NBA Rookie Watch

Jul 18, 2013

 

The NBA Summer League kicked off this July, and eager-to-play rookies took the court in either Orlando or Las Vegas. Though Summer League performance doesn’t always translate to NBA success, it does sometimes offer us glimpses of things to come. So far there’s been some surprise successes and some major disappointments.

The Good:

Victor Oladipo, 1^st pick, Orlando Magic

Oladipo averaged 19 PPG off .375% shooting, 4.3 RPG, 5 APG, and 3 steals per game. Though the former Indiana guard’s scoring wasn’t efficient, the 1^st pick of the draft wasn’t selected for his scoring. Orlando picked him for his tenacity and hustle, something he brought with him to the Summer League. His 3 steals was tied for highest in the league.

Kelly Olynyk, 13^th pick, Boston Celtics (via trade with Dallas Mavericks)

Olynyk, the Celtics’ potential replacement for Kevin Garnett at power forward, has been a surprise bright spot for Boston this Summer League. He’s averaged 18 PPG, .578% FG, and 7.8 RPG. He definitely appears ready to fill the massive shoes Garnett left behind at the TD Garden this year.

The Bad:

Shabazz Muhammed, 14^th pick, Minnesota Timberwolves (via trade with Utah Jazz)

When the Timberwolves traded PG Trey Burke for Shabazz Muhammed, they were hoping to get an aggressive scorer. As they’re now finding out, the 20-year old forward out of UCLA might not be that person. Muhammed hasn’t had a big impact in many of the Summer League games, and his play has lacked aggression. He has averaged only 9.8 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 0.8 APG.

The Ugly:

Ben McLemore, 7^th pick, Sacramento Kings

Touted as the steal of the draft on draft night, McLemore was supposed to be one of the most NBA-ready players in his class. Unfortunately for the Sacramento Kings, he has looked to be all hype so far. The Kansas guard has shown many weaknesses, including poor shooting and dribbling. He also shot a lowly .281% from the floor, with a total of zero assists. As if the Kings didn’t have enough troubles, their 1^st-round draft pick couldn’t even throw one good pass all Summer League.