bajaden
Hall of Famer
I thought I'd give a rundown of the players that impressed me during my stay in Las Vegas. And while its just summer league, and many players in the past have looked good only to fade into the woodwork later, its better to look good than the alternative. Many of the players I'm going to mention are already under contract, but its always nice to store away information for the future. Ironicly, most of those that impressed me were SF's. And SF's that we might have been able to draft at one point. But as they say, hindesight is 100%.
Mke Scott: 6'8" SF/PF. He was one of the most impressive players I saw there. The big question is, what is he? A SF or a PF? He's very aggressive on offense, and although undersized, he's very strong and has a decent to good post game. But what really separates him from the pack is his face up game. He's pure money from 15 to 18 feet. He has a very quick and high release, and hit shot after shot with a hand in his face. His downside is that he's already 25 years old despite being a rookie. He redshirted his senior year, so he was a 5 year senior.
He's not a shotblocker, but he's also very aggressive on the defensive side of the ball. He's a gritty, tough kid that will be on someone's roster for many years. He impressed in every game I saw.
Luke Babbitt: 6'8" SF. Babbitt is developing into a very good player. He also impressed me in every game I saw. Doesn't to anything spectacular, but does all the little things you need from that position. He shot the ball well, and was capable of putting the ball on the floor. He made some very nice passes, and shows very high BBIQ. He also defended the postion well. The Trailblazers got a good one in him.
Will Barton: 6'6" SF/SG. Explosive athlete thats a hard guard with the ball in his hands. He has a very quick first step, and gets to the basket in a blink of an eye. He played tough agressive defense. He wasn't perfect, but you can't fault his effort. However, he couldn't hit an outside shot for the life of him. His mid-range was better, but was still inconsistent in the games I saw. So he's a little bit of a project, but he's also very young.
Meyers Leonard: 7' Center. Very impressive up close and personal. Wide shoulders, and a very very good athlete. Runs the floor like a guard. His first game was one of his most impressive. He did all the things you want from you center. He sets very good picks, and is lightning quick for a big man when rolling to the basket off the pick and roll. His post game needs a lot of work, but his face up game is pretty good from 15 feet.
He was also very intimidating around the basket with his ability to block shots, and just with his length. There's no doubt that he's rough around the edges, but with proper coaching, the Trailblazers could have a future starter at center.
Damian Lillard: 6'2" PG. I was very very impressed with Lillard. Much better athlete than I expected, and very smart. He runs the pick and roll like a 12 year veteran, and you dare not leave him open. In one of the games Lillard and Leonard just destroyed the other team with the pick and roll. Reminded me of Stockton and Malone for a moment. There's not much Lillard can't do. He's an excellent finisher at the basket, at times making circus shots with a wow factor of 10. But he can also hit the outside shot with consistency. Despite all that, he looks for his teammates, and makes the prudent and safe pass.
He won't wow you with the behind the back pass, although he did make one of those, but he hardly turns the ball over. He's one of those players that if they could redo the draft 3 or 4 years from now, might go top 2 or 3.
Nolan Smith: 6'3" PG. I have to mention Smith, because he was playing great until an elbow to the head caused him to collapse under the basket. We all looked on with great concern when he didn't move for the entire time we watched, and were relieved to hear later that he was OK and talking in the hospital. It was a grim sight seeing him carted off on a stretcher with his head taped down.
That said, Smith is a very underrated player. He passes the ball well, drives to the basket with abandon, and was shooting lights out before the accident. I think he's quite capable of starting for an NBA team in the future.
John Jenkins: 6'5" SG. Jenkins picked up right where he left off at Vanderbilt. He's one of the most effective shooters coming off of a screen I've seen in a while. He has a very quick release, and is deadly from 3pt range. If someone is looking for a player to keep the other team honest, he's your guy. You dare not leave him open in a spot up. Jenkins also puts out a very good effort on the defensive side of the ball. If he has a weakness, it might be his overall ballhandling once he gets into traffic.
