As the NBA 2014 Summer League has started, so we took time to look at some performance by the high-profile rookies of the NBA. Of course it now seems like it was just yesterday when the NBA Championship was won by the San Antonio Spurs as they took the Larry O’Brien Trophy and now touring the trophy around the World. But, yes the pro basketball is back and it’s in the form of the NBA’s Summer League play.
This NBA Summer League was primarily programmed for the rookies as it becomes the first opportunity for the general public and other to see the newly drafted and even some undrafted players starting out play with their new teams for the upcoming 2014 Regular season. Interesting for the fans that bet the NBA at their favorite Sportbook,
In the first day in Orlando the play went something like this for some of the few standout first year players in the NBA.
Even in that it really doesn’t mean a lot, the Miami Heat rookie Shabazz Napier had a difficult time hitting the basket on that first day. As the Heat lost to the Celtics 85-77 the rookie Napier was only able to complete just three of his fifteen shots from the court and from the three point range he only completed three of nine attempts.
In that game for the Celtics’ their rookie Marcus Smart played with the winning team and his shooting was a lot better than that of Napier of the Heat. He made some 10 points, making two of 8 shots from the court. He was a prospect for his shooting from the outside. However, in this game, it still appeared as a weakness as he did not make any of his five shots from the 3 point zone. On defense, he really looked good as he had a blocked shot, five steals, and five rebounds and added three assists. He will sooner or later be a team player as he has a lot to offer to the Celtics roster.
For Napier of the Celtics, one must not be too critical of his early shooting percentages. For example, last summer the rookie for the Utah Jazz Trey Burke had a very cold summer league as a shooter, but in his 1st season with the Jazz after an early injury, came back and had a good first year with Utah as he averaged 5.7 assists and 12.8 points per game in that first season. The same could be true for Napier as he gets it all together.
The hoop fans of the Philadelphia 76ers were pleased with the performance of rookie Nerleans Noel in the first game, since in his first season 2013-2014 he sat out. However, now he appears prepared to shine after his rookie season was delayed. He managed to score some 19 points, made four steals and one blocked shot. Defensively, he appeared to have good motion, light on his feet and made two rebounds as the Orlando Magic beat the 76ers 83-77 in that summer league game.
The Orlando Magic’s rookie Aaron Gordon displayed his talent that made the team take him as their 4th pick overall in the NBA draft of 2014. He displayed some very intimidating defensive plays as he had five rebounds and hit for seven points in the game.
The Houston Rockets have a rookie, Nick Johnson that you maybe feel you should not be watching this 2014 season, but after his first summer league game, maybe you should be. He really had what many call a nasty slam in that Day 1 game, while making 18 points, having three assists and then making 5 rebounds as his team lost to the Detroit Pistons. He’s big and physical and could be a great athletic guard who may just make some noise to be heard in Houston for the 2014 Regular NBA Season.