Summer League Winds Down

Editor’s Note, this originally was scheduled to run July 15th, but due to some technical difficulties is posting today. Thanks again, to CLF , who wrote this, for all his coverage throughout Summer League play.

Summer League Recap 1: Lakers 94, Cavs 83

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQpfNAIPFbg

Thursday was the first night of the Vegas playoffs with the Cavs ranked Second overall. They ran into a buzzsaw in the form of the Los Angeles Lakers, who controlled the game from the jump.  If I recall correctly, the Cavs never held a lead in this game. Here are the takeaways.

1. This was the worst defensive performance of the summer from the Cavs. Lonzo Ball was able to distribute the ball to his bigs all night.  You can’t help but wonder how Brandon Paul would’ve fared against Ball given the success of the starting unit’s defense with Brandon in the lineup . If there was a bright spot on defense, it was Edy Taveres, who contributed three blocks for the night in limited action.
2. The offense was a mixed bag. While they did score 83, which is not bad for Summer League, they shot a miserable 36% from the field and 7.7% (1-13) from three. Kay Felder finally had a “breakout,” but had an extremely cold start to the game, and it took him 26 shots to score 25 points. He did heat up and carry the team back into the game in the 3rd quarter. Kay has got to get better getting into a rhythm immediately if he’s every going to get any kind of bench role with Cleveland.
3. Cleveland’s other main offensive weapon last night was Sir’Dominic Pointer, who scored 11 (5-8 FGs) off the bench in 19 minutes. Pointer brought great energy and playmaking and has to be gaining in confidence after a few solid performances.
4. I need to give a shout out to Anthony Gill, who quietly delivered 9 points on 4-7 shooting and 10 rebounds in 26 minutes. He’s been a great glue guy for the starting lineup.
5. The shooting guards didn’t deliver tonight in Brandon Paul’s absence. TJ Williams got the start in place of Brandon Paul and proceeded to go 2-16 FGs for the night in 30 minutes of action. He had been playing a combo/point guard with the second unit, so it might not have been fair to him to play off the ball so much with the starting unit.  He clearly wasn’t comfortable and had an extremely poor performance.
6. Andrew White III was also bad in the two-guard spot.  He went 0-4 on the night and wasn’t effective on defense either. His most memorable play of the night was getting blown by a Lakers’ player on a drive. With Felder dominating the ball for the starting unit, it may have made more sense for White to get some run with the starting unit to open the floor up and provide a better spot up shooter to run alongside Felder.
7. One thing to remember about the Lakers’ summer squad is how much talent they developing this summer.  They have a lottery pick who will most definitely start this year in Lonzo Ball, who finished with 16 points, 10 boards, and 12 dimes. Ball has steadily improved his play over the summer and was in complete control of the game. He can’t shoot yet, and the points might end up being the hardest part of triple doubles for him. He has elite vision and passing skills though. Check out this dime against the Nets.
8. Ball is also already a legit sensation. His triple triple double highlights against the Cavs already have multiple videos with over a Million hits on YouTube. He may get that billion dollar shoe deal.
9. They have a surefire NBA player in Kyle Kuzma, a perfect small ball big who has great chemistry with Ball. Travis Wear is another bench big that should be on the Lakers’ roster come November. The Lakers were also sporting the 2016-17 D-League’s MVP in Vander Blue. In short, the Lakers are using Summer League to develop a lot of pieces that should contribute to their squad this season.

The Cavs got a chance to rebound Friday against the 3-1 Toronto summer squad.

Summer League Recap 2: Cavs 78, Raptors 75 (OT)

Saturday, the Cavs wrapped up their summer season on a high note, beating the summer Raptors 78-75 in a close battle that went to overtime. The Cavs and Raptors sat their most “valuable” assets, so the second units for both teams had a chance to shine especially given the short rotations. Some observations:

1. The Cavs defense stepped it up, holding Toronto to 38% shooting from the field, 26% from three. The Cavs went smaller tonight starting four guards, Sir’Dominic Pointer, Roosevelt Jones, Andrew White, and TJ Williams, along with Edy Taveres. The Cavs stayed small with bringing Sam Cassell Jr. and Gerald Beverly off the bench for a seven-man rotation. A recurring theme has been the Cavs being able to keep long, athletic, quick perimeter players on the court that allowed for the suffocating defense all over the court. The Cavs brought great discipline in their switching and were able to eke out enough energy in spite of their condensed schedule and rotation.
2. The star for tonight was SirDominic Pointer with 14 points off 7-14 shooting, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 7 steals, and 2 blocks. He had great energy from start to finish and his handprints were all over this game. One thing about Pointer is certain, he’s playing like he wants a job… and there’s definitely opportunity here with Cleveland to fill a role off the bench.
3. TJ Williams had a bit of a bounce back game after last game’s disaster, with 21 points off 6-19 shooting from the field. Williams is infinitely better with the ball in his hands at PG. He was hot early, cooled off later as fatigue took hold. But Williams was able to make plays late when it mattered helping pull off the comeback win. Williams has an NBA body, but needs to work on dribble and shooting if he wants a future in the NBA. His handle and his J aren’t up to snuff yet.
4. Andrew White also bounced back a bit with 18 points off 6-16 shooting, including 3-5 from three, plus 6 rebounds. He was at his best when he came off screens and his teammates fed him. He didn’t look good making his own shot. He did flash on the defensive end a couple of times, which is a great sign for his future potential as a 3 and D player. While he may not have been the most impressive Cavs of the summer, his shooting and NBA body have to be benefits worth future consideration.
5. I do need to give a shout out to Edy Taveres. He improved as Summer League progressed. He looked better in the PnR action and looked more active on defense with 3 blocks and 11 rebounds, including 9 defensive rebounds. Kudos to him for staying on his grind.

Congrats to the summer Cavs on going down with a fight. The Cavs have at least two guys who will be on the roster at the start of training camp, and one more who should get a legit shot at at least a two-way contract, in Pointer.

Parting Thoughts.

1. The NBA Summer League is officially a thing now. NBA legends came out to watch the festivities, along with NBA coaches and players, including our own LeBron James. There were sold out games and high-level competition, even if the skill was lacking at times. Summer League has morphed into the preview showcase for the rookie class as well and the 2017 class did not disappoint. And now with two-way contracts, I expect Summer League to grow and prosper.
2. It was very cool to see LeBron at Summer League. As soon as he entered the arena, everyone was aware of his presence, and he alone elevated the energy of a rather ordinary game. I also loved the fact he came in to watch Lonzo Ball on a random night as opposed to the sold-out opening weekend… it tells me that LeBron is a die hard fan of basketball.  He wasn’t there to be seen, he was there to watch. Also, commentators speculated that LeBron might’ve been there to help scout the Cavs’ potential opponents in the pending playoff game.  Having the best player in the world at Summer League says something positive to me.
3. The rookies at Summer League acquitted themselves very well. Some standouts include Jayson Tatum, Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith Jr., Josh Jackson, DeAaron Fox, Donavan Mitchell… there’s more names I’m forgetting.  Another cool story about the rookies was how Celtic Jaylon Brown arranged a night out for all of the rookies who were too young to drink. While such judgments are superficial, it really seems like there’s a ton of young, talented, high-character guys coming into the league… and I can’t help thinking that LeBron James is a looming figure that influences these guys today.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s been a pleasure to cover Summer League with CtB for you… GO CAVS!!!