Summer League 2018

Hoop Head

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Really? I thought he really showed star potential the second half of the season. He had some horrid shooting nights down the stretch but he was impactful on almost every possession. IOW, I thought it was clear that he was a big part of our future.

He showed flashes, for sure, but he looked lost while the team was competing and then once we'd given up, he turned it on. It's tough to judge a players impact when the team isn't really trying that hard. He's got talent, there is no denying that, but I want to see what he brings to the table with Booker and Ayton on the floor with him and we're competing as a team.
 

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Yes it is encouraging about Bender. If all the other guys keep on his case, he might add some aggression to his game.

At this point I'd be fine with someone taking it upon themselves to threaten Bender with physical violence if he's caught passing out of the lane when he's open. I had high hopes for him but if he's still plays as timid as he was last year then I don't think there is any fixing his game.
 

AzStevenCal

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He showed flashes, for sure, but he looked lost while the team was competing and then once we'd given up, he turned it on. It's tough to judge a players impact when the team isn't really trying that hard. He's got talent, there is no denying that, but I want to see what he brings to the table with Booker and Ayton on the floor with him and we're competing as a team.

See, I think Bender and Chriss showed flashes. Jackson showed out almost every game following his conversation with the coach and that included playing alongside Booker. He was looking like a future bust the first two months but I loved the potential he showed after that. He wasn't perfect but he never stopped and he was in on almost every play.
 

Superbone

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Yes it is encouraging about Bender. If all the other guys keep on his case, he might add some aggression to his game.

two more days and we get our first look at our new team and coach... at least it is if I get the SL games on my cable - directTV.
I believe the first two games are on ESPN and the 3rd game is on NBA TV.
 

Hoop Head

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See, I think Bender and Chriss showed flashes. Jackson showed out almost every game following his conversation with the coach and that included playing alongside Booker. He was looking like a future bust the first two months but I loved the potential he showed after that. He wasn't perfect but he never stopped and he was in on almost every play.

Jackson has definitely shown more than Chriss or Bender, even more than both of them combined. I think they've hurt how Suns fans view rookies. Flashes from them are encouraging but you want a top 5 pick to show more than that and Jackson definitely did show more throughout the season. He was a little up and down with his play but not more than typical rookies are. Maybe using flashes wasn't the right way to describe what he showed.

His play was sort of cyclical. He'd look really good for a couple of games and then be so-so for a game or two and then step up a lot more. I think coaching played a part in that though. His role changed too often to see what he's really capable of doing on a regular basis. Towards the end of the year he was pushed into being our #1 option and he did well in that role but then Warren would play and he'd fall back a little bit more. I would have liked to have seen him more assertive offensively when he was sharing the court with Booker and Warren but he might have been told to defer to them more, making it a coaching issue rather than something he was in control of.
 

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Ayton is ranked #1, Jackson #3, Bridges #22, and Bender at #40 on Bleacher Reports top 50 Summer League players list. Bagley is #2, for those that want to know who is between Ayton and Jackson.

Here is a link to the list/article. It has a little blurb on each player also. The writer says Ayton is the most difficult player to contain in the Summer League this year also.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2783292-ranking-the-top-50-players-at-nba-summer-league
 

Mainstreet

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Ayton is ranked #1, Jackson #3, Bridges #22, and Bender at #40 on Bleacher Reports top 50 Summer League players list. Bagley is #2, for those that want to know who is between Ayton and Jackson.

Here is a link to the list/article. It has a little blurb on each player also. The writer says Ayton is the most difficult player to contain in the Summer League this year also.

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2783292-ranking-the-top-50-players-at-nba-summer-league

Ranking Jaren Jackson Jr. at #29, DiVincenzo at #28 and Bamba at #20 is a bit surprising to me.
 

Hoop Head

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Ranking Jaren Jackson Jr. at #29, DiVincenzo at #28 and Bamba at #20 is a bit surprising to me.

