2023 NBA Summer League Watch Thread

[CTMagicUK 1,482]

There were already some SL games last night so figured we could do with a spot to discuss them. 

Magic Summer League Schedule is here: 

https://www.nba.com/magic/news/orlando-magic-nba-2k24-summer-league-schedule-announced-20230623

Magic Summer League Roster is here: 

https://www.nba.com/magic/news/orlando-magic-announce-roster-for-nba2k24-summer-league-2023

And of course a gentle reminder that Summer League is fun but it's not at all a predictor of future success. Franz Wagner had a horrible summer league. 

First Magic Game is July 8th @ 5.30pm EST vs Detroit 

[CTMagicUK 1,482]

Interesting (non roster) guys on our SL team: 

DJ Wilson - Former 17th overall pick in 2017 by the Bucks. 6'10 PF. Played in the G league last year where he averaged 19/9/4 with 1.4 blocks. He's 27 now though. 

Elijah Hughes - Former 39th overall pick in 2020. 6'5 wing. Played in the G league last year where he averaged 16/4/2 with 1.1 steals. He also shot 36% from 3 on a pretty high 8.4 attempts per game. Looks like he has honestly improved as a 3 point shooter since he entered the league. Could be a 2 way candidate. 

Robert Baker II - Undrafted a couple years back. 6'11 big. Was with our G league team last year where he averaged an intriguing 11/7/2 with 1.2 steals and 2 blocks whilst attempting 3.5 3PA per game (he only made them at 27% but the willingness to shoot might mean he's better than the numbers suggest, he shot 44% from 3 the year before). 

Tyger Campbell - Undrafted this year out of UCLA. 5'11 guard. 4 year starter at UCLA. He's  probably not making an NBA roster on account of his size and not being a great shooter to make up for it but he's a just a solid guard. 

And I guess I'd be remiss if I didn't include: 

Kai Sotto - he's from the Philippines so he's inexplicably popular for a guy of his calibre. (Example, Filipino fans voted him the NBL Fans MVP the past 2 seasons despite him averaging like 6 points and 4 rebounds a game). Played in Australia the past 2 seasons. He's 7'3 and flashed some jump shooting potential (without ever translating it to great results). I personally don't think he's an NBA player from what I've seen but there are a limited number of guys in the world theoretically big enough to block the shot of Wemby so maybe he's worth a look on that basis alone.

[ball junkie 277]

Holmgren found his rhythm in the second quarter, when he scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and he displayed his unique skill set for a player his size the remainder of the game. He missed his lone 3-point attempt but made several plays off the dribble after attacking closeouts, including a nifty up-and-under that he finished with his left hand after driving into the paint.

Holmgren brought the ball up the floor on several occasions, something rarely seen from a 7-footer. In one instance, he grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed the ball to get the Thunder in transition before delivering a beautiful, 40-foot touch pass to power forward Jaylin Williamsfor a layup.

"That's just new-school basketball," Holmgren said with a smile. "I look forward to making it happen more."
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37957030/holmgren-return-thunder-little-rusty-start-positive-overall

HE’S BACK !!! …be interesting to see how he progresses and what we did or did not miss lol …let the debates resume lol lol 

Edit: you know guys Holmgren can shoot 3’s …things that make you go Hhmmm

[MagicMan1979 105]

2 hours ago, ball junkie said:

Holmgren found his rhythm in the second quarter, when he scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting, and he displayed his unique skill set for a player his size the remainder of the game. He missed his lone 3-point attempt but made several plays off the dribble after attacking closeouts, including a nifty up-and-under that he finished with his left hand after driving into the paint.

Holmgren brought the ball up the floor on several occasions, something rarely seen from a 7-footer. In one instance, he grabbed a defensive rebound and pushed the ball to get the Thunder in transition before delivering a beautiful, 40-foot touch pass to power forward Jaylin Williamsfor a layup.

"That's just new-school basketball," Holmgren said with a smile. "I look forward to making it happen more."
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/37957030/holmgren-return-thunder-little-rusty-start-positive-overall

HE’S BACK !!! …be interesting to see how he progresses and what we did or did not miss lol …let the debates resume lol lol 

Edit: you know guys Holmgren can shoot 3’s …things that make you go Hhmmm

He looks slightly thicker. Maybe he gained around 10 lbs or so. That Thunder team is so talented. I’m still team Paolo all the way lol

[TreyMachine 398]

4 hours ago, MagicMan1979 said:

He looks slightly thicker. Maybe he gained around 10 lbs or so. That Thunder team is so talented. I’m still team Paolo all the way lol

13 lbs reportedly. Went from 195 to 208. Still terribly thin for 7'1" and amazing that's all he could put on in one year of not playing. 

[CTMagicUK 1,482]

3 minutes ago, TreyMachine said:

13 lbs reportedly. Went from 195 to 208. Still terribly thin for 7'1" and amazing that's all he could put on in one year of not playing. 

He was recovering from serious injury it's not like he spent a year exclusively working out. 

[TreyMachine 398]

2 hours ago, CTMagicUK said:

He was recovering from serious injury it's not like he spent a year exclusively working out. 

While your foot is recovering, you very much can eat a ton and workout your upper body every day. He's got an incredible metabolism but such a frail frame because of it. I just don't see him playing more than 50 games in any given season. 

I'll eat my words on that one though as I said something similar about Kevin Durant back in the day. 

[CTMagicUK 1,482]

9 hours ago, TreyMachine said:

While your foot is recovering, you very much can eat a ton and workout your upper body every day. He's got an incredible metabolism but such a frail frame because of it. I just don't see him playing more than 50 games in any given season. 

I'll eat my words on that one though as I said something similar about Kevin Durant back in the day. 

Working out your upper body and not your legs is surely a recipe for further injury though right? You're essentially asking your legs, which aren't getting any stronger, to carry more weight. 

 

[orlandoholic 134]

 

I respect this guys opinion! He’s very knowledgeable of international game..

Kai Sotto is an interesting player. Unfortunately a player that has been i’ll advised over his career. I remember the guy had offers from low class Euroleague team Alba Berlin. They play a great system and he had been at least their backup center. That’s very good for a Euroleague center. 
He chose to play G League ignite instead. It went downhill from there. 

Career has been totally wasted so far. For the Magic, he could be a great two way player going forward. But i question his mentality. He seems to have same issues as Mo Bamba and Bol Bol.. 

[ball junkie 277]

OKC and Dr Chet play at 6 tonight against Memphis …on NBATV …for anyone interested …rumor is he’s gained weight lol I kid, I kid …where’s DJ lol

[fan for too long 2 531]

3 hours ago, ball junkie said:

OKC and Dr Chet play at 6 tonight against Memphis …on NBATV …for anyone interested …rumor is he’s gained weight lol I kid, I kid …where’s DJ lol

Stirring the pot. Seriously does anyone on this board think we made the wrong move on this twig? 

[ball junkie 277]

1 hour ago, fan for too long 2 said:

Stirring the pot. Seriously does anyone on this board think we made the wrong move on this twig? 

Banchero is a great player …but in my eyes a long, long way to go to determine the best player in that draft …and yes Chet could blossom …Pelton had him ranked number 1 by a long way …dude also can shoot 3’s …is that something this team could use ? …Man with Sharpe’s athletic ability and shooting skill he could blossom also .