Pelicans Summer League Thread & Schedule

I would think there is an injury given you have current guys on the roster (i.e., Marshall) that are playing some in the games this summer.

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Originally Posted by MichaelMcNamara

Chet will be above avg defensively from day one. The offensive numbers, however, were a bit misleading and I expect him to struggle a bit on that end when an easy shot isn?t created for him. I really liked guard Jaylen Williams. Poku is a disaster.

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Chet got the benefit of running circles around Taco Fall for the majority of the night, but you have to love the flashes from 3. Dieng was brutal. Poku is not long for the league.

I disagree. I don’t know what was shown on TV, but live, Dieng was super impressive and way ahead of where I thought he was. He is so smooth and covers so much ground so easily. Handle looked amazing. Now, he did have the NAW syndrome where he could get wherever he wants and looks so great with the ball but misses the shot. Still, I was crazy impressed. Like he is way ahead of Poku already and a lot of the other 22, 23 year old prospects I saw last night

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Originally Posted by MichaelMcNamara

I disagree. I don’t know what was shown on TV, but live, Dieng was super impressive and way ahead of where I thought he was. He is so smooth and covers so much ground so easily. Handle looked amazing. Now, he did have the NAW syndrome where he could get wherever he wants and looks so great with the ball but misses the shot. Still, I was crazy impressed. Like he is way ahead of Poku already and a lot of the other 22, 23 year old prospects I saw last night

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The handle was nice. Weird fit with what they have, though. That may be the worst shooting team in basketball this season. If the shooting isn't there for Dieng, he's not going to succeed because he has no explosion. That was evident last night against a horrible Jazz summer league team. I'm still a fan of the jumper though

Yeah, all the guys won’t make it. At least not on OKC. Impossible for that money young guys to develop at one. I would bet on Chet and wing Williams though for sure.

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Originally Posted by MichaelMcNamara

Yeah, all the guys won’t make it. At least not on OKC. Impossible for that money young guys to develop at one. I would bet on Chet and wing Williams though for sure.

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Yea Williams whole draft thing was weird. I never heard anyone say he wouldn't be a good pro. Well if that's the case, why didn't you consistently mock him in the lottery? Never made sense, but glad he did end up going in the lotto

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Originally Posted by pelafanatic

Chet got the benefit of running circles around Taco Fall for the majority of the night, but you have to love the flashes from 3. Dieng was brutal. Poku is not long for the league.

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I tried to ignore the fact that Taco was on the court...NOT easy to do. IF Chet can shoot the 3 as well as I think he can, he will be a REALLY tough cover, for just about any legit 5. I'm not sure you can (or SHOULD) EVEN leave your "average" 5 on the court vs Chet. Would just be too easy for him to get open looks. Obviously, has work to do on other aspects of his offense. Gonna be really interesting to see IF Chet can learn to take advantage inside...of any "small ball 5". I foresee a whole bunch of SB5s...in Chet's future.

Blocks out...sets screens...seems willing and able to play pretty solid D away from the hoop. Interior defense...? Forgittaboutit...and if he gains some weight...gonna be one of the greatest defenders of all-time. Will need a bit of "protection" from overly aggressive, less-talented 5s in the beginning...but that's just gonna be part of their job, for those 3 guys out there with whistles. It's the NBA...they can always find a way to maximize any rising "superstar."

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Originally Posted by pelafanatic

Yea Williams whole draft thing was weird. I never heard anyone say he wouldn't be a good pro. Well if that's the case, why didn't you consistently mock him in the lottery? Never made sense, but glad he did end up going in the lotto

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I thought the same thing, was surprised the BSS boys didn't talk much about Jalen Williams.

I had Chet #1 on my board and looking good now. Will be the best player from this draft 5 years from now.

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Originally Posted by luckyman

I had Chet #1 on my board and looking good now. Will be the best player from this draft 5 years from now.

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Yea, he may be very good eventually. In the meantime undrafted Kenny Lofton Jr just took his lunch money. I think we need to stop declaring people superstars or busts in the Summer League.

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Originally Posted by Freyfamilyreuni

Yea, he may be very good eventually. In the meantime undrafted Kenny Lofton Jr just took his lunch money. I think we need to stop declaring people superstars or busts in the Summer League.

