Offseason Beat: NBA Summer League West: Pt. 4
In case you missed the previous editions, here are the links:
I’ll be back with the final part over the weekend!
Memphis Grizzlies – Impact Rating 2
Due to injuries, we saw quite the hodgepodge of players in Memphis last year. Even with a record 28 players getting out there, there really wasn’t much impact from their young guys. Their 2015 first-round pick Jarell Martin only played 27 games due to foot problems — he had surgery after the regular season in April. The 2014 first rounder, Jordan Adams, had foot problems of his own and played just two games. They were both unable to play in Summer League. As a quick aside, both of those guys have some talent, but they really need to stay out there. Martin has a better chance for fantasy output next season and should be ready to go for camp.
The main player to watch for the Grizzlies was Wade Baldwin IV, who on paper looks like a superstar. The 20-year-old guard is 6’4”, has a 6’11” wingspan, registered at 5.2 percent body fat at the Draft Combine, and posted a 38-inch max vert. On top of that, he made 40.6 percent from beyond the arc to help him get to 14.1 points per game last year at Vanderbilt.
The big concern on Baldwin was his recklessness, only making a sub-par 50.4 percent at the rim in college with his questionable passing. Those were two big reasons why he didn’t come off the board until 17 in the draft. Well, those concerns continued in Las Vegas, making just 28.6 percent from the field with averages of 10.8 points, 4.8 boards, 2.5 assists, 3.3 turnovers and 1.5 steals in four games.
Baldwin made most of his positive impact in transition, but he didn’t look good at all in halfcourt sets. The explosiveness is there and he’ll draw comparisons to Russell Westbrook for his style. That said, it might be a while before we see anything from him on a consistent basis.
Baldwin will be competing for the backup job with Andrew Harrison. This was Harrison’s second Summer League, but it didn’t show with a putrid 23.0 field goal percentage in five games. His shot selection really wasn’t too bad, but he’s just not a great scorer against bigger bodies. He actually fared well in the D-League with 18 points per game last year, which is the main reason why the Grizzlies offered up a three-year deal with some guarantees. For now, expect Baldwin to get a leg up for the backup role behind Mike Conley.
Besides Baldwin, there wasn’t much to care about here. Deyonta Davis didn’t play due to his left foot injury and JaMychal Green didn’t look good in just two games.
Minnesota Timberwolves – Impact Rating 7
No player turned heads in Summer League more than Kris Dunn. In his first game, he scored 27 points in style with incredible dribble penetration. Here are some highlights:
And of course, he put JaKarr Sampson down:
Dunn was diagnosed with a concussion after his second game and did not return, so we didn’t get a great sample on him. One thing that did impress me in the second game was how he got out of traps. Early in that game, the Raptors trapped him at every chance, and it was working early too. The improvement in just two games shows how he responded to the coaching staff, which should carry over for his first season.
Dunn lived around the basket at Providence. He had 40 percent of his shot total come within three feet last year, making a respectable 62.6 percent from there. The Big East Player of the Year did have some shooting woes last year, making just 29.6 percent on two-point jumpers and 37.2 percent on treys. Although, one interesting stat is he was only assisted on 52.4 percent of his 3-pointers, so he was taking tougher shots than most.
So, where does that put Dunn for minutes? Well, they started him at shooting guard next to Tyus Jones, and the Wolves are saying they think they can play him next to Ricky Rubio at times. Considering how coach Tom Thibodeau loves his defense, it’s not going to be hard for the tenacious rookie defender to take minutes from Zach LaVine.
His shooting is the biggest concern and he’s likely not going to be able to shred perimeter defenses like he did in Las Vegas, so chances are his field goal percentage will only be in the low 40s. Plus, he’s not going to hit treys and his assists won’t be very point guard-like. Still, the upside is huge for steals and a little bit of production everywhere else, so he’s a solid late-round pick. Plus, if Rubio is dealt, Dunn owners have a 35-minute player on their hands — personally, I doubt that happens.
Tyus Jones was one of the worst players at Summer League last year, scoring just 7.8 points in 24.3 minutes per game. However, it was a totally different story this time around for the 2016 NBA Summer League MVP. Jones scored 20.4 points per game on a 59.0 true shooting percentage with scoring all over the court. On top of that, his event-high 6.8 assists per game were a big story.
Yeah, this was great to see and all, but Jones is going to be behind Dunn. He wasn’t very good last year with a woeful 35.9 field goal percentage in just 37 games, so he would need a meteoric rise to make an impact. Just keep an eye on him in training camp.
That’s pretty much it here. Adreian Payne was decent, but he won’t be in the rotation while the Wolves are healthy.
New Orleans Pelicans – Impact Rating 6
The Grizzlies weren’t the only ones with ridiculous injury concerns. The Pelicans started an NBA record 41 different starting lineups last year. Of course, some of that was just Alvin Gentry toying with us, but it’s still absurd and they were already at 19 different starting lineups at the halfway point last season.
Their Las Vegas team was all new blood for the Pelicans. In fact, not a single player who got minutes with the Pels last year was on the Vegas squad. Plus, the non-drafted players are very unlikely to make the roster.
As for the players drafted, they made their presence felt. Buddy Hield was busy with his five games in Las Vegas, averaging 16.8 points, 5.4 boards, 3.8 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.2 blocks and 2.2 treys. Although, the 2016 Naismith College Player of the Year was showcasing his expected role with the Pelicans, taking just under half of his shot total from beyond the arc. The bad news is he made just 22.9 percent from there in Las Vegas. That’s close to half of his 45.7 percent from deep at Oklahoma last year.
Hield is almost a lock to start, especially with Eric Gordon gone and Tyreke Evans (knee) up in the air. The shooting guard is almost a necessary part of the lineup to help space the floor for Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday. He should get minutes, but he’ll be more of a scoring-only guy for fantasy. Basically, his ceiling is Eric Gordon from last year with a low floor due to a potentially bad field goal percentage.
Cheick Diallo was very impressive with his perimeter defense and running the floor in transition. The downside is he is a metaphorical ball of clay — not Klay Thompson. He doesn’t really have a post game and really can’t dribble. His jumper is relatively smooth, so he could get some chances to knock down wide open jumpers. He’s not a fantasy asset right now, but maybe he will be down the line.
Oklahoma City Thunder – Impact Rating 4
The storyline changed on Cameron Payne (foot) quickly. In early July, he was the Orlando Pro Summer League MVP and looked great. The Russell Westbrook trade talk also really boosted his potential for fantasy. Sadly, the 21-year-old guard suffered a Jones fracture in his foot and needed surgery. He is expected to be ready for the season, but the Thunder may want to bring him along slowly. They really don’t have anyone behind Payne, so they can’t afford for him to suffer a re-break.
For now, Payne is only a last-round flier in 12-team leagues. If you’re in a weekly league, he might be worth stashing at a slightly higher cost.
Another bad piece of news was Mitch McGary getting hit with a five-game suspension for violating the anti-drug policy. McGary got in trouble for marijuana at Michigan, so that’s likely the cause here. The 21st pick in 2014 is unlikely to be in the rotation.
We’ll be back for the final edition!
