Summer League 2019

[jman3134]

Who makes it on the Grizz team? Ja won't be participating after clean up knee surgery.

First guy announced was Shaq Buchanan.

Roster so far:
Shaq Buchanan
Simi Shittu
Lyle Hexom

[VCfor3]

Other guys I expect to play for our team: John Konchar, maybe Grayson Allen, Brandon Clarke hopefully (not sure if the trade messes things up or not)

[jman3134]

Previewing Grizzlies Summer League: Lyle Hexom

Shockwaves from the Grizzlies' 2019 draft reverberated throughout the NBA. The team's front office acquired Ja Morant with the second overall selection, and traded up to pair him with quick jump specialist Brandon Clarke, forming a formidable tandem. As a result, Grizzlies fans from far and wide have grown considerably more optimistic about the team's promising future. But, as the Grizzlies adapt to the current state of the league by transitioning from Grit N' Grind to a new 'Grit N' Motion' offense, they must still address what plagued them during their playoff runs: a lack of viable three point shooting.

6'8 summer league invite and Peru State (NAIA) grad, Lyle Hexom, certainly can fill this void. This non-DI standout is the consummate stretch big, connecting on 42.9% of his 259 attempts from three point range last season. He sports a sweet stroke (compact and quick) with a high enough release point to shoot over the top of most perimeter defenders at the next level. He typically gets his shot off the catch, but can shot fake and step into his shot as well. At Peru St, he incorporated this shooting within the flow of the team's offense, and has deep NBA range.


Consequently, Hexom's most defining feature and what makes him a verifiable NBA prospect at this stage is his proficiency operating in the pick and roll. Hexom utilized his solid upper body strength to set hard picks, either out of pick and roll sets or for his teammates cutting back door. Considering that Hexom is extremely light/quick on his feet, he is very nimble operating as a roll man, and does a nice job of gaining separation when darting to the basket. He slips screens incredibly well. This is an elite aspect of his game. If he is overplayed, Hexom does a nice job of reading the situation and fading to the perimeter, where he makes defenses pay with his dead eye accuracy from distance. Thus, he was remarkably effective operating on the perimeter for Peru State. When he decided to cut inside, Hexom finished with finesse at the rim, but has the run-jump athleticism to throw down dunks over his opponents as well.

While he functioned predominantly as a stretch, Hexom was effective inside when he decided to go down there. He moved well without the ball, which led to some easy finishes around the rim. As a post man, Hexom demonstrated some quick spin moves on the block and was able to get by quicker/smaller defenders with ease. He did not take too long to let the play develop when operating in the post, a common tendency for bigger players at the NAIA level. While he was able to score as a back to the basket option at Peru State (with a nice jump hook in his arsenal), he does not possess the lower body strength to hold/establish deep post position on the block at the next level. Instead, he will likely operate as a faceup player, which was one of his greatest strengths this past year. With that said, he must continue to develop his handle so that he is not stripped at the next level. More than likely, though, Hexom will operate mainly along the perimeter in summer league and professionally moving forward, opting to post up only on rare occasions.

Full Scouting Report: http://jtmbasketball.blogspot.com/2019/06/previewing-grizzlies-summer-league.html

[jman3134]

Previewing the Grizzlies Summer League - Simi Shittu

Shockwaves from the Grizzlies' 2019 draft reverberated throughout the NBA. The team's front office acquired Ja Morant with the second overall selection, and traded up to pair him with quick jump specialist Brandon Clarke, forming a formidable tandem. As a result, Grizzlies fans from far and wide have grown considerably more optimistic about the team's promising future. As the Grizzlies adapt to the current state of the league by transitioning from Grit N' Grind to a new 'Grit N' Motion' offense, they must bring in players with potential in the open floor.

