**Official Summer League 2024 Thread**

[phifans]

I actually think Bona and Edwards have better chances to develop into some useful role players in the future than McCain.

[Murray_17]

At least for me, it’s just whether someone drafted after him would contribute to winning in the playoffs (assuming McCain doesn’t contribute himself). If not, then it doesn’t really matter imo. But I think people underrate how important a role player can be in a series. The Knicks beat us, not really because of Brunson imo, but because their role players stepped up. So like if Da Silva would have given us 10 key minutes in the second round or something, that might matter (I don’t know if I’ll ever forget Greg Monroe coming in for game 7 against the raptors and playing two minutes and fouling Lowry for a 3 point play for no reason). Every minute and point matters. We’ll see though. I’m rooting for the kid.

Those are valid concerns, but i think expecting McCain to be a contributor already is just not fair.

Yeah the Knicks beat us because their team was deeper but they still just used a 7 man rotation (8 with Bojan).

As it currently is, we have a 8-9 man rotation with our starting lineup plus Drum, Gordon, Lowry and probably Council getting some minutes too.

Joel is gonna rest more, i guess, which means Bona is gonna get minutes too at some points, so 10 guys rotation. This last point matters too, getting something useful out of Bona seems more important than McCain as it is, right now.

Could we argue that instead of drafting McCain they could have used that pick on a 3rd string center? yeah, but my guess is they identified Bona as their target on the second round since the beginning and drafted McCain with that info in mind.

[76ciology]

First off, McCain is a very good shooter, but he's likely missing shots due to nerves and definitely due to fatigue.

We can make McCain look better by running a scheme that allows him to get his numbers. For instance, letting him play more point guard, as he's been a surprisingly good passer, instead of Dowtin, and giving him more shots by sitting out Council. McCain has shown the ability to create his own shots inside the arc. And McCain can be more selective with his shot attempts rather than having a fear that he wont get the ball back so he has to take a shot every time he touches the ball.

From my perspective, at least we're seeing what other players can contribute against opponents who have 10 fouls and are fighting for a spot in the regular season. I am now more confident about Dowtin and Council being contributors next season. I also think Aluma and Bona have a good chance.

I'd rather have this outcome than treating McCain like Bronny James or letting him run the team like a headless chicken like Stephon Castle, trying to make him look good while missing the opportunity to see what other players can bring.

[LeonJordanJr24]

Lowry,Gordan and Maxey is the perfect situation to learn from for McCain. His on ball offense has been a pleasant surprise reminds me TyusJones,Van Fleet and Brunson flashes all in one. I think he's gonna be a hell of a small guard.

[76ciology]

At least for me, it’s just whether someone drafted after him would contribute to winning in the playoffs (assuming McCain doesn’t contribute himself). If not, then it doesn’t really matter imo. But I think people underrate how important a role player can be in a series. The Knicks beat us, not really because of Brunson imo, but because their role players stepped up. So like if Da Silva would have given us 10 key minutes in the second round or something, that might matter (I don’t know if I’ll ever forget Greg Monroe coming in for game 7 against the raptors and playing two minutes and fouling Lowry for a 3 point play for no reason). Every minute and point matters. We’ll see though. I’m rooting for the kid.

Those are valid concerns, but i think expecting McCain to be a contributor already is just not fair.

Yeah the Knicks beat us because their team was deeper but they still just used a 7 man rotation (8 with Bojan).

As it currently is, we have a 8-9 man rotation with our starting lineup plus Drum, Gordon, Lowry and probably Council getting some minutes too.

Joel is gonna rest more, i guess, which means Bona is gonna get minutes too at some points, so 10 guys rotation. This last point matters too, getting something useful out of Bona seems more important than McCain as it is, right now.

Could we argue that instead of drafting McCain they could have used that pick on a 3rd string center? yeah, but my guess is they identified Bona as their target on the second round since the beginning and drafted McCain with that info in mind.

I've been thinking about this too. Even if McCain performs well in the summer league, he likely won't get much playing time due to our depth at shooting guard. We need a more experienced player at point guard.

Regarding drafting a third-string center with the 16th pick, we saw that there's not much difference between Yves Missi and Bona, so we settled with Bona.

I see McCain as more of a one-year project with very little risk. He seems to have the skill set to succeed in the league as our backup guard, creating shots and spacing the floor while having the bulk and strength to guard bigger players like Lowry. However, this is mostly projected for the 2025-2026 season as a replacement for Kyle Lowry.

[76ciology]

Aj Johnson looks like a good pick for the Bucks.

[Negrodamus]

How does Alex Sarr go 0-15 in a game at that size?

[76ciology]

How does Alex Sarr go 0-15 in a game at that size?

I saw it coming

Watch on YouTube

[Kolkmania]

Bona looks closer to 6'7 than 6'9. Great energy but not a very good rebounder, foul machine but good shot blocker, solid finisher, looks a little raw on both ends.
Should probably watch alot of Montrez and Bam tape.
I don't see him being anything more than a energy big depending on matchup.

I agree he looks smaller than what his measurements show. But based on the draft numbers he's bigger than Harrell and basically identically as big (including standing reach) as Adebayo. And contrary to Reed, he actually has a lot of muscles that will allow him to stand his ground more easily against the bigger centers.