Michael Gilchrist: 6'7" SF. Not much more to be said that hasn't already been said. Didn't play in any games that I saw after tweeking his knee in the first game, but since he dominated, and was the best player on the floor, no need to play him any futher.
Mke Scott: 6'8" SF/PF. He was one of the most impressive players I saw there. The big question is, what is he? A SF or a PF? He's very aggressive on offense, and although undersized, he's very strong and has a decent to good post game. But what really separates him from the pack is his face up game. He's pure money from 15 to 18 feet. He has a very quick and high release, and hit shot after shot with a hand in his face. His downside is that he's already 25 years old despite being a rookie. He redshirted his senior year, so he was a 5 year senior.
He's not a shotblocker, but he's also very aggressive on the defensive side of the ball. He's a gritty, tough kid that will be on someone's roster for many years. He impressed in every game I saw.
Luke Babbitt: 6'8" SF. Babbitt is developing into a very good player. He also impressed me in every game I saw. Doesn't to anything spectacular, but does all the little things you need from that position. He shot the ball well, and was capable of putting the ball on the floor. He made some very nice passes, and shows very high BBIQ. He also defended the postion well. The Trailblazers got a good one in him.
Will Barton: 6'6" SF/SG. Explosive athlete thats a hard guard with the ball in his hands. He has a very quick first step, and gets to the basket in a blink of an eye. He played tough agressive defense. He wasn't perfect, but you can't fault his effort. However, he couldn't hit an outside shot for the life of him. His mid-range was better, but was still inconsistent in the games I saw. So he's a little bit of a project, but he's also very young.
Meyers Leonard: 7' Center. Very impressive up close and personal. Wide shoulders, and a very very good athlete. Runs the floor like a guard. His first game was one of his most impressive. He did all the things you want from you center. He sets very good picks, and is lightning quick for a big man when rolling to the basket off the pick and roll. His post game needs a lot of work, but his face up game is pretty good from 15 feet.
He was also very intimidating around the basket with his ability to block shots, and just with his length. There's no doubt that he's rough around the edges, but with proper coaching, the Trailblazers could have a future starter at center.
Damian Lillard: 6'2" PG. I was very very impressed with Lillard. Much better athlete than I expected, and very smart. He runs the pick and roll like a 12 year veteran, and you dare not leave him open. In one of the games Lillard and Leonard just destroyed the other team with the pick and roll. Reminded me of Stockton and Malone for a moment. There's not much Lillard can't do. He's an excellent finisher at the basket, at times making circus shots with a wow factor of 10. But he can also hit the outside shot with consistency. Despite all that, he looks for his teammates, and makes the prudent and safe pass.
He won't wow you with the behind the back pass, although he did make one of those, but he hardly turns the ball over. He's one of those players that if they could redo the draft 3 or 4 years from now, might go top 2 or 3.
Nolan Smith: 6'3" PG. I have to mention Smith, because he was playing great until an elbow to the head caused him to collapse under the basket. We all looked on with great concern when he didn't move for the entire time we watched, and were relieved to hear later that he was OK and talking in the hospital. It was a grim sight seeing him carted off on a stretcher with his head taped down.
That said, Smith is a very underrated player. He passes the ball well, drives to the basket with abandon, and was shooting lights out before the accident. I think he's quite capable of starting for an NBA team in the future.
John Jenkins: 6'5" SG. Jenkins picked up right where he left off at Vanderbilt. He's one of the most effective shooters coming off of a screen I've seen in a while. He has a very quick release, and is deadly from 3pt range. If someone is looking for a player to keep the other team honest, he's your guy. You dare not leave him open in a spot up. Jenkins also puts out a very good effort on the defensive side of the ball. If he has a weakness, it might be his overall ballhandling once he gets into traffic.
Michael Gilchrist: 6'7" SF. Not much more to be said that hasn't already been said. Didn't play in any games that I saw after tweeking his knee in the first game, but since he dominated, and was the best player on the floor, no need to play him any futher.
