Vegas summer league game 2 thoughts:
-the team as a whole wasn't very good until the 4th quarter when they ramped up the intensity and defense. We shot 6-22 from 3 and missed 11 free throws and gave up 12 offensive rebounds as well. In a game we lost by 5, those counting stats stand out, not to mention some of the poor shot selection on individual possessions down the stretch.
-the "Wemby's a bust" narrative was fun while it lasted. He was by far the best player in the court tonight and got better as the game went on. He looked really good operating out of the mid post, and the coaching staff did a better job being intentional of getting him touches there. He continues to show off very impressive vision and passing ability, he would have had a couple assists if guys could finish. As he becomes more of a threat scoring, the more his assist numbers will go up because of the attention he commands. He did leave some points at the free throw line going 7-12, but his aggressiveness was good to see. He's still gotta get stronger, but this is the Wemby we all know he can be. Excellent in defense again with 3 blocks, 1 steal, and only committed 1 foul.
-Wesley was the only other guy that I thought had a good game. 14 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 0 turnovers, and a steal. He played really hard and helped get us back in the game along with Wemby. He really struggled navigating around screens on defense, but he moved his feet better on that end tonight. The quick 3 he took when it was a 1 point game was a killer, but that was far the most egregious **** during that end stretch.
-Branham was bad. No other way to put it. 1-17 shooting ain't gonna cut it and he's still not a good defender. The worst part about it is that he was taking shots late in the 4th when we needed to give the ball to the hot hand, and he sure wasn't it.
-Champagnie finally came back down to earth tonight. He at least didn't force any shots and was ok on the defensive. He also rebounds pretty well for a wing.
-Barlow showed some really nice touch from the midrange in his jumpers and he continues to love his feet on switches to smaller players really well. However, he was not good in the paint on either end. Portland's physical bigs wore him out on the glass and he didn't finish around the rim on offense.
-Cissoko had his best offensive night. 8 points, 2-2 from 3, 2 assists, and 0 turnovers. I thought this was his worst defensive game. Too many cheap fouls where he jumps or reaches for no good reason, and he needed to be more active on the boards.