Free agency may be dominating the headlines but don’t let that overshadow the fact that Summer League season is here!
The marquee event in Las Vegas set to tip-off next week, but you don’t have to wait that long to catch a whackload of intriguing players, as the Orlando Summer League gets underway Saturday.
Last summer Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was the most impressive player in Orlando, averaging 24 ppg, and parlaying that success to a strong NBA season w/ the Detroit Pistons. Magic point guard Elfrid Payton led the league in assists at nearly 10 per (he’ll be there again this year), while Nerlens Noel erased doubts stemming from an injury that kept him out his first NBA season by blocking 3 shots/game.
So who will this year’s standouts be? Here are some of the most notable players—including an impressive crop of Canadians—who could turn heads in Orlando (listed by team):
Brooklyn Nets
:
Khem Birch: The Montreal-born centre and shot-blocking machine has been making a name for himself in the D-League since putting his name in the 2014 NBA Draft following a strong collegiate career at Pittsburgh and UNLV. Last season the 22-year old was named to the D-League’s All-Rookie first team and All-Defensive first team while averaging over 11.2 points,9.6 rebounds, and just shy of 2 blocks per game.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson: Traded on draft day last month from the Portland Trail-Blazers for Mason Plumlee, Hollis-Jefferson is out to prove his athletic, defense-first game can translate to the NBA from day one.
Charlotte Hornets:
Frank Kaminsky: Last year’s top college player was one of draft night’s biggest surprises, selected by Charlotte with the 9th pick. It’s rumoured that owner Michael Jordan and the Hornets front office turned down a lucrative trade offer from the Boston Celtics (that included point guard Marcus Smart) to hold on to their pick, and select Frank the Tank.
Detroit Pistons:
Stanley Johnson: Another rookie out to make his team look good for reaching in the draft. The Pistons could have selected two-way wing player Justise Winslow, who inexplicably fell to them in the draft, but instead chose Johnson, also projected to be a solid two-way player but with less upside than Winslow.
Indiana Pacers
Solomon Hill: Perhaps a touch overqualified for the Summer League, Hill reached double digits in scoring in 40 games last season, his 2nd in the NBA. Oh, he also did this to the Raptors:
Los Angeles Clippers
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Jordan Hamilton: The former Texas standout spent training camp with the Toronto Raptors last season. An athletic wing, his shooting ability should translate to a steady gig in the NBA, but it just hasn’t happened for him yet.
Royce White: Superbly talented, and potentially an ideal stretch-four/combo forward for today’s NBA. But White, a first round pick in 2012, has been away from the NBA world for the past couple of years due to anxiety issues that made things like air travel problematic for the 24 year-old.
Memphis Grizzlies
Phil Scrubb: The Vancouver native and former Carleton University standout is looking to parlay his unparalleled CIS success to a spot in the NBA. Scrubb is a stellar shooter and natural scorer who shouldn’t have a problem getting buckets in Orlando; It’s every other aspect of his game that will be heavily scrutinized.
Miami Heat
Hassan Whiteside: Needless to say, a pretty surprising inclusion on the Heat’s roster, given what Whiteside accomplished since joining the Heat last season (averages of 13.7 points/11.5 rebounds/2.9 blocks per over his last 39 games). The Heat are said to be looking for signs of maturation from their enigmatic centre, especially given that they’ll have to decide whether he’s worth the giant contract likely coming his way after next season.
Justise Winslow The Pistons loss was Miami’s game. Now it’s on Winslow to prove that he was, in fact, the steal of the draft.
Shabazz Napier The former Final Four MVP looked very much like a rookie point guard in his first NBA season last year (and that’s not a good thing). Though he did impress in moments, he’ll be looking to stay out of the D-League this coming season, and a strong showing at the Summer League will certainly help his cause.
Henry Walker At one point considered arguably the best high school prospect in basketball (back when his first name was still Bill), the former Slam magazine cover boy made an NBA comeback attempt with the Heat last year and is looking to solidify his spot in the League.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Mitch McGaryLooked solid in small stretches for the Thunder, but the former Michigan standout is looking to earn more minutes or increase his trade value this season.
Orlando Magic (blue squad)
Mario Hezonja: The “Croatian J.R. Smith”, the 5th pick in the 2015 draft, is either the exact type of high-volume, NBA-ready scorer and shooter the Magic need this coming season, or he’s, well, the Croation J.R. Smith. We’re about to find out. Either way, the Hezonja experience promises to be entertaining.
Elfrid Payton: Really impressed in his rookie year, particularly in the latter half as he proved he’s more than capable of running an NBA offense. His game still has noticeable holes, though, like his abysmal perimeter shooting, and the Summer League will be an opportunity for him to work on those closing those holes during in-game experience.
Aaron Gordon: His injury-riddled rookie campaign didn’t exactly erase questions as to what last year’s No.4 overall pick is going to be in the NBA—position, role, etc.— but some more seasoning should help find an answer.
Orlando Magic (white squad):
Jordan Bachynski: After going underrated in 2014, the 7’2” centre from Calgary participated in last year’s Summer League as a member of the Charlotte Hornets before spending last season with the D-League’s Westchester Knicks. With obvious size, good footwork, and at least one elite skill (shotblocking), don’t be surprised if a strong performance from Bachynski parlays into an NBA tryout.
Melvin Ejim: Also named to Canada’s Pan-Am training camp roster on Friday, Ejim had one of the most successful NCAA careers of any Canadian during his four years at Iowa State, capped by being named Big 12 Player of the Year (and first-team All-Academic) in 2014. A truly versatile combo forward, Ejim led the Big 12 in rebounding despite standing ‘just’ 6’6”. He spent last season playing in Italy, though expect him to get a look from NBA teams later this fall, particularly if he performs well this weekend in Orlando.
