NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (July 13 to 22)

[Wizardspride]

The reason he didn't have a terribly impressive SL is because he missed a bunch of open shots he could probably make in his sleep.

He missed many of those open shots in college as well.

[W. Unseld]

I don't think trade up criticisms are valid. I don't think MJ was dying to trade with the Wiz and once you can criticize for not trading up, in your pure speculation land that i)the other team would have traded and ii)that you wouldn't have given up too much.


Also, for everyone giving up on guys after one year, let's not forget the leap Seraphin made in his sophomore year. Seraphin's was the biggest one year leap from a rookie I have witnessed by a Wizard but we could still be in for some decent leaps. On the positive side, Jan's jumper is already looking better than I thought it would for the duration of his rookie contract. I'm not saying it will hold up or it's where it needs to be but d*mn if it doesn't already look much better than last season.

[miller31time]

Beal won't have to do much on offense this season outside of being a credible catch-and-shoot option. Wall is going to be the primary ball-handler and set-up man. I expect his numbers to increase when the real season begins. Something along the lines of 44%fg, 35%3pt.

[Nivek]

Maybe I'm just old fashioned, but I'm willing to wait a little while before deciding that MKG is a decidedly better NBA player than Beal or that Beal can or can't be a star. You know, until at least the first preseason game or something.

[fishercob]

Beal won't have to do much on offense this season outside of being a credible catch-and-shoot option. Wall is going to be the primary ball-handler and set-up man. I expect his numbers to increase when the real season begins. Something along the lines of 44%fg, 35%3pt.

I completely disagree. Just because Wall is going to be the point gaurd and main ball handler doesn't mean Beal's role is going to be confined to "catch and shoot." Given his strength and free throw acumen, I expect Witt to put Beal in position to drive and draw contact -- get his defender on the move so Beal can drive on him. That will set up Beal's perimeter shooting as much as Wall will.

[DMVleGeND]

Beal will be a star. His multiple offensive skills, including the abilty to create off the dribble that some of us questioned before the draft, were on display during SL. He also showed some physical toughness when attacking the basket as well as the ability to get to the line. And I absolutely love the kid's maturity.

Beal's perimeter shooting won't be a problem, especially with all the open looks he'll get when he's out there with Wall.

Beal will NOT be a star based on everything I've seen of him. He'll be solid pro - a pro's pro, jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type SG, whatever you wanna call it. He really doesn't have a standout trait. People will say his shooting is, but will he be able to shoot effectively against contests? His really is a little slow and low. He lacks quickness and explosiveness. He was effective drawing fouls in summer league because he doesn't avoid contact and knows how to use his body well, but he doesn't have great elevation. He won't be getting bailout call in the regular season. He's a good PnR player though and will look for the open man.

He's a smart player that knows his limitations, and is a good fit w/ John Wall, but I don't think he'll be a player that take us to the next step.

[Benjammin]

^

That would be formerly known, not formally known unless you use that name while wearing a tuxedo.

[Ruzious]

Everyone on this board was touting Beal over MKG, and like I originally though, MKG is a tier above Beal. Wish we could have moved up.

With that said Beal will be a good player. Probably around 16ppg on lower percentages with good rebounding numbers and high IQ. His size holds him back.

I had MKG on the 2nd tier of my draft board by himself. If I was GM and had any inkling Charlotte was leaning MKG I would done everything to trade up. I like Beal, I think he's a rock solid prospect with a bright future. But I don't see stardom in Beal. I see a very good NBA player who doesn't have the length or alpha dog mentality to be a star. He's also not the pure shooter he's been made out to be, but as a 3rd option he'll make an NBA team very happy.

I'll be honest - I've got a lot of respect for you basketball insights, but if you were GM and did that, I'd be tempted to call for you to be fired on the spot. I ultimately wouldn't do it, but I'd be tempted.

[DMVleGeND]

^

That would be formerly known, not formally known unless you use that name while wearing a tuxedo.

[sfam]

So watched some Beal games via the Summer League pass. Wasn't very impressed sadly.

Hope he finds a way to fix his jumper.....reminded me more of a young Jarvis Hayes than a Wade type.

His college stats did not impress me.....they don't read mor project as a dead-eye NBA shooter to me.

And don't get me started on Satoransky or Vesely. Neither of them are going to pan out. Vesely is a huge disappointment thus far.

You are not impressed by a 19 year-old kid who is getting his first taste of pro ball? Maybe you need to lower your expectations for now.

Edit: Vesely has been a "huge disappointment" after ONE season? Oye vay.

+1 on both counts.

[sfam]

Beal will be a star. His multiple offensive skills, including the abilty to create off the dribble that some of us questioned before the draft, were on display during SL. He also showed some physical toughness when attacking the basket as well as the ability to get to the line. And I absolutely love the kid's maturity.

Beal's perimeter shooting won't be a problem, especially with all the open looks he'll get when he's out there with Wall.