Simisola "Simi" Shittu qualifies as a raw, high upside big that can potentially thrive out in transition. Standing at a chiseled 6'10 (6.2% body fat at the combine), Simi possesses a unique handle, and can be effective attacking the basket. Relative to his size, he is surprisingly agile with the ball in his hands. Simi sports an effective Euro step, which projects to be deadly in one-on-one scenarios in summer league. At Vanderbilt, he regularly utilized this move, pulling the ball over his defender's head, and escaping past his man. Importantly, Simi will be able to cue fast breaks at the professional level, pushing the tempo with his outlet pass, or driving the ball up the floor himself. In terms of his handle, Simi must do a better job of protecting the ball when met with double teams. His handle is still relatively loose at this stage, and he could stand to tighten it up in some ways - refining the height of his dribble first and foremost.

With that said, Simi was a mixed bag attacking the basket in his freshman season at Vanderbilt. Simi often initiated his rim runs from beyond the three point line (or bringing the ball up the floor in transition), as he would typically fake a hand off before opting to beat his man off the bounce. Because of his unique agility with the ball in his hands, Shittu was able to draw 5.4 fouls per 40 minutes, 6th best in the SEC. He did a nice job of initiating contact this season, but must work to avoid charging straight into his man at the next level. On the flip side, Simi struggled finishing at the rim, mostly because of his poor body control. Importantly, Simi must work on his 'contact balance', or ability to absorb contact (from the defender) and remain under control. At Vanderbilt, Simi was consistently thrown off his spot and opted to shoot extremely off balance scoop layups. Statistically, he shot a remarkably poor 49.6% from 2-point range (44% in conference play [as competition improved]), though most of his shots were taken close to the basket. With improved balance and better concentration, Simi would likely have been able to finish many of his shots at the rim with ease. Like many freshman, Simi seemed to play fast and often forced the issue when he was not receiving an appropriate number of post touches.

On the interior, Simi was effective as a back to the basket weapon, with a half hook and a quick drop step-spin move in his arsenal. He appeared most comfortable here and typically finished balanced, off two feet, contrasting his tendency to clumsily finish off one foot when driving the lane. He must continue to improve his lower body strength so that he can initiate his post moves quicker and closer to the rim. Importantly, Simi must fight for deep post position, working to seal his man on the block. Frustratingly, Simi's teammates failed to find him on countless possessions where he was open on the block, and this likely was a contributing factor in his decision to leave early. In terms of his ability to secure offensive rebounds, Simi did a poor job mixing it up inside on the offensive glass at Vanderbilt, and instead tended to float along the perimeter - where he was a non-threat.

To read the full scouting report: http://jtmbasketball.blogspot.com/2019/06/previewing-grizzlies-summer-league_27.html

[jman3134]

Salt Lake Summer League Roster

19 Peyton Aldridge | 6-8 | 225 | Davidson/Vanoli Cremona (Italy)

27 Shaq Buchanan | 6-3 | 190 | Murray State

3 Jevon Carter | 6-2 | 200 | West Virginia/Grizzlies

36 Keenan Evans | 6-3 | 190 | Texas Tech/Delaware Blue Coats (G-League)

8 Dusty Hannahs | 6-3 | 210 | Arkansas/Memphis Hustle (G-League)

16 Tyler Harvey | 6-4 | 185 | Eastern Washington/Memphis Hustle

29 Lyle Hexom | 6-8 | 225 | Peru State

46 John Konchar | 6-5 | 210 | Purdue-Fort Wayne

28 Ben Lawson | 7-1 | 230 | Western Kentucky | Fukuoka Rizing (Japan)


37 Paris Lee | 6-0 | 185 | Illinois State/Port of Antwerp (Belgium)

14 Doral Moore | 7-1 | 280 | Wake Forest/Memphis Hustle

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2019/06/28/nba-summer-league-memphis-grizzlies-reveal-roster/1583312001/


Speaking of, Whole Truth, did you see Keldon Johnson go HAM on us yesterday? Thought of your disappointment.

