Who Impressed Me In Day Two In Orlando
Simply put, some players have it and others don’t. Here’s who I thought had it in Day Two in Orlando.
- James Harden: His toughness is a very underrated characteristic in his game. He gets credited for his high IQ and his playmaking skills a lot. Those are the easy traits to pick up on when you watch him. Look closer and you’ll see how Harden’s pacing is perhaps his best attribute, while his toughness is his most unheralded. Maybe it’s because he’s such a soft-spoken, laid-back cat. But that toughness rears its ugly head from time to time. It was on display during the season, when not only did he not back down from Kobe Bryant in the playoffs, but he went right back at him. And it was on display throughout Tuesday’s matchup against Gerald Henderson, who is lauded for his defensive skills. A scene that took place during pre-game warmups set the stage. As Henderson jogged the length of the court, crossing into the Thunder’s half of the hardwood his high-kicking legs caught Harden’s eye. The Thunder’s guard then stared him down as he trotted back on his end. Could have been nothing. Could have been everything. To me it showed Harden sizing up his opponent. And when you watched the way Harden went at Henderson throughout the game you knew Harden took this matchup as a personal challenge. The two held and pushed, grabbed and grappled. They had to be separated on more than one occasion. When Henderson complained to the ref before an inbounds pass about how Harden was body checking him with his arms spread wide, Harden came right back and did the same thing. You can’t fake that kind of fortitude. Remember that as you delight in Harden’s development. Remember it even when his sky-walking dunks, lights-out shooting and pinpoint passes push to define his game.
- Eric Maynor: As I said Monday and wrote about for Wednesday, Maynor is blossoming into one of the best backups in the league. His patience, poise and maturity are assets that make up for his shortcomings. His a skinny little something who’s generously listed at 6-3. He doesn’t have superb quickness and isn’t a great perimeter shooter. But he’s a floor general who thinks the game and never rushes. As Charlotte summer league coach Dave Hanners told me, “He kept them in the game tonight.” Maynor has shades of Sam Cassell. He’s emerging as a leader and has tremendous competitiveness. All of the above was on display against the Bobcats, as Maynor did whatever he had, whenever he had to, for his Thunder to win. Unfortunately for him, a buzzer-beater by Jeremy Pargo prevented it from happening.
- Derrick Favors: Dude will be a monster. He can post, step away from the basket, run the floor and finish on the break. And when he gets it on the block, he can turn either direction and finish with both hands. I’d like to see him hit the glass harder than he has through the first two days, though. But offensively, he will be hard to stop when he gets the hang of things. He showed toughness and composure Tuesday after a sluggish start Monday. And his body is extremely well built. With a great coaching staff in New Jersey that includes Avery Johnson and Sam Mitchell, look for Favors to develop fast.
- Magnum Rolle: He has taken Orlando by storm. He never stops hustling. He goes after every rebound, contests every shot and plays every possession like it’s his lasts. And that’s just on the defensive end. Offensively, he can knock down mid-range jumpers with consistency and bang in the post although he needs to get stronger. On one possession Tuesday, Rolle grabbed an offensive rebound with four Nets players in front of him. Rolle reminds me of a smarter, more interested, less athletic Tyrus Thomas. Not a bad set of tools.
- Damion James: With the Nets’ coaching staff sitting front row, and Avery Johnson barking more instructions than any other head coach here, the rookie from Texas proved he’ll do anything you need him to do. James displayed all-out hustle against Indiana in the final game of the night and a soft shooting touch for good measure. James is equally adept at finishing at the rim, showing more craftiness than I remember seeing from him at Texas. James will carve out a career because of his hustle on both ends alone. But he looks to have real skills to match.
Others of note: Derrick Brown (Charlotte), Tony Gaffney (Boston), Luke Harangody (Boston), Gerald Henderson (Charlotte), Jrue Holiday (Philadelphia), Oliver Lafayette (Boston), Jodie Meeks (Philadelphia), Terrence Williams (New Jersey), Lance Stephenson (Indiana).
QUICK HITS
- Kyle Weaver played a nice all-around game today, bouncing back from a disappointing debut Monday. One sequence highlighted his day. On one offensive trip, he spotted Latavious Williams running the floor and hit him with a nice bounce pass for a two-handed dunk. Then, on defense, Weaver came up with a steal and drove coast-to-coast for a layup.
- Byron Mullens showed great patience in the post today. When he got the ball on the block, he looked as though he had a plan. His shots weren’t falling but he worked hard all night.
- D.J. White went 5-for-5 in the first half and 0-for-5 in the second. His defense, however, was much better in Day Two.
- Bobcats guard Denis Clemente had five fouls, two turnovers and one assists while going scoreless in 12 minutes. And yet I liked his tenacity pressuring the ball and his speed and quickness with the rock in his hands. He might not ever make it in the NBA but someone somewhere will definitely be able to use him.
- I’m still waiting for Paul Paul George to show me why the Pacers selected him 10th overall. He settles for 3-pointers, doesn’t really rebound and doesn’t appear capable of making his teammates better.
- George’s teammate Lance Stephenson shook off a disappointing first half and played much better in the second. But New Jersey’s Terrence Williams, a bigger, stronger player than Orlando’s Jerome Randle, still gave Stephenson a few fits. Stephenson was the talk of the league on the opening day. He turned in a so-so performance on the second day but deserves credit for fighting off a poor first half. We’ll see how he performs Wednesday.
- Evan Turner is disappointing the masses here. Plenty have said he looks like he’s coasting and largely uninterested. After his debut Monday he said he hasn’t played five-on-five in months because he was prepping for the pre-draft circuit. But the larger issue, as one scout told me, was he appears to need the ball in his hands to be effective. That could pose a problem in Philadelphia with emerging young gun Jrue Holiday. At times Tuesday, the Sixers even took Holiday off the ball to get Turner involved. It’ll be interesting to see how new cocah Doug Collins handles that dynamic in November.
- No matter what happens the last three days, Orlando’s Patrick Ewing Jr. and Donell Taylor have earned spots on the All-Jack-It-Up team. These two gunners have combined to take 57 shots in two days.
- Gordon Hayward bounced back fairly well after a mediocre debut. He showed a little more of his offensive game Tuesday but still has periods where he gets lost in the mix. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and saying he is trying to run the sets.
- Daniel Orton didn’t do well offensively in his second outing. But his defense was much better and he stayed out of foul trouble. I liked that he looks like he loves to contest every shot that goes up and isn’t afraid to be physical. There are plenty of guys his size that can’t get those two things down so at least he has a good foundation to start from.
-DM-
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Thats for the great info. Your may also wnat to consider some interesting facts on Orlando, Florida. Originally the center of a major citrus growing region, Orlando is a city now heavily urbanized with various industries. The area is a major tourist destination and is the home of Universal Orlando Resort, and SeaWorld Orlando and the orlando escorts.
I really don’t understand why some are disappointed with what Evan Turner has displayed in the two summer league games.
Even when his shot wasn’t falling, he was able to get to the line with ease, making all his foul shots. And he has taken less than 7 shots in each game, I believe. His presence was felt in so many other ways with his defense, tenacity, rebounding and passing. He brought order to the court when he was handling the ball as well. Jrue and ET on the same floor should not be a problem at all. ET is still learning how to play off the ball, we’re just only 2 summer league games in. With his heralded work ethic, he will be fine.