NBA Summer League Review

by:Jonathan Schuette07/23/12
The NBA Summer league wrapped up this weekend and saw many players perform admirably, including the former Wildcats who participated.  Today, Mike Prada of SB Nation gave an in depth review and ranked each of the 52 rookies that played in the Orlando/Las Vegas summer league.  The title of camp co-MVP was given to the 6th overall pick in the 2012 Draft, Damian Lillard.  He was absolutely spectacular as he averaged 26.5 points, 5.3 assists, 4.0 rebounds in his four games.  The gap was evidently so wide (between rookies) that SB Nation titled the review, "Damian Lillard: Then Everyone Else."  While Lillard wowed, believe it or not, there were other players who participated.  In addition to ranking each individual athlete they were also placed into categories that included Studs, NBA Ready, Late Round Steals, Promising Bigs, Very Good in their Role, Chance to be Useful, Developing, Disappointments, and finally Everyone Else.  Below is where every former Wildcat rookie that participated fell along with a short bio of their performances.   Studs: The three best rookies besides Lillard. 
2. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Bobcats He played just one game, but he so thoroughly dominated it that the Bobcats really saw all they needed to see. There was no point risking further injury to his knee after he controlled the defense and the tempo of the game in a blowout win over the Kings.
  NBA Ready: Four players who will play a major role for their teams right away.
7. Terrence Jones, Rockets The only reason I have him this low is that he came off the bench in every game, meaning he did most of his damage against tired starters or second-stringers. He also put in a ton of garbage-time points, particularly against the Wizards in the Rockets' second game. But he's also a legitimate isolation threat at the power forward position, able to use his shot fake, perimeter skills and body strength to get to where he wants to go on the court. Assuming he continues to develop, he could be outstanding at punishing the slow-rotating big man in pick and pop situations.
  Late Round Steals:  Five players selected after the 20th pick who should be in their teams' rotation.
11. Doron Lamb, Bucks If you switched their jerseys, you wouldn't have noticed much of a difference between Lamb and (Bradley) Beal. Beal's the better playmaker, but Lamb is no slouch himself. The Bucks will be able to use him coming off baseline screens, and he's a willing enough passer to find his big man or run a pick and roll if the shot isn't there. His three-point shot deserted him a bit as the week went along, but he found points by being opportunistic with his two-point shots. If he can continue to improve as a pick and roll player, he'll be a real steal.
  Everyone Else:
33. Marquis Teague, Bulls  Much like in college, he got to where he wanted to go, but struggled to finish plays, whether it was making the right pass or finishing layups. 47. Darius Miller, Hornets Seemed like he struggled in two areas: the speed of the game and the longer three-point line. He was lethal curling around to shoot college threes, but it'll be a tough adjustment getting used to the NBA line.
 

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