Vegas Summer League Recap, Part 1
Vegas Summer League Recap
Following 10 days and 58 games, the Las Vegas Summer League has come to its conclusion. While some of the stars of the tournament were to be expected, there were several performances from lesser known players that could lead to them making an impact in 2010-11. Let's start with the award winners:
Most Outstanding Player
John Wall, Washington WizardsWall looked every bit as dominant as the hype indicated. His 23.5 points and 7.8 assists per game led everyone in Vegas. His game wasn't without blemish though. He hit a total of 37.7 percent of his field goal attempts and also committed 5.2 turnovers per game. Still, his speed, athleticism, and leadership were all readily apparent over the 10 days and the Wizards won every game he played in. Clearly, it appears the Wizards made the correct choice with the No. 1 overall pick. Expect him to immediately become the face of the Wizards, and a fantasy force in time. As a rookie, he could be a top 15 point guard in 8-cat leagues.
T-Mobile Rookie of the Month
DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento KingsOddly, Wall was the Most Outstanding Player, but not the Rookie of the Month. Perhaps it's because Cousins played in two more games than his Kentucky teammate. After starting the tournament with four straight double-doubles, Cousins finished with a couple disappointing performances. In those final two games, he hit only 4-of-27 shots and totaled 16 points and 13 rebounds. Still, Cousins impressed with his footwork, body control, passing, and even his attitude. He accepted the coaching of Mario Elie without any qualms and appears poised to start for the Kings from Game 1. However, Samuel Dalembert will challenge him immediately for minutes. His final averages for the tournament, despite his terrible finish, were 14.5 points and 9.8 rebounds. it wouldn't be a surprise to see him hit those averages for the Kings in 2010-11.
All-Tournament Team
JaVale McGee, Washington WizardsWhile Wall was stealing the spotlight, McGee looked to be in a class of his own among big men in Vegas. It was apparent that he understands the game much better than when he entered the league two seasons ago. In four Vegas appearances, he averaged 19.5 points and 9.3 rebounds while hitting 68.8 percent of his shots. He looks to be a consistent alley-oop threat for Wall, and we love his 4.3 offensive rebounds per game. Expect him to start at center for the Wizards for several seasons to come. If he maintains discipline and shows consistent effort on defense, he could be among the top centers in the league in minutes played. However, he's shown in previous seasons that his effort and focus can waver, but that could change with a new attitude in D.C.
Reggie Williams, Golden State Warriors
Williams tweaked his hamstring in his fifth Summer League outing, but prior to that, he may have been in line for the Most Outstanding Player award. He finished the week averaging 22.6 points and looked to be in total control the entire time he was on the court. That's not entirely surprising for a guy who led the country in scoring twice in college. In Vegas, he hit 11-of-26 three-pointers (42.3 percent) but just 41.1 percent of his total shots. Given that Corey Maggette, Anthony Morrow, and Devean George (still a free agent) have all moved on from the Warriors, Williams is a strong candidate to start for Golden State. There won't be many shots to go around that offense, but Williams is also an accomplished playmaker and aggressive rebounder. He should have solid mid-level fantasy value just a year after dominating the D-League.
DeRozan appears poised to make a bigger fantasy impact in his second season.
Last year's No. 9 overall pick came out of his shell in Vegas. In just 26.3 minutes per game, he averaged 21.0 points while hitting 58 percent of his shots. Despite starting 65 games a season ago, he provided little in terms of fantasy production. However, with both Chris Bosh and Hedo Turkoglu moving on from the Raptors, the team will look to DeRozan to pick up more of the slack. He appeared to be rounding out his game in Vegas, as opposed to merely relying on his athleticism. He still doesn't have much to offer in terms of three-point shooting, but he could double his scoring to 17 points per game in his sophomore campaign.
