Summer League Las Vegas 2016, July 8th -18th

I'm really excited to see how all of our bigs do. I wonder if WCS has practiced his jumper at all. I don't think he has that in his arsenal yet, but it'll be interesting to see if he takes any in the SL.
He's most certainly been practicing his jumper. He showed during predraft workouts that he had a nice stroke and over the course of the season it became apparent that he had a solid mid range shot with a smooth shooting motion.

Willie is going to surprise a lot of people this season.
 
Anyone know if Malachi Richardson will be playing for the Kings in SL? I know the trade for him couldn't be made official until this morning but because of the holdup he obviously missed the Kings mini camp this week. Kinda sucks for guys like him that get drafted then traded and have to wait to report to their new team. Even if he plays he will be behind everyone else in learning the offensive and defensive schemes that Coach Joerger has been implementing this week.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
Anyone know if Malachi Richardson will be playing for the Kings in SL? I know the trade for him couldn't be made official until this morning but because of the holdup he obviously missed the Kings mini camp this week. Kinda sucks for guys like him that get drafted then traded and have to wait to report to their new team. Even if he plays he will be behind everyone else in learning the offensive and defensive schemes that Coach Joerger has been implementing this week.
Word was that he would join the team in Vegas as soon as the trade was official.
 

Capt. Factorial

ceterum censeo delendum esse Argentum
Staff member
I wouldn't be surprised if Richardson missed the first game or two as the coaching staff brings him up to speed, but at the same time it's Summer League, they may well just throw him in the fire.
 

dude12

Hall of Famer
I still have Summer League flashbacks and coming to the realization that Jimmer was really undersized and didnt have the ability to break and opposing pressure, of Thomas Robinson wasn't that good and was undersized with a skinny lower half, of Ben dribbling off his feet in the open court.

Would be fantastic to see all the young guys show good upside.
 
It's tough to gauge with summer league but being undersized like Jimmer and TRob gets even more pronounced when the season starts.

Stauskas looked solid in his SL stint. I believe WCS actually had better stats than Karl-Towns last year. You just have to look for the small things like WCS chasing that PG down full court and swatting his fast break layup away.

I'm hoping to see a more patient Malachi, some of those skills we know Skal has, Papa to use his size, anything from Cousins and at the very least some solid 1 on 1 defense from the guys. Team defense is going to be rough without much practice but at least possess the ability to stay in front of D Leaguers.
 
I still have Summer League flashbacks and coming to the realization that Jimmer was really undersized and didnt have the ability to break and opposing pressure, of Thomas Robinson wasn't that good and was undersized with a skinny lower half, of Ben dribbling off his feet in the open court.

Would be fantastic to see all the young guys show good upside.
Lol don't remind us of them bad draft picks. For summer league, I mainly look at player skills as oppposed to stats. Summer league in general is hard to gauge players, but you can usually tell who's an NBA player and who's not. NBA players usually stand out in Summer League, esp the guards.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
It's tough to gauge with summer league but being undersized like Jimmer and TRob gets even more pronounced when the season starts.

Stauskas looked solid in his SL stint. I believe WCS actually had better stats than Karl-Towns last year. You just have to look for the small things like WCS chasing that PG down full court and swatting his fast break layup away.

I'm hoping to see a more patient Malachi, some of those skills we know Skal has, Papa to use his size, anything from Cousins and at the very least some solid 1 on 1 defense from the guys. Team defense is going to be rough without much practice but at least possess the ability to stay in front of D Leaguers.
The big goal with Richardson is to get him into the mindset of being a 3&D wing with the majority of his shots coming on catch and shoots where he's far more efficient than off the dribble. If he can expand his game down the road then great, but to be effective early on he has to shoot less and take better shots.
 
The big goal with Richardson is to get him into the mindset of being a 3&D wing with the majority of his shots coming on catch and shoots where he's far more efficient than off the dribble. If he can expand his game down the road then great, but to be effective early on he has to shoot less and take better shots.
That's what I'm thinking too. He has the great size and length to be a good defender. He has a good jumpshot. He's built perfect to be a 3&d guard, which is what we been searching for for years .
 
Not directed at anyone in particular, but why do we have to label guys and set limitations on what they can and should be? Why just 3& D. Why not work from day one to be a complete ball player?
I think Funky was thinking having Malichi mastering 3&D first, then working on the rest of his game. He can work on the rest of his game at the same time, but you just don't want him coming in and thinking he's Kobe Bryant.
 