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On the one hand, yes you have to be very careful about declaring people superstars or busts in Summer League. In fact, you should never do it.

On the other hand, he didn't say Chet is a superstar today, he said he's going to be the best player in the draft in 5 years time, which is a very different statement - and a much more reasonable one.

Some things don't translate from Summer League (FG% is a huge one) but some things actually do, and Chet is doing well in most of the common factors.

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Originally Posted by Freyfamilyreuni

Yea, he may be very good eventually. In the meantime undrafted Kenny Lofton Jr just took his lunch money. I think we need to stop declaring people superstars or busts in the Summer League.

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Chet's all that and much more. And, I'd bet the farm he will play more than 85 games in the next three years and actually earns his Max Deal in 2025.

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Originally Posted by As I See It

Chet's all that and much more. And, I'd bet the farm he will play more than 85 games in the next three years and actually earns his Max Deal in 2025.

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Chet will be good but he won't reach his max potential until they get a big next to him. Would've been very interesting if OKC used a few of their firsts on Rudy Gobert, much better fit & scarier duo than him & KAT.

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Originally Posted by MG3n2K9

Chet will be good but he won't reach his max potential until they get a big next to him. Would've been very interesting if OKC used a few of their firsts on Rudy Gobert, much better fit & scarier duo than him & KAT.

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OKC isn't concerned about anyone reaching their max anything right now, and they're not concerned with winning either, which is what a Gobert move would indicate. I honestly think they're one of the worst developmental environments in the NBA. Just legions of young, unproven guys. Half of them lauded prospects, half of them grab-bag UDFAs or second rounders trying to work out how to play basketball, in a completely defunct team context with zero defined roles and very few real veterans or culture setters. The dead end of basketball.

The oldest member of their rotation last year was Kenrich Williams: he was the only player on the Thunder who got more than 1000 minutes who is older than 23. He's 27.

I'm sure at some point within the next few years they'll have solidified who they actually care about - of course, by that time they'll all be due max rookie extensions lmao - and will move back into actual basketball but that's not in their immediate future.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

On the one hand, yes you have to be very careful about declaring people superstars or busts in Summer League. In fact, you should never do it.

On the other hand, he didn't say Chet is a superstar today, he said he's going to be the best player in the draft in 5 years time, which is a very different statement - and a much more reasonable one.

Some things don't translate from Summer League (FG% is a huge one) but some things actually do, and Chet is doing well in most of the common factors.

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I suppose. It's just that the salivating over Chet's future after one Summer League game (against a team with almost no NBA talent on it) is a little much. Arguably Murray has had a better Summer League but I haven't heard anyone annointing him as the next great player.

I think what we saw in his first two Summer League games showed off both his promise and the concerns a lot of people had about him. He's got a very good skill set for a guy his height. But he's not terribly athletic and there still remains a big concern about his ability to handle NBA's physical play. So far nothing I've seen has changed my mind about his pros and cons.

Maybe he looked that good in the first game because Tacko Fall is that bad. Or maybe he came down to earth in the second game because Lofton is better than his position in the draft. Or the truth may be somewhere in between.

I like him as a prospect. I'm concerned about his ability to put on muscle and weight in the NBA. Ultimately I still think the jury's out on him. And I don't see any reason to take one game as evidence that he's the best player in the draft especially since we haven't seen Jabari or Paolo yet.

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Originally Posted by As I See It

Chet's all that and much more. And, I'd bet the farm he will play more than 85 games in the next three years and actually earns his Max Deal in 2025.

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I'm sorry I forgot to ask how you were doing. Yesterday must have been a tough day for you.

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Originally Posted by Freyfamilyreuni

I suppose. It's just that the salivating over Chet's future after one Summer League game (against a team with almost no NBA talent on it) is a little much. Arguably Murray has had a better Summer League but I haven't heard anyone annointing him as the next great player.

I think what we saw in his first two Summer League games showed off both his promise and the concerns a lot of people had about him. He's got a very good skill set for a guy his height. But he's not terribly athletic and there still remains a big concern about his ability to handle NBA's physical play. So far nothing I've seen has changed my mind about his pros and cons.