His physical abilities are incredible for his size, the way he jumps and runs is incredible. But how has he fared in defending P&R situations and were there any moments he got switched onto a guard on the perimeter? If he combine his physical traits with decent BBIQ, there's definitely a place in the NBA for him.
There might be even some sneaky upside, because I think the shot looks good and his FT numbers at UCLA show some promise as well.

[76ciology]

To be a good starting center in this league, you need to effectively play against both big centers and be mobile enough to handle smaller, quicker ones.

Regarding Bona, his size is adequate for a short-term role as a backup center or even as a power forward if he develops his jumper.

The difference between Bona and Reed lies in Bona's fluidity and less robotic movements. Additionally, Bona's shooting form suggests a higher potential upside. He possesses the strength to hold his ground against bigger opponents while also being able to outrun and outjump most bigs.

[Arsenal]

Poor shooting aside I'm encouraged with what I've seen of Jared McCain. He shows some Brunson-like qualities.

He'll be buried on the depth chart this year so I hope they give him major run in the G-League playing point guard. Get him used to running a team.

Hopefully by next year he's ready to take over Lowry's spot as the backup PG.

[Arsenal]

To be a good starting center in this league, you need to effectively play against both big centers and be mobile enough to handle smaller, quicker ones.

Regarding Bona, his size is adequate for a short-term role as a backup center or even as a power forward if he develops his jumper.

The difference between Bona and Reed lies in Bona's fluidity and less robotic movements. Additionally, Bona's shooting form suggests a higher potential upside. He possesses the strength to hold his ground against bigger opponents while also being able to outrun and outjump most bigs.

Bona looks like Timelord to me. Hopefully he can play with Jo in double big lineups in the future, which depends on his defensive switchability and versatility. Adding an adequate 3PT shot would just be a bonus.

[blargh]

To be a good starting center in this league, you need to effectively play against both big centers and be mobile enough to handle smaller, quicker ones.

Regarding Bona, his size is adequate for a short-term role as a backup center or even as a power forward if he develops his jumper.

The difference between Bona and Reed lies in Bona's fluidity and less robotic movements. Additionally, Bona's shooting form suggests a higher potential upside. He possesses the strength to hold his ground against bigger opponents while also being able to outrun and outjump most bigs.

At the end of the day, BBall Paul’s ceiling got capped by his BBall IQ. He had all the tools necessary to be a key contributor on a short playoff rotation. He still has some things Bona doesn’t have: better defensive hands and better ball handling. His shooting was good enough. He worked as hard as you could ask for. But he just never picked up how to play within a structured team offense or defense. That’s why he always went HAM in summer league, when things were more free form.

Bona’s success will likely also depend on him figuring out this side of things.

[Kolkmania]

To be a good starting center in this league, you need to effectively play against both big centers and be mobile enough to handle smaller, quicker ones.

Regarding Bona, his size is adequate for a short-term role as a backup center or even as a power forward if he develops his jumper.

The difference between Bona and Reed lies in Bona's fluidity and less robotic movements. Additionally, Bona's shooting form suggests a higher potential upside. He possesses the strength to hold his ground against bigger opponents while also being able to outrun and outjump most bigs.

Bona looks like Timelord to me. Hopefully he can play with Jo in double big lineups in the future, which depends on his defensive switchability and versatility. Adding an adequate 3PT shot would just be a bonus.

Yeah if his perimeter defense truly translates to the NBA I would love to see some funky line-ups with Bona as the 4 for elite interior rim protection and rebounding. Perhaps that he could extend his range for an occasional corner three, but if not, he can play from the dunker spot and provide vertical spacing and live from offensive rebounds.

[Black Mage]

we have choked away leads in every single game lol

It's a warmup for the regular season.

[Black Mage]

I don't understand all the doomerism about McCain...

Yeah, the shot is not falling but he's being guarded like a first option which he is not, and is doing more than what he would be required to do on this team on a small sample.

He's showing more on ball than whatever was advertised which is highly encouraging too.

I don't expect him to get too many minutes this year anyway, so it's whatever.

As I said in the other thread; 10 or so minutes a night. Give him a few minutes with Joel for chemistry purposes and then have him be on the "mop-up" team in the 4th quarter when we are blowing teams out.

He does need minutes though; we need guys to get reps and build chemistry in case we need them in a pinch in the playoffs.

[Jailblazers7]

I could see McCain getting a decent amount of playtime give we have some older, injury prone guards in Lowry & Gordon. He would fit well in non-Maxey minutes where he can play off PG/Embiid’s space.

If I were him, I would practice entry passing relentlessly. He will get endless catch & shoot looks if he can throw an entry to Joel & be one pass away when the doubles come.

Maybe I’m just fooling myself but I actually feel better about him coming out of summer league. The fact that he was breaking down a guy like Josh Minott off the dribble was a pleasant surprise. I think he just needs to adjust to the speed of the game at this level. We saw him get off to a slow start on college & then light it up once he got comfortable.

[Jailblazers7]

In terms of body type & movement, Justin Edward’s gives me big Kris Middleton vibes.

[76ciology]

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[stormi]

From a pure talent perspective, Flip should have gone a dozen picks higher than where he was selected.

Genuine F/C hybrid. Wingspan concerns aside, he handles and shoots the ball like someone several inches shorter than he is. This is the big archetype that would excel alongside Joel Embiid.

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Nice to see Ware popping off. If the head is on straight that's an obvious hit for Miami. Him and Bam are going to be a handful to deal with.