Not directed at anyone in particular, but why do we have to label guys and set limitations on what they can and should be? Why just 3& D. Why not work from day one to be a complete ball player?
I think it just depends on their skill set. I'm sure Tony Allen has spent more time than we can imagine trying to become a good shooter and it still hasn't happened yet. If he spent the last 10 years of his career trying to be Dewayne Wade as well, he may have bounced out of the league and missed out on being one of the best perimeter defenders of the decade. Might as well concentrate on what you're good at now and then work on becoming more than that once you've established yourself.

I get what you're saying but I don't think many of these guys are talented enough to spread themselves so thin. If you shoot to become Michael Jordan and fail, you may have spread yourself so thin that you missed out on perfecting the parts of your game that were good enough to keep you in the league for years.
 
It's tough to gauge with summer league but being undersized like Jimmer and TRob gets even more pronounced when the season starts.

Stauskas looked solid in his SL stint. I believe WCS actually had better stats than Karl-Towns last year. You just have to look for the small things like WCS chasing that PG down full court and swatting his fast break layup away.

I'm hoping to see a more patient Malachi, some of those skills we know Skal has, Papa to use his size, anything from Cousins and at the very least some solid 1 on 1 defense from the guys. Team defense is going to be rough without much practice but at least possess the ability to stay in front of D Leaguers.
Yes stats arent everything in Summer League but it is a good place to just watch basketball and you can see if a player has a skill or a trait that makes him standout. Willie was a gazelle and showed his abticipation as a help defender and showed bursts of good offense touch. I also saw Jokic for the Nuggets and could instantly tell he was a good basketball player. Had good feel for the game, good passer, game was not going a million miles an hour.

For these rooks I want to see Pappas feel for the game, hands, footwork, touch around the rim and id he is agile for size or projects as a lumbering big. Skal I want to see how he looks compared to WCS and offensively his spot shot. Malachi looks to have a good first step and a good shot, or at least form. Also has physical tools at 6'6 with good wingspan, lets see if Joerger can coach him into a 3 and D type.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
Not directed at anyone in particular, but why do we have to label guys and set limitations on what they can and should be? Why just 3& D. Why not work from day one to be a complete ball player?
As ElRay said, I just want that to be Richardson's initial goal. If he can become more in time then great.

But part of why I didn't like Malachi as a draft prospect is that he took a LOT of bad shots and was one of the least efficient scorers in college basketball this season.

Before he can become a "complete" ball player he needs to be good enough to play in the NBA. And while he has some physical tools (good height, long wingspan) he's a below average athlete and he takes too many low percentage shots.

In Summer league I want to see Richardson take good shots and be squared up. And I'd like to see those shots be primarily off the catch than the dribble as the difference in shooting between the two at Syracuse was considerable.
 
Not directed at anyone in particular, but why do we have to label guys and set limitations on what they can and should be? Why just 3& D. Why not work from day one to be a complete ball player?
Because in college, Richardson was chucking up shots like he was Kobe, but in reality he was Nick Young. He was a ball dominant player with poor shot selection who often played out of control. Limiting him to a 3&D player first, would be a right move with his development.

If you asked any Syracuse fans if they'd think Richardson would be a 1st round pick, they'd laugh at your face and suggest he'd be a fringe 2nd round pick at best. The upside and potential is there, but he's extremely raw.
 
So does anyone know Malachi's Jersey number?

When Malachi is added to Summer League Roster does Roster go to 16 players or does someone get chopped?
 

kingsboi

Hall of Famer
Lol don't remind us of them bad draft picks. For summer league, I mainly look at player skills as oppposed to stats. Summer league in general is hard to gauge players, but you can usually tell who's an NBA player and who's not. NBA players usually stand out in Summer League, esp the guards.
The only two Kings players that we drafted that stood out in Summer League above the rest were Tyreke and Boogie...the rest were either meh or average and it translated to the pros too. I'm not saying that Summer League will be the end of all, but it's a good barometer to see what players belong right away and which ones need to seriously work on their game come October and into the future seasons.
 
The only two Kings players that we drafted that stood out in Summer League above the rest were Tyreke and Boogie...the rest were either meh or average and it translated to the pros too. I'm not saying that Summer League will be the end of all, but it's a good barometer to see what players belong right away and which ones need to seriously work on their game come October and into the future seasons.
WCS was better than "meh or average," which was followed up by a good rookie season.
 
It's on ESPN 3. I'm not sure if ESPN has an app..but I think they do. free to watch
Thanks. Ok, now since I am completely incapable of figuring this out on my own..,what channel is ESPN 3 on direct tv? I can't seem to find it
It appears I don't have ESPN 3 even on my guide