I understand that but guys like Bamba and Jaren Jackson played not all that long ago. It's been like 4 months since their last games and both were really raw in college. They haven't even trained with NBA coaches or players yet. So it's guesswork. Meanwhile the 2nd year players like Josh Jackson have played in the NBA now and are in Summer League to fine tune things. Ayton is also facing some real talent, or at least he's playing against Centers with size. Unlike Jaren or Bamba, he had a good collegiate year so it's more about seeing him against some NBA bigs and how he fits with NBA players.
 

JCSunsfan

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The fact that Ayton is #1 and players like Bamba and JJJr are rated that low, shows that all the hand-wringing about Ayton's deficiencies were just click-bait prior to the draft. He was the clear-cut #1 player. Doncic was conceivably #2, but Bagley was not a threat at all. Bagley has great hops and athleticism, but his offensive game is one-handed.
 

AzStevenCal

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Summer league typically hasn't been a great place for big men to shine.
 
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Chris_Sanders

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I got to wait til Wednesday :( I will be super sad if the Suns are a day 2 round 1.
 

Mainstreet

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Here is something on George King wearing eyeglasses. I wondered what happened.

King appeared upset during the rookies' introduction, and was sporting black marks under his eyes. He says now he wasn't angry; he was actually squinting because of the glare of the sun through the windows.

After Wednesday's summer league team workout, King told azcentral sports that he received the two black eyes after a predraft workout with the Utah Jazz. He was using an exercise band to rehab a twisted ankle and, as he was using the band, it slipped off his foot and went straight to his eyes before he could even blink. The band struck his right eye first before hitting underneath his left. Now he has to wear glasses for at least the next two months.

Head coach Igor Kokoskov classified it a “minor injury,” which led to King missing “a couple of practices.”


https://www.azcentral.com/story/spo...-league-phoenix-suns-deandre-ayton/758484002/
 

Hoop Head

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Here is something on George King wearing eyeglasses. I wondered what happened.






https://www.azcentral.com/story/spo...-league-phoenix-suns-deandre-ayton/758484002/

That sounds odd, to say the least. He has 2 black eyes that were caused with 1 band that snapped and hit him in his eye, which is normal or probable, but then it ricochets somehow and hits his other eye right after? Wouldn't his nose keep that from happening? I just don't see how his story is possible.
 

Mainstreet

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That sounds odd, to say the least. He has 2 black eyes that were caused with 1 band that snapped and hit him in his eye, which is normal or probable, but then it ricochets somehow and hits his other eye right after? Wouldn't his nose keep that from happening? I just don't see how his story is possible.

What happens in Utah stays in Utah. ;)

It didn't make complete sense to me either.
 

Finito

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That sounds odd, to say the least. He has 2 black eyes that were caused with 1 band that snapped and hit him in his eye, which is normal or probable, but then it ricochets somehow and hits his other eye right after? Wouldn't his nose keep that from happening? I just don't see how his story is possible.

Lol yeah seems a bit shady to me. Once that band hits one side of your face that's it that's the impact right there it's not gonna have enough force left over to go to the other side of your face lol.

Next thing we are gonna hear Bridges injured his right hand in the shower
 

AzStevenCal

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Is no one else a little concerned by the news that Ayton missed a couple of days because of back soreness?

Also, if you're looking to bet on summer league - find teams with physically mature guys and good guard play. We seem to be short in both areas so I don't expect winning ball right away.
 

CardsSunsDbacks

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Is no one else a little concerned by the news that Ayton missed a couple of days because of back soreness?

Also, if you're looking to bet on summer league - find teams with physically mature guys and good guard play. We seem to be short in both areas so I don't expect winning ball right away.
Not even a little. Because if it was in any way serious he wouldn't have returned to practices and wouldn't be playing the SL games either. I can confidently say that he would have been shut down for SL if it was anything other than minor.
 

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