J.J. Hickson, Cleveland Cavaliers
Hickson appeared to be tapping into his considerable potential over his first three Vegas outings, prior to playing just 20 minutes in his fourth game and then shutting it down. In an aggressive first three games, he averaged 24.3 points and 7.3 rebounds on 62.2 percent shooting. Of course, as a third year player, he's more polished and better prepared to handle this type of competition. Still, it appears the Cavaliers are ready to plug him into their starting lineup, despite the presence of both Antawn Jamison and Anderson Varejao.
Sam Young, Memphis Grizzlies
Young averaged 16.5 minutes as a rookie, but he showed why he deserves more PT in five Vegas appearances. Over his first four games, he averaged 23.5 points while hitting 32-of-55 (58.2 percent) field goals. While he's built better to play off-guard, look for Young to act as Rudy Gay's primary backup this season thanks to a plethora of shooting guards, including O.J. Mayo, Tony Allen, Greivis Vasquez, and Xavier Henry. As a result, it will be difficult for Young to offer much fantasy value.
Ty Lawson, Denver Nuggets
Lawson appeared well-ahead of the competition in dictating the flow of the Nuggets' Summer League games. He averaged 16.4 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.6 steals in 25.2 minutes over five games. He also finished with an impressive shooting line of .587/.429/.846. While Chauncey Billups will still command 30 minutes per game, Lawson should improve upon the 20.2 minutes per game he averaged as a rookie. Still, it's unlikely he sees enough action to be a fantasy contributor as long as Billups is healthy.
Dominique Jones, Dallas Mavericks
Jones backed up all the glowing scouting reports that hailed him as a physical guard that can get to the basket, score efficiently and D up with the best in the draft. In his match-up with John Wall, he held the No. 1 pick to 4-of-19 shooting. He finished the tournament averaging 16.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists. On a loaded Mavericks team, he doesn't have much fantasy value yet, but could eventually pair with Rodrigue Beaubois to form the next formidable backcourt in Dallas.
Derrick Caracter, Los Angeles Lakers
Caracter was the third to last player taken in the NBA Draft, but he showed off his sizable potential in Vegas. The power forward is already 22, but he threw around his 6-foot-10, 280 pound frame like a vet against the slighter competition. He started the week with three straight double-doubles and finished with averages of 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks. Unfortunately, he also committed a ton of turnovers and picked up 36 fouls in five games. He's not good enough to crack the Lakers rotation, but he showed enough that he should get a contract from the team.
Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Bucks
Sanders looked like a legitimate lottery pick (he was the first non-Lottery pick) in Vegas as he seemed to corral his potential at a pace that was unexpected. He looked like an immediate rotation player for the Bucks while putting up 14 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game. His size and athleticism will be welcomed in Milwaukee and he's a player that could work his way into the starting five by season's end. If he can get 20-plus minutes per game, he should register two or more blocks per game. That alone should put him on fantasy radars.
Gani Lawal, Phoenix Suns
The other power forward out of Georgia Tech fell all the way to the 46th pick in the draft, but looked like a sure-fire first-rounder in Vegas. He played solid defense and impressed scouts with his footwork on the block. His 15.4 points and 7.4 rebounds in 27.6 minutes per game were very strong numbers for a rookie, but we're concerned that he hit just 19-of-41 free throws (46.3 percent). The Suns lack true power forwards, so Lawal could fight his way into a rotation spot, but don't expect much of a fantasy impact in year one.
Jermaine Taylor, Houston Rockets
Taylor was a D-League call-up last season and looked capable of staying in the league with averages of 18.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game in Summer League. However, he remains an undersized shooting guard, and the Rockets don't have much room for such a player. Assuming the Rockets hold him, it's very unlikely that he makes much of a fantasy impact in 2010-11.
Alonzo Gee, San Antonio Spurs
The 23-year-old guard was aggressive on both ends of the floor for the Spurs' undefeated Summer League entry. In his five games, he finished with averages of 14.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.4 steals. He figures to get invited to a camp somewhere, but he's not a good enough shooter nor playmaker to crack an 8-man rotation. He could make a team (perhaps even the Spurs), but it's unlikely he'll be a major contributor.
