HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

Day four of the Las Vegas Summer League is in the books. Seven more games were played on Monday and some big-name players shined while others struggled. Here are the studs and duds from day four:

Studs

Jimmer Fredette, Sacramento Kings – After struggling earlier the week, Fredette delivered the dominant performance that the Kings were hoping to see. Sacramento lost to the Houston Rockets because he didn’t receive any help, but he was able to score at will and keep the team in the game. Fredette finished with 30 points on 10-21 shooting from the field in addition to four rebounds and three assists. Rather than settling for jump shots, Fredette was attacking the basket and drawing contact. After not being able to find his shot and ending up on the list of duds several days ago, this was a much-needed great performance from Fredette.

Dominique Jones, Dallas Mavericks – For the second straight day, Jones is listed as a stud because he finished with 21 points on 6-12 shooting. On Monday afternoon, he won on the individual match-up against Toronto Raptors lottery pick Terrence Ross. After scoring 32 points on Sunday, Jones was able to do whatever he wanted against the rookie, finishing at the rim and knocking down jump shots. Not only did he score the ball early and often, he was also able to get his teammates involved. Dallas remains undefeated in Summer League play and Jones is a big reason for that.

Ed Davis, Toronto Raptors – Davis delivered another impressive performance on Monday afternoon, finishing with 21 points on 9-14 shooting from the field and seven rebounds. Terrence Ross’ scoring has slowed down a bit over the last two games so Davis has picked up the slack. He’s doing an excellent job scoring down low and he played well against the Dallas Mavericks’ Bernard James, who is a good defender. Davis has also taken on a leadership role on the Raptors, helping his young teammates adjust and doing whatever he can to make sure their transition from college to the NBA is smooth.

Royce White, Houston Rockets – White was making plays all over the court on Monday and nearly finished with a triple-double. The rookie forward had 11 points on 4-6 shooting in addition to 10 rebounds and seven assists in the Rockets’ win over the Sacramento Kings. White struggled in Houston’s first two games, but he seems to be getting comfortable. Earlier in the week, he wasn’t standing out, with Jeremy Lamb and Terrence Jones leading the way for the Rockets. However, on Monday, White was very impressive and it was hard to miss him.

Norris Cole, Miami Heat – Cole’s stats from day four don’t jump off the page, but he had a very efficient game. The second-year point guard had 13 points on 3-4 shooting from the field in addition to nine assists. Miami beat the Los Angeles Lakers by 50 points and Cole led the way with his scoring and facilitating. He turned the ball over just one time, ran the offense and helped lift the Heat to 2-0.

Duds

Antoine Wright, Los Angeles Clippers – Wright couldn’t find his shot on Monday evening and he was a non-factor in the Clippers’ loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He went 0-9 from the field and didn’t score a single point. He also struggled on the defensive end, picking up five fouls as he tried to guard Wes Johnson and Derrick Williams. Wright is a veteran who should be comfortable in this setting. He’s trying to prove that he belongs in the league and he can’t afford any more lackluster performances like the one he delivered on Monday.

Austin Rivers, New Orleans Hornets – For the second straight day, Rivers struggled. He finished with just 6 points on 1-6 shooting and he picked up five fouls in the Hornets’ loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Rivers makes a lot of mistakes that are common from young players. When his man scores, he wants to come back down the court and answer, even if there are better plays to be made. There are still a lot of questions surrounding him, starting with what position will he play in New Orleans? In two games, he has struggled at point guard and Eric Gordon will get the bulk of the minutes at shooting guard for the Hornets. Rivers will continue to get better, but he has a lot to learn.

Larry Sanders, Milwaukee Bucks – Sanders is one of Milwaukee’s veterans and while he has done a great job leading the team and making all of the young guys feel like part of the group, he struggled on Monday. The forward had just four points on 2-6 shooting and he picked up 10 fouls in the Bucks’ win over the New Orleans Hornets. Jarrid Famous was much more effective off of the bench, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes. Sanders is capable of dominating in this environment, as he has shown in the past, and he needs to bounce back in Milwaukee’s second game.

Jordan Taylor, Atlanta Hawks – Taylor really struggled in 21 minutes off of the bench. He finished with just four points on 2-12 shooting from the field. He also picked up four fouls in that stretch. The rookie guard was able to dish out five assists and didn’t commit a single turnover, but he needs to take better shots and limit his fouls going forward.

Los Angeles Lakers – For the second time this week, the entire Lakers team is on the list of duds. They were dreadful on Monday, losing by 50 points to the Miami Heat. The Lakers are currently 0-3 and it’s hard to imagine this team winning a game given how poorly everyone has played. The team shot 26.5 percent from the field and let Miami shoot 52.7 percent. They shot 16.7 percent from beyond the arc. They turned the ball over 24 times to Miami’s nine turnovers. The Lakers have been hard to watch through three games and they’ll need Darius Morris and Andrew Goudelock to deliver huge performances if they want to snap their losing streak.