2018 Summer League - it's Here!!!

[tbhawksfan1]

Long time reader first time poster. I must say that I liked the Trae Young pick on draft night and he's showing why I had confidence in him. Of course I love his shooting ability and his passing and vision, but the intangibles are there also. He's really playing through the adversity whether it's really physical guards, teammates with bad hands and bad spacing, or just all the pressure from social media. I love his toughness. I can tell Pierce really likes the kid. I'm excited for the first time in a while. Still has a lot more to show but I think it's clear this is the most talented kid we've drafted that I can remember (I'm 30 btw)

Totally agree. I don't think he's scared of anyone out there. Of course the spotlight is going to get much brighter. Hopefully he has some help to handle the scrutiny. Seems like he has his head on straight though.

For now he has lightning rod Schro, thrill Collins and the Prince to help with the glare

[ATL Boy]

Game tonight is on ESPN 2 against Portland. 10:30 P.M. Eastern Time, so you'll have to stay up if you're trying to catch it all.


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[birdlives_ma]

Not gonna lie, pretty disappointed we sat the boys last night. Trae was just picking up steam, would have been nice to see him make a deep run, if only to keep the Ringer crew from talking **** about him lol.


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[Jamaaliver]

Not gonna lie, pretty disappointed we sat the boys last night. Trae was just picking up steam, would have been nice to see him make a deep run, if only to keep the Ringer crew from talking **** about him lol.

LOL I was squinting at that ESPN app for like 10 minutes last night before I realized he and Dorsey weren't even playing.


An understandable, if deflating, end to our SL Tourney run.

[Jamaaliver]

Yeah, Spellman is still a bit raw so his ... let's call it 'quiet' .. play shouldn't be surprising. Not sure why Bradoliver expected to see more.

I think Omari heard us doubting him yesterday and came back in a big way.

Either that...or they finally got him the d@mn ball where he likes it:

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[kg01]

Yeah, Spellman is still a bit raw so his ... let's call it 'quiet' .. play shouldn't be surprising. Not sure why Bradoliver expected to see more.

I think Omari heard us doubting him yesterday and came back in a big way.

Either that...or they finally got him the d@mn ball where he likes it:

First of all, who's "we"? That was more like "you" doubting him.

Second, I'd say his nimbers last night were more along the lines of "eh, somebody's gotta score 20". Good effort by him though.

[Jamaaliver]

It's the matchup absolutely no one has been waiting for...

Probably not even worth televising.

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[macd-gm]

We got another game? I thought it was single elimination playoffs?

[jayu70]

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[jayu70]

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[MaceCase]

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Over/under on how many games this is the starting 5 for the season?

[Jamaaliver]

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A need to play small ball: As Young struggled, he was pressed by bigger, stronger more experienced guards. The Knicks’ Frank Ntilikina and the Trail Blazers’ Wade Baldwin IV were notable in slowing Young. While Young did at times get separation to shoot, it was hard to come by.

Hawks assistant Chris Jent, who coached the team in Las Vegas, said style of play will help Young, especially small ball.

“We have to do a better job of setting screens for him and getting him open,” Jent said. “Getting him some space so he’s got some vision.”

Dorsey made strides: Tyler Dorsey had an up-and-down season as a rookie last year after being a second-round draft pick. The shooting guard needs to show continued improvement if he is to earn a spot in the Hawks’ young core. He’s off to a good start.

In three games in Salt Lake City, Dorsey averaged 16.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 27 minutes. The scoring average was fifth in the event. In two games in Las Vegas, slowed by a hip injury, Dorsey averaged 19.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in 33 minutes.

[Jamaaliver]

I don't like it...but they almost all mention Collin's improved 3-pt shooting as one of the biggest developments in his game.

It's good to see him getting the recognition.

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2. Who was the best veteran you saw at summer league?

