.

 

[Blazer4ever]

T-Rob was amazing, Barton was great, CJ added 3-point ability gave him more opportunities on the mid-range.
Leonard made a huge step forward with much better defensive awareness.
Joel seemed a little bummed, maybe worried about his place in the rotation maybe being tired of playing summer league at his age, but he's still a player I really like. One of the smartest bigs in the league, especially on defense.
Crabbe I think did OK, he didn't make much of an impact - positive or negative. If he can't add a more competitive, determined aspect to his game he wouldn't be effective in the NBA.

 

[Strenuus]

Nothing. It's summer league.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

CJ and Robinson are ready to contribute. Everyone else isn't.

 

[PDXFonz]

I learned that PAC 12 players are really slow at closing out.

 

[HailBlazers]

There's a glimmer of hope for Meyers.

 

[PDXFonz]

There's a glimmer of hope for Meyers.

He needs to change his last name to Oscar and put some relish on his game!

 

[Mediocre Man]

What's this about a glimmer of hope and a huge step forward for Meyer's? Did I miss double secret games or something?

He was God awful in every game and was CONSTANTLY out of position defensively. He blocked some shots last game, but it was more dumb luck than anything.

He showed that we could maybe get a second round pick for him, rather than giving one to get rid of him

 

[Blazer4ever]

I think he did much better defensively, in terms of awareness, focus, understanding, anticipating the plays. He still isn't a very good defender but he is much less of a liability. We held the Jazz to 4 points in the 1st quarter with him in the starting lineup.
He's very active offensively, he has the physical tools, good hands, outside shot. If he can continue to improve defensively like I think he would, there's real hope for him.

 

[adrenalize74]

T-Rob was amazing, Barton was great, CJ added 3-point ability gave him more opportunities on the mid-range.
Leonard made a huge step forward with much better defensive awareness.
Joel seemed a little bummed, maybe worried about his place in the rotation maybe being tired of playing summer league at his age, but he's still a player I really like. One of the smartest bigs in the league, especially on defense.
Crabbe I think did OK, he didn't make much of an impact - positive or negative. If he can't add a more competitive, determined aspect to his game he wouldn't be effective in the NBA.

I agree with your statements on TRob and Leonard, however I completely disagree about CJ and Barton.

Barton does not belong in the NBA, he is a selfish streetballer who is fun to watch, but hurts a team overall. Great rebounder for a guard though.

CJ just doesnt have what it takes to make a difference at the NBA level. He had 1 good game and 4 "meh" games. He just doesnt have the level of ability to consistantly create his own shot, attack the rim, and inconsistant shooter. AND he isnt even reliable at the line.

We need a new option for SG/PG duties, CJ and Barton are not it.

I would love it if we picked up Kendall Marshall.

 

[Rastapopoulos]

Barton does not belong in the NBA, he is a selfish streetballer who is fun to watch, but hurts a team overall.

Define (a) "selfish" and (b) "streetballer".

I assume by "selfish" you mean "only looks for his own shot". While he's certainly not John Stockton, he does actually have decent vision (certainly for somebody 6'6") and has shown a willingness to give the ball up. I've seen plenty of NBA players who have much worse tunnel vision.

I assume by "streetballer" you mean can't operate in a structured offense. That is a bit of weakness. Also his high dribble. But he's also shown improvement, particularly on defense. And nobody plays any defense in streetball.

There is a use for players of Will's, um, gifts. If he could really work on his defense he would have a definite role on the Blazers, because we certainly need backcourt defenders. He has some good instincts and great length. His role model should be someone like John Starks or maybe Tony Allen, both wild on offense but made themselves invaluable by really focusing on defense.

CJ just doesnt have what it takes to make a difference at the NBA level.

This may be true, but you certainly couldn't tell that from any summer league (again, Derrick Rose, sub 30% shooting, single-figures points in Summer League) and certainly not the one he just had. He has some moves that plenty of NBA guards don't have. Here's what Fred Katz on TrueHoop just said about him:

C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers | Grade: A
Another day, another scoring outburst from McCollum, who dropped 21 points on the Jazz in his final summer league contest. The former first-round selection picked apart the Utah defense with his jumper, sinking attempts from all over the floor, mostly away from the rim. McCollum now leaves Vegas without scoring fewer than 16 points in any game, pretty consistent for a guy who spent too much of his rookie season banged up and on the sidelines. -- Katz

I think that's a bit generous. The truth lies somewhere between you and Katz.

I would love it if we picked up Kendall Marshall.

Oops, not good for your credibility. Love Marshall's passing, but there's a reason the Lakers were content to waive him, even if they plan on eventually re-signing him. They don't really care if somebody takes him off their hands. He's got one very admirable quality (floor vision) but is slow as molasses and, while his three point shot is improving, he can't score much otherwise. He looked good for a very shitty team coached by a guy who made Jeremy Lin look like Allen Iverson. I'd be happy if we picked him up, too... as a third string PG. CJ is our second string SG.

 

[Pinwheel1]

Also I am not really worried about CJ being reliable at the line. Games 2, 3, and 4 he shot 100% from the line. If you include the 2nd half of game 1, I would say he was pretty reliable.

