Las Vegas Summer League Day 6: Studs, Duds
Day six of the Las Vegas Summer League is in the books. Seven more games were played on Wednesday and some big-name players shined while others struggled. Here are the studs and duds from day six:
Studs:
Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls – Through two games, Butler has been extremely impressive as the focal point of the Chicago Bulls. Entering this season, Butler will have a bigger role with the Bulls and he’s showing why in Las Vegas. After finishing with 25 points and seven rebounds in his summer league debut, Butler had another outstanding performance on Wednesday, contributing 24 points on 6-11 shooting from the field as well as seven rebounds. Butler is known for his perimeter defense, but he’s showing his offensive ability here in Las Vegas.
John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks – Henson was dominant in his first summer league game with the Milwaukee Bucks. After sitting out earlier in the week with an undisclosed illness, Henson finished with 20 points on 8-17 shooting, nine rebounds and a block. He was Milwaukee’s best big man, outplaying veteran Larry Sanders. Throughout the draft process, many questioned if Henson would be NBA-ready right away. On Wednesday, he was productive and seemed prepared to face off against NBA-level talent.
Scott Machado, Houston Rockets – Machado had his coming out party on day six of the Las Vegas Summer League. After struggling a little bit earlier in the week, the point guard was moved into the starting lineup and looked comfortable running Houston’s offense. He finished with 20 points on 6-14 shooting from the field, six assists and four steals. Machado will likely receive an invite to the Rockets’ training camp, where he’ll compete for the back-up point guard job.
John Jenkins, Atlanta Hawks – Jenkins has been extremely impressive in Atlanta’s four games. The 23rd overall pick has been one of the best scorers in Las Vegas, proving he’s more than just a spot-up shooter. While he is the best three-point shooter in this year’s draft class, he’s not the one-dimensional player that some labeled him throughout the draft process. On Wednesday, he had 21 points on 8-11 shooting from the field. He’s able to score the ball in a variety of ways and he could be a rotation player for the Hawks this season.
Jae Crowder, Dallas Mavericks – Crowder was excellent on Wednesday afternoon, filling the stat sheet and keeping the Mavericks in the game against the Atlanta Hawks. The 34th overall pick in the draft finished with 20 points, eight rebounds and four steals. It was a great all-around performance from Crowder, who should emerge as a role player for Dallas this season.
Cory Joseph, San Antonio Spurs –With Kawhi Leonard sitting out on Wednesday, the Spurs handed over the reins to Joseph and let him put on a show. Matched up against Eric Bledsoe, Joseph put up 22 points and six assists, keeping the Spurs in the game almost singlehandedly. He was all over the court, making plays on both ends. Joseph and Leonard have formed an impressive one-two punch for the Spurs and both have bright futures in San Antonio.
Adam Morrison, Los Angeles Clippers – Morrison showed that he can still score the ball on day six, finishing with 23 points on 9-13 shooting in the Clippers’ win over the Spurs. After struggling with the Brooklyn Nets in the Orlando Summer League, Morrison has looked good with Los Angeles and could land on an NBA roster if he continues to play like he did on Wednesday.
Duds:
Kendall Marshall, Phoenix Suns – Through two games, Marshall has really struggled in Las Vegas. After going scoreless on Tuesday, Marshall had an even worse performance on day six, finishing with three points on 1-10 shooting from the field. With Austin Rivers sidelined for the New Orleans Hornets, this was an opportunity for Marshall to have a big game and show what he could do. Instead, he was a non-factor.
Thomas Robinson, Sacramento Kings – The fifth overall pick in the draft has looked good at times in Las Vegas, but he struggled offensively on day six. Matched up against veteran Ed Davis, Robinson only contributed seven points on 3-13 shooting from the field. He also committed three turnovers and picked up four fouls. Give Robinson credit though, because when his shot wasn’t falling he still found other ways to help his team, grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out five assists. This wasn’t Robinson’s best game, but he wasn’t awful.
Zoran Dragic, Houston Rockets – Once again, Dragic couldn’t find his shot on Wednesday, finishing with four points on 1-8 shooting from the field. Through four games, Dragic is shooting 24.1 percent from the field, and he hasn’t emerged as a contributor for the Rockets. If Dragic had showed up in Las Vegas and played well, there may have been a spot for him on Houston’s guard-depleted roster. Now, it seems unlikely that he’ll make the team.
Festus Ezeli, Golden State Warriors – Ezeli has been impressive in Las Vegas, but he struggled to find his shot against the Miami Heat on Wednesday. Matched up against Dexter Pittman, Ezeli finished with zero points on 0-5 shooting from the field. He was also outrebounded by Miami’s frontcourt, grabbing just four boards in the game. While he contributed three blocks, it wasn’t Ezeli’s best performance.
Terrel Harris, Miami Heat – While Harris contributed 10 points in Miami’s narrow loss to the Golden State Warriors, he was incredibly inefficient. He couldn’t find his shot, finishing 2-11 from the field. He also picked up eight fouls, which allowed the Warriors to pick up plenty of easy points from the charity stripe.
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