Han: The annual "This sophomore is too good for this" award goes to John Collins of the Hawks. It took all of one half of his first game to confirm many people's suspicions he had squeezed every bit of knowledge one can from summer league as he popped and rolled at will. Honorable mentions go to the Lakers' Josh Hart (seemingly a lock for Vegas MVP) and OG Anunoby, who had most asking themselves, "Shouldn't guarding LeBron in the playoffs exempt you from summer league duties?"

Pelton: John Collins. Collins was one of three second-year players who made the All-Rookie Second Team to suit up in Las Vegas, and while the other two (Josh Jackson and Dennis Smith Jr.) were uneven because of poor shot selection -- more on that later -- Collins led all scorers with 24.0 points per game in his two appearances. Collins wasn't quite that good at the Utah Jazz summer league before reaching Vegas, but it was always evident that he was the most talented player on the court.


Snellings: John Collins. He only played in the first two games, but he was highly productive in those outings. Collins was more of a rebounder and interior presence for the Hawks as a rookie, but in Vegas, he went after his offense aggressively and showed that he has the chops to score if called upon. He even knocked down 5 of 10 3s in those two games, showing off a perimeter scoring ability that could give him an entirely new dimension as a floor-spacer, if he can carry it over to the regular season.


Schmitz: It's hard to call 20-year-old second-year big man John Collins a veteran, but as far as non-rookies go, Collins shined the brightest. The most important takeaway revolves around Collins' improved 3-ball, with what looked like a translatable stroke. Collins and rookie sensation Trae Young appear to be building a Steve Nash-Amar'e Stoudemire-like rapport, as Young is one of the 2018 class' best passers, and Collins' ability to space the floor both vertically and as a shooter makes the duo one of the most lethal young pick-and-roll pairings in the league. Collins still has his shortcomings as a team defender and a passer, but his improved shooting and chemistry with Young should culminate in a huge sophomore season.

[Jamaaliver]

5-on-5: Summer league's best and most surprising rookies

3. Who was the biggest surprise?


André Snellings, ESPN Fantasy: Trae Young caught plenty of negative assessments before the draft that suggested he had huge bust potential, and then he went out and had multiple poor shooting performances in the Utah Summer League to lower expectations further. However, I watched him in three different Vegas games and he looks legit to me.

Not so much for the shooting ability -- though he did score more than 20 points in all three full-length games -- but more because of his ability to break down a defense and set up teammates off the pass. His scoring is streaky, and he doesn't get the greatest separation. However, his pure point guard skills are NBA-ready, and with the scoring as a secondary threat, he looks like a strong pro prospect with great upside.

ESPN

[Jamaaliver]

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[Jamaaliver]

As Summer League ends, what are teams taking away from Las Vegas?

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Atlanta’s Trae Young went from “bust” to “future franchise cornerstone” over the course of two weeks as his play improved through July.

As Summer League has grown over the years, so has the importance of these July exhibitions in the minds of fans.

But what do teams — their coaches, scouts, and GMs — take away from Las Vegas?

A baseline.

“It’s just benchmarks for the guys,” new Hawks’ coach Lloyd Pierce told NBC Sports in Las Vegas. “I got bear cubs right now. I saw Omari (Spellman) at Villanova, but I hadn’t touched him. I saw Trae (Young) at Oklahoma, but I hadn’t touched him. Kevin (Huerter) I still haven’t touched (hand surgery).

“So we have a couple areas with Trae, and we have a couple areas with John Collins and a couple areas with Tyler Dorsey where we say, ‘you know what, I know what we need to work on.’ More will come, but at least I have a starting point, and we can have a conversation now.”

That conversation is about how much more work needs to be done.

Multiple NBA coaches and executives told NBC Sports is just the first post-draft step in evaluation, and where a player is on the scale right now is not nearly as important as where he goes from here.

For a first-round pick such as Portland’s Simons or the Knicks’ Knox or Atlanta’s Young, Summer League is a showcase. The real business of Summer League is second-round picks, undrafted players, and guys coming back from playing overseas trying to get noticed.

But by Halloween, all these games will be a distant memory.

NBC Sports

[Jamaaliver]

Ayton, JJJ and Trae as Second Team honorees for Vegas SL.

Neat-o.

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