Summer League Superlatives: Orlando Edition
While free agents like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony threaten to dislodge the NBA off its axis with their summertime decisions, it might be hard to stay focused on the likes of Casper Ware, Jack Cooley and Colton Iverson. But indeed, these are some of the players who made waves in this year's Orlando Summer League, which ran through last Friday and featured ten teams filled with some of the league's best and brightest young players (And a whole lot of dudes we won't see again until next summer, if ever).
We're now already a couple days into play at Las Vegas, the busier and more high-profile of the two Summer Leagues this July. But in case you were too busy refreshing HoopsHype and Adrian Wojanrowski's twitter page to catch all of the action in Orlando, here's some of the notable performances you may have missed:
Most Impressive Rookie: Elfrid Payton, Magic
After a debut against the Sixers that bordered on the invisible, I wondered if Payton wasn't quite ready to make the jump from the Sun Belt Conference to the NBA. But Payton acclimated unnervingly quickly to the pace and style of the pro game at Orlando, and made his home court his own. He didn't look for his shot much - just 27 FGAs across five games, though he made 16 of them - but he proved a gifted, creative, and occasionally downright dazzling distributor, especially out of the pick-and-roll. Payton likely set the record for the most successful lobs thrown in Summer League history, making especially quick chemistry with fellow rookie Aaron Gordon.
Payton finished Orlando with averages of 9.2 PPG, 7.0 APG and 5.2 RPG, with the previously mentioned high shooting percentage and mostly suffocating perimeter defense. I don't remember hearing Ricky Rubio's name mentioned much in terms of player comps for Elfrid coming out of college, but that's who he really reminded me of last week. It remains to be seen if scoring and shooting come to be near-dealbreaking issues with his game, as they are with Rubio, but the wizardry on both sides of the ball is definitely there.
Most Impressive Sophomore: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Pistons
Kentavious still has his issues as an all-around player - his shot selection can be a little questionable, and he's not exactly what you'd call a "willing passer." But as a scorer, he was positively electric in Orlando, averaging 24 PPG - nobody else averaged more than 20 - and showing a level of confidence as a first option that was almost entirely absent from his rookie season in Detroit. He was undeniable going to the bucket, averaging eight trips to the line a game, and even though his overall shooting percentages weren't great (40% FG, 33% 3PT), he showed enough range and ability to get his shot off that he was terrifying at all times, from every spot on the court.
Already more physical and with better athleticism than nearly any other young two guard in the league, and with a knack for anticipating passing lanes on defense, KCP could be poised for a serious breakout campaign in Year Two for the Pistons, especially under a coach that values shooting like Stan Van Gundy. Good thing they're paying Jodie Meeks $6 million-plus a year to block him in the starting lineup, huh.
Most Impressive Veteran Rookie: James Ennis, Heat
Obviously "veteran rookie" is a fairly oxymoronic phrase, but I'm not sure how else you describe James Ennis, the 24-year-old Heat forward who has now owned the Orlando League for two straight summers since being acquired by Miami on draft night in 2013. Ennis played overseas last year but is expected to join the post-LeBron Heat this season, and from his performance in Orlando this year, he could be a real factor. Ennis averaged 17 and six on 52% shooting, both from the field and from deep, including a particularly astounding 29-point performance (on 10-12 FG!) against Brooklyn.
Ennis' summer dominance won't likely carry over to the regular season, but there's no reason to think he can't be a valuable 3s-and-D guy for the Heat, and maybe a guy who can spell the recently signed Luol Deng for more than the customary four minutes of rest a half he'd get while being worked to death under Tom Thibodeau in Chicago. Eric Spoelstra should like him a hell of a lot more than James Jones, at the least.
Most Worth the Wait: Nerlens Noel, 76ers
After sitting out the entirety of what should have been his rookie season recovering from ACL surgery, Nerlens Noel finally made his debut for the Philadelphia 76ers last week. While he had his issues with timing, touch and (especially) conditioning after having spent nearly a year and a half away from the game, Noel showed Sixer fans more than enough of both his long-term potential and what he can deliver right now to make his redshirt season seem a distant memory. The big man averaged 14 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals while shooting 52% in three games of action in Orlando.
The most impressive thing about Noel's performance - besides the obvious insane length and ability to alter, strip or outright eliminate nearly every shot that came his way at the rim - was his free-throw shooting. A miserable 53% FT shooter in college, with a ghastly left-to-right stroke, Nerlens spent much of his season on the pine working on reconstructing his shot with Sixers coach Brett Brown. The results were there in Summer League, as hit every one of his first nine FTAs, finishing a very respectable 15-19 from the line for the week. If that's the kind of improvement Nerlens is capable of with foul shouting, you can only imagine his ceiling with the parts of his game he's actually supposed to be good at.
Most Forgivable Rookie Struggles: Marcus Smart, Celtics
Like Michael Carter-Williams in last year's Orlando League, Marcus Smart got his numbers for the Boston Celtics, but he had to work a little harder than he maybe should have for them. Smart's 15 PPG came on just 29% FG, including a nauseating 9-35 line from beyond the arc, which needed the redemption of a 4-9 night from deep in the Celtics' final game to not look even worse. Shooting was never a specialty of Smart's, even in college, and it's pretty clear that it's going to take him some time to figure out how to score efficiently in this league.