 

[adrenalize74]

Define (a) "selfish" and (b) "streetballer".

I assume by "selfish" you mean "only looks for his own shot". While he's certainly not John Stockton, he does actually have decent vision (certainly for somebody 6'6") and has shown a willingness to give the ball up. I've seen plenty of NBA players who have much worse tunnel vision.

I assume by "streetballer" you mean can't operate in a structured offense. That is a bit of weakness. Also his high dribble. But he's also shown improvement, particularly on defense. And nobody plays any defense in streetball.

There is a use for players of Will's, um, gifts. If he could really work on his defense he would have a definite role on the Blazers, because we certainly need backcourt defenders. He has some good instincts and great length. His role model should be someone like John Starks or maybe Tony Allen, both wild on offense but made themselves invaluable by really focusing on defense.

This may be true, but you certainly couldn't tell that from any summer league (again, Derrick Rose, sub 30% shooting, single-figures points in Summer League) and certainly not the one he just had. He has some moves that plenty of NBA guards don't have. Here's what Fred Katz on TrueHoop just said about him:



I think that's a bit generous. The truth lies somewhere between you and Katz.



Oops, not good for your credibility. Love Marshall's passing, but there's a reason the Lakers were content to waive him, even if they plan on eventually re-signing him. They don't really care if somebody takes him off their hands. He's got one very admirable quality (floor vision) but is slow as molasses and, while his three point shot is improving, he can't score much otherwise. He looked good for a very shitty team coached by a guy who made Jeremy Lin look like Allen Iverson. I'd be happy if we picked him up, too... as a third string PG. CJ is our second string SG.

Pretty much what I was getting at with my "selfish" and "streetballer" comment, and I do agree he is a good defender. However, he is more of a liability to a team than an asset. Unfortunate part is, he DOES have pretty good vision and COULD be a better facilitator, but he just has never met a shot he didnt want to take. If he could ever temper that "shoot first, second, and third....pass only when necessary" attitude, he may be something worthwhile.

Wasnt that Rose's rookie year? This is CJs 2nd summer league and actually played worse overall (my opinion only) than his rookie outing.

Marshall is the type of PG I would love to bring in, because he would be the 2nd unit facilitator we need. This team did not lack offense (overall), I would much rather have a Marshall at backup PG than a luke warm SG (McCollum) or a Jamal Crawford (Barton)

 

[3RA1N1AC]

cj looked WAY better this year than last (to me at least), super agile, nba moves, jumper looked better, taking his man off the dribble, just all around

 

[riverman]

Will Barton is a keeper. If he's having an off game, Stotts needs to bench him as well as any other rotation guy that is having an off game. Pops is the best at benching guys who are not bringing it in any game and every guy that plays for him accepts that.

 

[riverman]

cj looked WAY better this year than last (to me at least), super agile, nba moves, jumper looked better, taking his man off the dribble, just all around

CJs defense looked much improved but his 3pt shot left a lot to be desired.

 

[KeepOnRollin]

CJs defense looked much improved but his 30pt shot left a lot to be desired.

I wouldn't fault him for that too much. Tough shot. I haven't even attempted it personally.

 

[riverman]

I wouldn't fault him for that too much. Tough shot. I haven't even attempted it personally.

typo now corrected

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

I think Neil ought to make a run at Gobert. Amazingly they still view Kanter as their COTF.

Gobert = young Tyson Chandler.

 

[riverman]

I think Neil ought to make a run at Gobert. Amazingly they still view Kanter as their COTF.

Gobert = young Tyson Chandler.

Gobert is going to be a great center, love his game. Watched him when he played for France with Nico and he's better now

 

[BBert]

I think Neil ought to make a run at Gobert. Amazingly they still view Kanter as their COTF.

Gobert = young Tyson Chandler.

I thought Neil should have made a run at Gobert in the draft.

 

[BBert]

Leonard has a long way to go, but he's working on it.

Leonard needs to stay on his feet when someone pump fakes him. Sheesh.

I've lost any hope I may have had for Crabbe.

CJ is about where I thought he should be last year.

Will Barton is fool's gold.

Freeland has peaked.

TRob was our summer league MVP.

Despite our high hopes, our summer league team sucked.

 

[Wizard Mentor]

What'd I learn? Stotts is smart enough to put CJ in a position where he could succeed instead of trying to force PG duties onto him. I suspect that after he has shown to be a successful part of the rotation, he'll start practicing the PG duties.

 

[e_blazer]

We learned that Olshey was smart to bring in Kaman and Blake. They're going to be needed.

 

[Nikolokolus]

I learned that completely ignoring Summer League for the first time in maybe 6 or 7 years was no big loss.

 

[Strenuus]

I learned that completely ignoring Summer League for the first time in maybe 6 or 7 years was no big loss.

You're a smart man for not watching. It's pretty much pointless as a viewer.

 

[HailBlazers]

You're a smart man for not watching. It's pretty much pointless as a viewer.

Unless Ofcourse, you simply enjoy watching basketball.