2023 NBA Summer League Watch Thread

[Luke_FfS 251]

24 minutes ago, JJZFL said:

The reality is that it will take a few more years to definitively have a clear reading on where the players from last years draft rank against each other.  The same is true almost every year, with a few rare exceptions.  

This!

Also, I've never seen a random player of another that is not even a star (Sharpe) mentioned so many times and in so many different topics. Maybe admins should create a section only for him! :P

[ball junkie 277]

Ok so I checked on lottery picks on our current roster …we have 9 …2 we just drafted …but Paolo also played with Mo Bamba who was traded but a very high lottery selection …you also have Cole who was right on the verge of the lottery at 15 and Chuma right behind at 16…as I mentioned earlier 2 of our guys were former number 1 picks .

Then you have Shaq first year …we went 41-41 and just missed out on the playoffs the last night …at that time only 8 teams qualified …Shaq played his first season with exactly 2 guys on our roster who were lottery selections …Nick Anderson(11)and Dennis Scott (4)…I mean look at the roster he played with …talk about scrubs …freakin Jeff Turner lol

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ORL/1993.html

Why do I bring this up ? Compare these rosters as I’ve already done for you …we had all that talent and couldn’t make the playin game …which means just making the top 10 teams in the East …you see what Shaq did his first year …yes HE was a generational player …but far to often I see the same label on Paolo …I actually think Franz will have the better career of the two.

[jmmagicfan 302]

5 minutes ago, ball junkie said:

Ok so I checked on lottery picks on our current roster …we have 9 …2 we just drafted …but Paolo also played with Mo Bamba who was traded but a very high lottery selection …you also have Cole who was right on the verge of the lottery at 15 and Chuma right behind at 16…as I mentioned earlier 2 of our guys were former number 1 picks .

Then you have Shaq first year …we went 41-41 and just missed out on the playoffs the last night …at that time only 8 teams qualified …Shaq played his first season with exactly 2 guys on our roster who were lottery selections …Nick Anderson(11)and Dennis Scott (4)…I mean look at the roster he played with …talk about scrubs …freakin Jeff Turner lol

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ORL/1993.html

Why do I bring this up ? Compare these rosters as I’ve already done for you …we had all that talent and couldn’t make the playin game …which means just making the top 10 teams in the East …you see what Shaq did his first year …yes HE was a generational player …but far to often I see the same label on Paolo …I actually think Franz will have the better career of the two.

Convenient you forgetting Terry Catledge, Bison Dele, and Scott Skiles (who still holds the single game assist record).Throw in Anthony Bowie's defense and Donald Royal attacking the rim, and this team was not just scrubs. Even Jeff Turner was a decent player whose outside game lined up well with Shaq's inside game. I'm not saying it was a great team, it wasn't; but not exactly the "scrubs" you are claiming. Heck, even Clank (Greg Kite) managed to have a 10+ year career in the NBA.

[ball junkie 277]

4 minutes ago, jmmagicfan said:

Convenient you forgetting Terry Catledge, Bison Dele, and Scott Skiles (who still holds the single game assist record).Throw in Anthony Bowie's defense and Donald Royal attacking the rim, and this team was not just scrubs. Even Jeff Turner was a decent player whose outside game lined up well with Shaq's inside game. I'm not saying it was a great team, it wasn't; but not exactly the "scrubs" you are claiming. Heck, even Clank (Greg Kite) managed to have a 10+ year career in the NBA.

Was just reading up on Dele …dude was a head case …said he hardly played in his 2 seasons with the Magic …I remember reading about some incident he had driving a car and some bridge .

Those guys were tough guys for sure …played hard …and I love that team cause we came from nothing …but not even close to the talent that was on our team last year .

[Shine88 89]

1 hour ago, ball junkie said:

Was just reading up on Dele …dude was a head case …said he hardly played in his 2 seasons with the Magic …I remember reading about some incident he had driving a car and some bridge .

Those guys were tough guys for sure …played hard …and I love that team cause we came from nothing …but not even close to the talent that was on our team last year .

Shaq had a floor general veteran in Skiles, who made everybody job easier. Paolo had a second year guy in Franz, who was playing out of position, running point for the first 25 games of his career. Franz looked extremely uncomfortable in that role, and his number took a dip during that period, too. If, we had one of Cole or Fultz during that stretch were in the play-in.

And as far as how many lottery picks we had on our team, it's irrelevant.

