Non-Blazer Summer League Evaluations

After returning from Vegas and getting back into some semblance of a routine, here are my non-Blazer Summer League evaluations.

Kevin Durant – Truly an exciting player despite a poor shooting performance. He’s a scary offensive player for the defense because he’s a deadly shooter. I think in Vegas he forced some shots, settled for outside jumpers and didn’t force the issue too much. I think when he adds some bulk you’ll see him attack the rim more because he’ll be more durable. I also think Seattle didn’t do a good job utilizing him in the halfcourt set. They ran him off horizontal screens at the foul line towards the wing creating a tough passing angle from the top, allowing his defender to easily deny him the ball and knock away passes. I think they should have put him on the block and had a post player screen down for him and allow him to read the defender. He would have had about four or five options coming off the screen. Or they could have put him in the corner and done the same kind of thing. He will be a superduper star in no time…if he's not already.

Jeff Green – He was as aggressive on Sunday evening against Portland as I’ve ever seen and really showcased his abilities. He attacked the glass off the dribble, used his jumper effectively and showed his all-around abilities. This was as good as I’ve seen him play. Georgetown’s offensive scheme wasn’t conducive to individuality (Princeton-type offenses are predicated on backcutting and unselfishness) and Green probably suffered from that slightly. He finished the summer league with authority and should team with Kevin Durant to make one of the most devastating and powerful perimeter combos in the league for the next 10-15 years.

Corey Brewer – I really liked Brewer the two times I saw him. He’s an exceptional athlete and did several things well. He showed an ability to attack the rim (even though a couple of times he resorted to circus/lucky shots to finish) and a good outside jumper. Defensively he played well, going against Rudy Gay in the Memphis game. Gay made some great shots against Brewer on his way to 26 points. He also got into the middle and fed the big guys well. I would have loved to get Brewer in Portland to let Jack, Roy, Brewer, Aldridge and Oden grow together for the next 15 years. That would have been a sweet lineup. I think Minnesota got a nice pickup there.

Randy Foye – Had an exceptional summer league and was a deadly shooter. For some reason Memphis went underneath the ball screens and Foye lit them up. Mike Conley repeatedly went underneath the ball screens and Foye had 28 points on 12-17 shooting…many of which were from the perimeter. Foye was Minnesota’s second leading scorer and shot a ridiculous 53% from the three point arc. Don’t ask me why Memphis continually went under the screens rather than hedging and making Foye give the ball up.

Mike Conley – The knock on him coming in was his shooting and that still holds true. Shot poorly (39.8%) from the field and averaged 11.4 points per game. He’s jet quick and does a great job getting into the middle. He’s a great athlete and I like how he stays under control around the rim by coming off a two-foot jump stop. This allows him to be strong around the rim…even though he didn’t finish as well as he did at OSU - but I think that will come. His perimeter shooting was atrocious and this comes from a Conley fan. He was huge for Ohio State last year and I think he’s a great pick for Memphis.

Aaron Brooks – He had an incredible summer league. Easily one of the quickest players in the league and continues to impress with his shooting. Still needs to work on not fading on his pull up threes (it’s tough because he’s so quick that his momentum carries him to the side on his pull up jumpers). I think he’ll fit in with Houston right away and I know T-Mac will demand the ball, but I think “D’s” will have to respect Brooks and his abilities to penetrate. He also excels at flip shots and scoop shots in the paint (at barely 6-0 he needs to be) which makes him a better finisher than people may think. There were countless times in Vegas when Brooks would probe the defense on the dribble and create a wideopen shot on the perimeter without even a screen set. Steve Novak was a primary beneficiary of Brooks’ penetration.

Oleksiy Pecherov – In the first game we watched of the summer league, we were making fun of Pecherov for being ugly. Moments later our jaws hit the floor when he caught the ball out high and like a flash attacked the rim and got an easy lay-up. The fact that he’s listed at 7-0 impressed us even more because he moved like a small forward. He went on to finish with 26 points and 14 boards in that game. He also hit 3-5 from the three-point line which impressed me as well. Pecherov appeared to be reasonably quick with a good skillset. He’s a prospect I will be interested in seeing in the next few years.

Javaris Crittenton – He was known as an erratic player at Georgia Tech but I thought he had a good summer league. He led a sorry Lakers club in scoring and showed no problems putting up a ton of shots. He teamed with Jordan Farmer to form a pretty good backcourt duo. There were many times that Crittenton split the defense on high screens to get into the lane freeing up jump shooters and the low post players. He finished with 28 points, three assists and three turnovers and carried them down the stretch against the Pistons. He finished with 17 points but shot poorly from field and the foul line. He’s a great scorer but unfortunately the Lakers already have someone like that so I’m not sure how he’ll fit in next year.