[VCfor3]

Speaking of, Whole Truth, did you see Keldon Johnson go HAM on us yesterday? Thought of your disappointment.

I get why but I hated that we held out our best guys that game.

[Whole Truth]

Salt Lake Summer League Roster

19 Peyton Aldridge | 6-8 | 225 | Davidson/Vanoli Cremona (Italy)

27 Shaq Buchanan | 6-3 | 190 | Murray State

3 Jevon Carter | 6-2 | 200 | West Virginia/Grizzlies

36 Keenan Evans | 6-3 | 190 | Texas Tech/Delaware Blue Coats (G-League)

8 Dusty Hannahs | 6-3 | 210 | Arkansas/Memphis Hustle (G-League)

16 Tyler Harvey | 6-4 | 185 | Eastern Washington/Memphis Hustle

29 Lyle Hexom | 6-8 | 225 | Peru State

46 John Konchar | 6-5 | 210 | Purdue-Fort Wayne

28 Ben Lawson | 7-1 | 230 | Western Kentucky | Fukuoka Rizing (Japan)


37 Paris Lee | 6-0 | 185 | Illinois State/Port of Antwerp (Belgium)

14 Doral Moore | 7-1 | 280 | Wake Forest/Memphis Hustle

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/sports/nba/grizzlies/2019/06/28/nba-summer-league-memphis-grizzlies-reveal-roster/1583312001/


Speaking of, Whole Truth, did you see Keldon Johnson go HAM on us yesterday? Thought of your disappointment.

I think Spurs got a steal at 29 but I wouldn't hype this game considering the level of comp.

I loved several aspects of that performance beyond the raw numbers. His court awareness, his ability to carve out space & move without the ball. His compete level on defense & relentless motor. He's raw but I have no doubt one of the better development teams is going to carve out a player.

Having said that, I hope Memphis development team is a good one as well because drafting talent is half the battle. See Nets reclamation of Russell, their GM is getting credit for a late pick, a reclamation project & a salary dump where their development team has made the most of it to carve out value.

[jman3134]

I recorded it and didn't get to watch the tape yet. VC, I saw that we were holding most of our guys out. Also, it is important to give looks to everyone on the roster because it is summer league after all. Still, it was notable given WT's love for the guy predraft.

[VCfor3]

I recorded it and didn't get to watch the tape yet. VC, I saw that we were holding most of our guys out. Also, it is important to give looks to everyone on the roster because it is summer league after all. Still, it was notable given WT's love for the guy predraft.

Oh no I completely agree that WC deserves some props since Johnson seemed to do well. I just was commenting on us holding guys out. I want to see what Konchar can do. His shooting wasn't there the first game, but he played hard and made winning plays so I'm intrigued. I actually like Rabb and think he could be a bench PF if used correctly. I hope we keep him and think he shouldn't have much to prove in summer league so decreasing his minutes would make sense. Use him to stabilize the team a bit when needed but otherwise let the other young guys get plenty of run. Carter needs the playing time since he looked pretty rough.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

[jman3134]

I missed our second summer league game, but just watched the Cleveland matchup. I could not be more disappointed by the development of Ivan Rabb. He is the exact same player as he was at Cal, but with less confidence. The coach needed to get this guy some play designs to see what he can do in the post. While he is an okay pick and roll option because of his exceptional quickness, the full versatility of Rabb is not coming to the surface. There were 0 designed post plays - all high pick and roll.

In terms of where Rabb and our player development staff is to blame, his shot has not come along as much as it should. His contact balance is super, super poor, due to awful lower body strength. He is not able to hold post position currently on the block without a play designed for him. How has his base not improved since his freshman year at Cal?

Rabb is a really good passing player out of the post and I like his potential here moving forward.

Defensively, Rabb is excellent defending in space, with great spatial awareness. He gaps/jumps the lanes in pick and roll situations and recovered a few times 2 on 1s when the guard was beat. Rabb was still a bit foul prone not going straight up against faceup players. There were a few mental lapses where his man beat him rolling to the hoop, but his recovery speed is elite and he's a good shot blocker.