However, as was the case at Oklahoma State, even when Smart's shot wasn't falling, he found ways to contribute. He averaged four rebounds and four assists a game, with fewer than two turnovers a contest, played typically hard-nosed defense, and got to the line six times per. This is the primary selling point with Smart - buckets or no, he'll always find ways to help you win games, and the Celtics owe much of their 3-2 record in Orlando to the combo guard's persistence in all facets.
Most Concerning Rookie Struggles: Shabazz Napier, Heat
If Marcus Smart was this year's MCW in Orlando, then Shabazz Napier was certainly its Trey Burke - the rookie shooter that just can't seem to get his damn shot to go down, or do much of anything else right. Napier, who seemingly couldn't miss throughout the entire NCAA tournament, missed on 40 of his 55 shots in the first week of Summer League, including 22 of his 26 three-pointers. He was also a little loose with his handle for a nominal point guard, averaging nearly five turnovers a game and handing out more turnovers than assists on the week.
Like Burke, I think Napier will eventually find his groove from distance and start to ease into his NBA role, and he supposedly had some sort of hand injury last week that might have messed up his form a little bit anyway. But it does seem like the size and speed of the pro game will be a big adjustment for 'Bazz, and maybe he's not as ready as we previously thought to step in as the Heat's starting point guard from Day One - which probably goes a long way towards explaining why Miami resigned Mario Chalmers for another two years over the weekend.
Hardest to Gauge Whether He's Good or Not Rookie: Nick Johnson, Rockets
Whether he's fun or not is no question whatsoever - few Summer Leaguers in Orlando were as reliable for one or two awesome highlight plays a game than the Rockets' Nick Johnson, and his dunk on the Pistons' Tim Ohlbrecht set an early standard for posterizations in the 2014-15 season. But despite the highlights, and the 16 PPG on 45% shooting, it's hard to see where Johnson fits in on an NBA roster. He's not consistent enough to play the point, but he doesn't have the shooting range (just 7-24 from three in Orlando) and is a little undersized for the two-guard.
You'd have to think there's room in the NBA for a player as athletic and skilled as Johnson, but where that space is will be an interesting challenge for Rockets coach Kevin McHale this season. As NBA fans, we should all be rooting for him to figure it out, because the league will be a much more fun place with Nick Johnson in it.
Most Pleasant Surprise: Mike Moser, Celtics
Marcus Smart was the Celtics' most visible player this Summer League, and returning sophomore Kelly Olynyk was their leading scorer, but their MVP might have been Mike Moser. An NCAA journeyman (if such a thing is possible), Moser played at three different schools, suffered some injury setbacks and never really reached his full potential in college, going undrafted this June. But the 23-year-old proved a real gem for the C's last week, averaging a 14-5-2 on strong shooting (45% FG, 42% from three), playing solid defense and always seeming to be in the right place at the right time.
Moser is also a little bit of a tweener positionally, but if his shooting from distance is legit and he can acquit himself as a stretch four, there'll certainly be a place for him on somebody's roster this October. If Boston holds onto him, he could end up one of the under-the-radar steals of the off-season.
Best Dominique Wilkins "Human Highlight Film" Impersonation: Tyler Johnson, Heat
Ever heard of Tyler Johnson? If so, you must watch a lot more Mountain West NCAA ball than I do, since the four-year Fresno State baller certainly didn't register on a lot of national radars, either as a college player or an NBA prospect. But oh man, can this dude get up. Every Heat game in Orlando, he was doing something to bring the fans out of their seats, and he absolutely made a believer out of NBA TV announcers Rick Kamla, Rick Mahorn and Kendall Gill, who were speaking in tongues about Johnson like he was the second coming of 2000 Vince Carter by week's end.
We may very well never hear from Johnson again - though hopefully he'll at least become an SL perennial - but nobody present this week in Orlando is likely to forget when Tyler Johnson turned the Summer League into his own personal SportsCenter Top Ten.
Best Job of Finding a Way to Hang On: Brian Cook, Pistons
Yes, that Brian Cook, the 33-year-old former Laker who hasn't played in the Association's regular season since 2012. Cook is apparently unwilling to go gently into that good night, and like Rasual Butler last season, looked to make enough of an impression in Orlando to catch onto a pro roster this year. His performance for the Pistons might have made his case: Cook can't do much on the court, but he can still stretch a defense pretty well for a four, as the 6'9" forward connected on 8-22 from distance in Orlando, including a particularly impressive 4-7 night against the Celtics.
There will certainly be plenty of options younger and more athletic that teams will look to this summer before settling on Brian Cook as their floor-stretching big. But c'mon: If Butler could get minutes for the Pacers last season - in the playoffs, no less - someone out there has to be feeling giving Cook a chance. Kudos to him for still trying, in any event.
Best Performance By a Whole Bunch of Dudes You've Never Heard Of: Pacers
After getting blown out by the Nets in their Orlando opener and getting down big early to the Celtics in their second game, I thought the Indiana Pacers - whose roster boasts Donald Sloan as its most high-profile member, like, by far - might seriously be the worst team in Summer League history. But somehow, they came back to win that C's game, and then their next three contests, to finish in third place for the week, thanks to the inspired play of Sloan, Kevin Jones, Frank Gaines and Willie Reed.
Who? How? I have no idea, and likely never will. But before I forget their names and faces entirely and never think about them again, I wanted to make sure that I gave the Pacers a small shoutout here, as the unlikely Hoosiers of the Orlando Summer League.