Beal will NOT be a star based on everything I've seen of him. He'll be solid pro - a pro's pro, jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none type SG, whatever you wanna call it. He really doesn't have a standout trait. People will say his shooting is, but will he be able to shoot effectively against contests? His really is a little slow and low. He lacks quickness and explosiveness. He was effective drawing fouls in summer league because he doesn't avoid contact and knows how to use his body well, but he doesn't have great elevation. He won't be getting bailout call in the regular season. He's a good PnR player though and will look for the open man.

He's a smart player that knows his limitations, and is a good fit w/ John Wall, but I don't think he'll be a player that take us to the next step.

I'm with Nivek on this - I'm waiting till at least halftime of the first preseason game to declare how well Beal will do for the rest of his basketball career.

[SUPERBALLMAN]

Not sure if this was mentioned before or not, but before the summer league I had read Mason and Mo Evans were going to "coach" the team. I watched every game and I don't recall seeing either of them. I saw Sam Cassell as head coach and other coaches from the staff including the new guy from San Antonio etc, and some players that came to watch like Wall & Okafor. But never saw either of them. Did I just miss them, or is that a sign they aren't coming back?

[SUPERBALLMAN]

On another note, wondered if others caught the John Wall commentary during one of the games. I like Wall, but just had to laugh.. he talks so fast in a mumbling rambling way and sputters out paragraphs of the most generic sports cliches of staying humble and hungry, and saying he was there because he's the "franchise player" and stating that the fact that he's there shows that he's "a great leader". I mean I just wonder is that really him talking or is it stuff his agent or some PR clown is telling him to say. That said, it was cool to see him there supporting his teammates.

[DMVleGeND]

On another note, wondered if others caught the John Wall commentary during one of the games. I like Wall, but just had to laugh.. he talks so fast in a mumbling rambling way and sputters out paragraphs of the most generic sports cliches of staying humble and hungry, and saying he was there because he's the "franchise player" and stating that the fact that he's there shows that he's "a great leader". I mean I just wonder is that really him talking or is it stuff his agent or some PR clown is telling him to say. That said, it was cool to see him there supporting his teammates.

I actually thought he was talking much slower than he usually does. I understood every word he said. He seems a lot more mature to me.

[miller31time]

Beal won't have to do much on offense this season outside of being a credible catch-and-shoot option. Wall is going to be the primary ball-handler and set-up man. I expect his numbers to increase when the real season begins. Something along the lines of 44%fg, 35%3pt.

I completely disagree. Just because Wall is going to be the point gaurd and main ball handler doesn't mean Beal's role is going to be confined to "catch and shoot." Given his strength and free throw acumen, I expect Witt to put Beal in position to drive and draw contact -- get his defender on the move so Beal can drive on him. That will set up Beal's perimeter shooting as much as Wall will.

I'm envisioning two main situations for Beal -- first is what he did a lot in SL (and Florida when he wasn't handling the ball) which is to set up camp on either the right or left wing and wait for penetration by the point guard. In SL, it was Mack which sucked for Beal because Shelvin couldn't orchestrate a family picnic let alone a professional basketball offense. Come regular season, it's going to be John Wall. Big difference.

Second situation is a Reggie Miller-esque running off of screens for the catch-and-shoot mid-range jumper or even extending as far back as a catch and shoot 3.

This isn't to say that he won't be given some responsibility to create for himself. He's certainly capable. I simply don't think that's going to make up a significant part of his initial repertoire. Only time will tell.

[cleek+wall]

beal willbe fine. Its the summer league- Players dont give 100% effort out there anyways.

It may take him some time to get used tothe play of nba but when he does...he def has star potential.

[dangermouse]

I would imagine how Beal attacks will depend on the opposition. Against longer, rangier defenders he will obviously have trouble creating for himself and will need screens and Wall setting him up to get higher percentage shots.

I think against the slower footed guards and poor defenders Beal could iso a little bit and get to the rack. I love how smooth he looks going to the rack. Contrast that with Wall who played and sometimes continues to play so out of control. This back court duo is finally something to really get excited about, and they will surely learn a lot from each other. I heard they were already friendly, but its good to see them bonding as well.

Since Crawford is Flip Murray 2.0, just get Beal in the starting lineup ASAP. Get that chemistry going early, let them learn on the job.

[Kanyewest]

...we can't rely on Mack to be our primary back-up.

Why would anyone think that any nba team could rely on a year 2, round 2, undersized shooting guard to convert to NBA point guard and be their primary backup?

If another team was doing it, we'd be laughing at them.

I hate the way Ernie is building this roster. I hate the way he builds a team altogether. And, guess what, it has never worked yet and won't work this time either.

Yes, he has 2 months before camp to find a #2 PG for our depth chart. But that doesn't mean he'll do it.

There are several NBA rosters that attempt to convert undersized shooting guards that teams attempt to convert into point guards. While I don't think Mack is not near the quality of these players, teams have tried to convert these scoring guards into point guards which have been similar include (which are late 1sts and 2nd round picks) Arenas, Brooks, Avery Bradley, Kyle Lowry, Monte Ellis, and Lou Wililams.

[Mizerooskie]

I wonder if the views on this would have changed if MKG played all of summer league and put up a stinker or two.

[theboomking]

I haven't seen much commentary on Damian Lillard. He looked pretty beast in summer league and a lot of us had talked about drafting him if we got screwed in the lotto...