All in all, his defense has come along a bit, but his strength development is very disappointing here. Either design a play to free him on the block, which is his greatest strength, or build up his base. Utilizing Ivan Rabb as a simple pick and roll dunker is the biggest waste of a super talented post player.

[BarbaGrizz]

Why is Bruno playing in the SL?

[SD2042]

I missed our second summer league game, but just watched the Cleveland matchup. I could not be more disappointed by the development of Ivan Rabb. He is the exact same player as he was at Cal, but with less confidence. The coach needed to get this guy some play designs to see what he can do in the post. While he is an okay pick and roll option because of his exceptional quickness, the full versatility of Rabb is not coming to the surface. There were 0 designed post plays - all high pick and roll.

In terms of where Rabb and our player development staff is to blame, his shot has not come along as much as it should. His contact balance is super, super poor, due to awful lower body strength. He is not able to hold post position currently on the block without a play designed for him. How has his base not improved since his freshman year at Cal?

Rabb is a really good passing player out of the post and I like his potential here moving forward.

Defensively, Rabb is excellent defending in space, with great spatial awareness. He gaps/jumps the lanes in pick and roll situations and recovered a few times 2 on 1s when the guard was beat. Rabb was still a bit foul prone not going straight up against faceup players. There were a few mental lapses where his man beat him rolling to the hoop, but his recovery speed is elite and he's a good shot blocker.

All in all, his defense has come along a bit, but his strength development is very disappointing here. Either design a play to free him on the block, which is his greatest strength, or build up his base. Utilizing Ivan Rabb as a simple pick and roll dunker is the biggest waste of a super talented post player.

Rabb's development makes me wonder how invested the development team are in terms of improving his skills set all around. To your point, his defense is still up and coming. The rest is a huge question mark. I can see Rabb being a solid contributor to a team that can benefit from his skills set with his abilities to go in the paint as well as his rebounding. His strength and perimeter shooting needs to improve to force the opponents defense to respect it at all times.


I wonder if this new Grizzlies regime are looking to perhaps trade Rabb off eventually if they are not fully committed to his development and his future with the franchise. If so, just get to the point. There is no need to waste a player's time on the team if the commitment is not being met.

[SD2042]

Why is Bruno playing in the SL?

To work on his skills set to contribute to the team. I remember Chris Kaman when he was playing did the same thing when he was going into his third or fourth season in the league years ago. To keep his game up and just work out his skills set.

[VCfor3]

I missed our second summer league game, but just watched the Cleveland matchup. I could not be more disappointed by the development of Ivan Rabb. He is the exact same player as he was at Cal, but with less confidence. The coach needed to get this guy some play designs to see what he can do in the post. While he is an okay pick and roll option because of his exceptional quickness, the full versatility of Rabb is not coming to the surface. There were 0 designed post plays - all high pick and roll.

In terms of where Rabb and our player development staff is to blame, his shot has not come along as much as it should. His contact balance is super, super poor, due to awful lower body strength. He is not able to hold post position currently on the block without a play designed for him. How has his base not improved since his freshman year at Cal?

Rabb is a really good passing player out of the post and I like his potential here moving forward.

Defensively, Rabb is excellent defending in space, with great spatial awareness. He gaps/jumps the lanes in pick and roll situations and recovered a few times 2 on 1s when the guard was beat. Rabb was still a bit foul prone not going straight up against faceup players. There were a few mental lapses where his man beat him rolling to the hoop, but his recovery speed is elite and he's a good shot blocker.

All in all, his defense has come along a bit, but his strength development is very disappointing here. Either design a play to free him on the block, which is his greatest strength, or build up his base. Utilizing Ivan Rabb as a simple pick and roll dunker is the biggest waste of a super talented post player.

