One half of NBA’s Summer League play is complete as the Orlando portion wrapped up on Friday afternoon. Most of the league’s top players don’t play in Summer League action. It is mostly about getting rookies and other young players experience playing against other NBA players.
A number of names stood out in Orlando, many of them looking to be the new face of their respective franchises. Let’s take a look at five players that shined this week in Orlando.
Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic
How fitting is it that the top name that stood out in Orlando happens to be the newest rookie sensation for the Orlando Magic?
Orlando spent the second pick of the 2013 NBA Draft of Oladipo, hoping to find the same success out of him that the Indiana Hoosiers did this past season. Oladipo’s stock rose dramatically in the draft because of his impressive defense, long arms, great court energy and his ever-improving offense. Victor decided he didn’t want to wait until the regular season begins to make his mark.
On the first day, Oladipo dropped 18 points, added seven assists, six rebounds and five steals in a win against the Boston Celtics. While he did have six turnovers as well, Oladipo proved that he can, in fact, be the “do everything” guy that the Magic hopes he can be. In four games played, Oladipo scored 76 points, good for an average of 19 points per game. He did not play in the fifth and final game for the Magic because of a coach’s decision.
Overall, Oladipo showed flashes of great athleticism and pure skill against his opponents. He was unselfish all week and played with the high energy we’d expect from him.
Kelly Olynyk, Boston Celtics
Boston is in the transition of a complete roster overhaul with the departures of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the Brooklyn Nets, as well as losing head coach Doc Rivers to the Clippers and bringing in now former Butler head coach Brad Stevens. Kelly Olynyk was brought to Boston in hopes of giving the Celtics a stretch forward who can play inside the paint as well as outside the arc.
Olynyk not only proved he’s capable of doing that, but showed great footwork and finesse around the rim. Like Oladipo, Olynyk put everybody on notice from day one, putting up 25 points to go along with seven rebounds. However, also like Oladipo, Olynyk had trouble holding onto the ball, coughing it up five times.
Overall, Olynyk put up 90 total points in his five games, averaging 18 per game. He showed off his improved three-point shooting range as well, helping to stretch the floor for the Celtics throughout the week. He should be a very nice addition to the Celtics and he proved his worth this past week.
Jeremy Lamb, Oklahoma City Thunder
Oklahoma City has taken a lot of punishment through the media because of the James Harden trade, failing to re-sign Kevin Martin and drafting of Steven Adams in the lottery. However, what most people forget is that without much production from Martin this season and no Harden at all, the Thunder were still the top team in the Western Conference for a reason. Part of that reason, obviously, are the two All-Stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.
However, we must not forget the other players on the team that Oklahoma City has to work with. One of those being Jeremy Lamb, who didn’t see playing time last season because, well, they didn’t need him. Now Lamb is the one who will be expected to step up to be a third scoring option for the Thunder.
If his Summer League play was any indication, he could very well do just that. Lamb’s overall shooting struggled all week, but his production was there, just like while he was at UCONN. Lamb finished the week averaging 18.7 points per game in his four games of action. He showed flashes of speed and a nose for the basket, exactly what the Thunder will need him to contribute this coming season.
Khalif Wyatt, Philadelphia 76ers
Summer League is also very important for players coming in without a team or an undrafted free agent hoping to earn a contract through their play. The one player that did so in Orlando was Khalif Wyatt.
Wyatt, brought into 76ers camp because of his Temple/Philadelphia ties. Not only did Wyatt impress, he outplayed the 76ers’ top draft pick Michael Carter-Williams. Philadelphia did not start Wyatt for two of their three games, but Wyatt proved himself in his playing time.
It wasn’t just that he scored in bunches, he scored efficiently and didn’t shoot himself out of the gym, something that Carter-Williams can’t say besides the first day of games. Wyatt scored 25 points on 11-for-18 shooting on Monday, proving that his production at Temple was nothing to sneeze at.
However, Philadelphia only played three games, only one of which Wyatt played significant minutes. The 76ers also lost all three of their games in Summer League play. Wyatt may not have completely earned a contract this week, but he definitely put Philadelphia, and the rest of the league, on notice. He’s looking for a shot and whoever is willing to take him on will be happy they did.
Terrence Jones, Houston Rockets
With the additions of Dwight Howard and James Harden over the last year, the future of the Houston Rockets looks awfully bright. If that wasn’t enough, Terrence Jones showed in Summer League play that he’s ready to earn some playing time with the new power team in the Western Conference.
Jones provided a nice scoring punch for the Rockets, averaging over 15 points per game, a huge step up in the right direction for him. Houston currently has an opening at the power forward position, which means that if Jones continues to impress this summer, he could be inserted into the starting lineup alongside Howard, Harden, Chandler Parsons and Jeremy Lin.
Sometimes it is all about timing in the NBA and Terrence Jones may just be producing at the right time.
Overall Thoughts On Orlando Summer League:
As a whole, the teams in Orlando were not great. Philadelphia and Orlando were very disappointing teams even though they each had one player, Wyatt and Oladipo, respectively, stand out for them. It’s going to be very interesting to see how the Boston Celtics come together as a team with all the change over going on.
One thing that really stood out is, that while the rest of the competition wasn’t great, for being “a two-man team”, Oklahoma City played pretty well. They even won the Orlando championship. Rather impressive.
Another thing we must consider with all of this is that, even though all the players are either on NBA rosters or hopeful to make an NBA roster, it’s still just the Summer League. There isn’t a lot of defense being played and the games are more of the pick-up style of basketball. However, impressive play, even in Summer League play, is still impressive.
Take it all with a grain of salt but remember it still holds some weight on who makes the cut and who tries again next year.