[DestroidMengars 22]

1 hour ago, ball junkie said:

Ok so I checked on lottery picks on our current roster …we have 9 …2 we just drafted …but Paolo also played with Mo Bamba who was traded but a very high lottery selection …you also have Cole who was right on the verge of the lottery at 15 and Chuma right behind at 16…as I mentioned earlier 2 of our guys were former number 1 picks .

Then you have Shaq first year …we went 41-41 and just missed out on the playoffs the last night …at that time only 8 teams qualified …Shaq played his first season with exactly 2 guys on our roster who were lottery selections …Nick Anderson(11)and Dennis Scott (4)…I mean look at the roster he played with …talk about scrubs …freakin Jeff Turner lol

https://www.basketball-reference.com/teams/ORL/1993.html

Why do I bring this up ? Compare these rosters as I’ve already done for you …we had all that talent and couldn’t make the playin game …which means just making the top 10 teams in the East …you see what Shaq did his first year …yes HE was a generational player …but far to often I see the same label on Paolo …I actually think Franz will have the better career of the two.

Shaq played three years of college basketball before coming to the NBA. Paolo played one. Do you not understand how much further along in their development players with three years of college ball are compared to those with one year? There's a reason why players with that much college experience are seen as closer to their ceiling than players with one year of college. Shaq's first season is not a reasonable comparison. Do you really think the Magic win 41 games in Shaq's first year if he came out after his freshman year?

[All Eyes On Me 1,213]

I don’t think anybody is saying the Magic FO can’t make mistakes. They’ve made a ton, and I don’t even love this off-season, personally. But Paolo might’ve been a mistake after the rookie season he just had is such a strange hill to pick to die on.

[MagicMan1979 108]

8 hours ago, CTMagicUK said:

If Paolo was a 6'6 SG who committed to (but never played for) Kentucky and averaged less than 10ppg on a team that won less games than the Magic I somehow don't feel like we'd be having a conversation about "should we have drafted Chet Holmgren" brought up by the guy who spent an entire draft cycle burying him at every opportunity.

 

Sharpe didn’t even make the all rookie first team last year.  I think he will be an All Star a 2-3 times though. He has Zach Lavine written all over him. Paolo will most likely make several all NBA teams.  To be clear he is not in the same realm as Shaq with 3 years of college experience lol

[hootie249 293]

At this point Sharpe is going to have to be MJ to justify these dumb conversations. I think ten years from now Paolo will have more ALL-NBA selections then any other person in his draft class.

It's an easy bet,bigs dominate the NBA. Guards can rise to the top but big men still run the league. Curry changed the game and MJ changed the sports world but those guys were one of a kind. Look at the last 5 years, either highly skilled or highly physical big men are winning all the MVP's.

Paolo is just 20 and looked like a man among boys already. 

[MagicMan1979 108]

52 minutes ago, hootie249 said:

At this point Sharpe is going to have to be MJ to justify these dumb conversations. I think ten years from now Paolo will have more ALL-NBA selections then any other person in his draft class.

It's an easy bet,bigs dominate the NBA. Guards can rise to the top but big men still run the league. Curry changed the game and MJ changed the sports world but those guys were one of a kind. Look at the last 5 years, either highly skilled or highly physical big men are winning all the MVP's.

Paolo is just 20 and looked like a man among boys already. 

Couldn’t have said it any better!

[orlandoholic 137]

Keegan Murray and Tre Mann have been the best players of summer league so far.. 

[ball junkie 277]

Yes bigs dominate the NBA but they are Euros that can shoot or athletic as hell like Yannis …unless it’s Anthony Davis who can dominate defensively .

Shaq played 90 games at LSU …Banchero played 40 at Duke …Shaq first year at LSU averaged 14 and 12 …Banchero only year at Duke was 17 and 8 …so similar numbers …but my goodness the next season at LSU Shaq exploded for 28, 15 and throw in 5 blocks a game …Banchero first year with the Magic was 20, 7 and 4 assists a game …only reason Shaq didn’t go to the NBA sooner was because laws restricted it ….so there’s that .

So absolutely no doubt in my mind if Shaq first year played with the talent Banchero had this season they could at minimum make the top 10 teams in the East .

We already discussed the discrepancy in talent with each player first year in the league.

If you want to continue with labeling Banchero as a generational talent have at it but I think it’s too soon.

Looking forward to tonight’s games in summer league …Portland and Houston at 7 and the rockstar Webanyana at 9 for his debut on national TV .

Magic on in prime time tomorrow night on ESPN …get to see Mr Anthony Black.