Rabb's development makes me wonder how invested the development team are in terms of improving his skills set all around. To your point, his defense is still up and coming. The rest is a huge question mark. I can see Rabb being a solid contributor to a team that can benefit from his skills set with his abilities to go in the paint as well as his rebounding. His strength and perimeter shooting needs to improve to force the opponents defense to respect it at all times.


I wonder if this new Grizzlies regime are looking to perhaps trade Rabb off eventually if they are not fully committed to his development and his future with the franchise. If so, just get to the point. There is no need to waste a player's time on the team if the commitment is not being met.

I wonder if he gets thrown in on an Iggy trade. The receiving team can then claim they got a prospect as well as Iggy to help sell the deal to their fanbase.

[jman3134]

He supposedly played well in game 1, sat out #2. If he plays like he did in game 3, he will be the odd man out and waived.

In terms of his upside, I see absolutely elite potential still. He needs to improve the consistency of his jumper so people don't slack off and take away his faceup lanes. He needs to hit the weight room hard and work on his balance. He's a great athlete and a good faceup post weapon.

[SD2042]

I missed our second summer league game, but just watched the Cleveland matchup. I could not be more disappointed by the development of Ivan Rabb. He is the exact same player as he was at Cal, but with less confidence. The coach needed to get this guy some play designs to see what he can do in the post. While he is an okay pick and roll option because of his exceptional quickness, the full versatility of Rabb is not coming to the surface. There were 0 designed post plays - all high pick and roll.

In terms of where Rabb and our player development staff is to blame, his shot has not come along as much as it should. His contact balance is super, super poor, due to awful lower body strength. He is not able to hold post position currently on the block without a play designed for him. How has his base not improved since his freshman year at Cal?

Rabb is a really good passing player out of the post and I like his potential here moving forward.

Defensively, Rabb is excellent defending in space, with great spatial awareness. He gaps/jumps the lanes in pick and roll situations and recovered a few times 2 on 1s when the guard was beat. Rabb was still a bit foul prone not going straight up against faceup players. There were a few mental lapses where his man beat him rolling to the hoop, but his recovery speed is elite and he's a good shot blocker.

All in all, his defense has come along a bit, but his strength development is very disappointing here. Either design a play to free him on the block, which is his greatest strength, or build up his base. Utilizing Ivan Rabb as a simple pick and roll dunker is the biggest waste of a super talented post player.

Rabb's development makes me wonder how invested the development team are in terms of improving his skills set all around. To your point, his defense is still up and coming. The rest is a huge question mark. I can see Rabb being a solid contributor to a team that can benefit from his skills set with his abilities to go in the paint as well as his rebounding. His strength and perimeter shooting needs to improve to force the opponents defense to respect it at all times.


I wonder if this new Grizzlies regime are looking to perhaps trade Rabb off eventually if they are not fully committed to his development and his future with the franchise. If so, just get to the point. There is no need to waste a player's time on the team if the commitment is not being met.

I wonder if he gets thrown in on an Iggy trade. The receiving team can then claim they got a prospect as well as Iggy to help sell the deal to their fanbase.

That would not be a bad opportunity for Rabb to potentially move forward to a new team. The question is who benefits the most to take on Iggy and Rabb?

[jman3134]

Rabb is 22 years old, basically draft age now. He has had many wasted development years, but we should give him at least a year or two more.

[SD2042]

Rabb is 22 years old, basically draft age now. He has had many wasted development years, but we should give him at least a year or two more.

Right now it comes down to new coach and the staff he's putting together. It's hard to say where Rabb stands with the team right now. I'm pulling for the guy to improve his game so he can do better as a player. Too bad noneof us have some insight into what the Grizzlies are thinking in terms of his development and commitment. I can't help the feeling I'm getting that a trade is possibility in his future. If so, then I hope it's to a team that will help develop his game for the better so he can have a long lasting NBA career.

[jman3134]

JUST WOW! WE NEED TO CUT GRAYSON ALLEN.