Maybe he looked that good in the first game because Tacko Fall is that bad. Or maybe he came down to earth in the second game because Lofton is better than his position in the draft. Or the truth may be somewhere in between.

I like him as a prospect. I'm concerned about his ability to put on muscle and weight in the NBA. Ultimately I still think the jury's out on him. And I don't see any reason to take one game as evidence that he's the best player in the draft especially since we haven't seen Jabari or Paolo yet.

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I don't think anybody is "salivating" over him after one summer league game. He has a body of work up till now that's more than the last 2 days.

And much of what we like has to do with his overall game and potential. Not the short comings while he weighs 105 lbs at 20 years old.

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Originally Posted by As I See It

Chet's all that and much more. And, I'd bet the farm he will play more than 85 games in the next three years and actually earns his Max Deal in 2025.

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Good take

I still don’t think people quite understand the impact Jabari is about to have. He’s Klay if Klay was 6’10. He’s being undervalued at the present time, but he’ll be the most valuable on court presence in this draft in the long run. The difference between he and Paolo or Chet, however, is that he’s more dependent upon others. The Pels would not have even had a conversation about another prospect at 1, and that I can guarantee

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Originally Posted by Freyfamilyreuni

I suppose. It's just that the salivating over Chet's future after one Summer League game (against a team with almost no NBA talent on it) is a little much. Arguably Murray has had a better Summer League but I haven't heard anyone annointing him as the next great player.

I think what we saw in his first two Summer League games showed off both his promise and the concerns a lot of people had about him. He's got a very good skill set for a guy his height. But he's not terribly athletic and there still remains a big concern about his ability to handle NBA's physical play. So far nothing I've seen has changed my mind about his pros and cons.

Maybe he looked that good in the first game because Tacko Fall is that bad. Or maybe he came down to earth in the second game because Lofton is better than his position in the draft. Or the truth may be somewhere in between.

I like him as a prospect. I'm concerned about his ability to put on muscle and weight in the NBA. Ultimately I still think the jury's out on him. And I don't see any reason to take one game as evidence that he's the best player in the draft especially since we haven't seen Jabari or Paolo yet.

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Murray looked very good. Lots of people have been praising him, so I suppose it depends on where you look. But then, Murray should look good because if you are an NBA calibre talent playing Summer League at the age of damn near 22, you should look great. He's barely a month younger than Zion is, and Zion's about to go into his 4th year in the NBA. If you're an old-as-hell rookie and you don't show everyone up in Summer League, you shouldn't be in the NBA.

That said; as luckyman said, nobody is ''salivating'' over Chet because of one Summer League game, people are excited for him based on what he's been doing since he was in high school - everyone who has paid any attention to the draft and to upcoming prospects has had high hopes for Chet for years now because he looks good in every context. He looked good in high school, in FIBA U17, and in college, and now in Summer League. It's a cumulative excitement, it has nothing to do with what he's done in one game. And the same people praising Chet, for the most part, were also praising Paolo and to a lesser extent Jabari, so its not like they're praising Chet at the expense of the others. Perhaps the reason he's getting the praise not Paolo is because - as you mentioned - Paolo hasn't even played yet. That may play a factor.

Why would he look worse against Lofton than other people? Well, Lofton is the same height and weight as Zion Williamson so maybe it has something to do with a bad matchup? Potentially? Rather than being because Chet is overrated. Just something to think about, even if you don't end up agreeing with it - everyone has bad physical matchups that make them look worse than other, advantageous matchups. Hell, Kevin Durant gets harassed to high heaven by Jrue Holiday because it's just not a good matchup for him, even though he's a much better player than Jrue is.

Lofton showed out. He will likely get two way deal if he doesn't already have one. Wouldn't mind having him in New Orleans. (he can always play for the Saints lol!)

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Originally Posted by pelafanatic

I still don’t think people quite understand the impact Jabari is about to have. He’s Klay if Klay was 6’10. He’s being undervalued at the present time, but he’ll be the most valuable on court presence in this draft in the long run. The difference between he and Paolo or Chet, however, is that he’s more dependent upon others. The Pels would not have even had a conversation about another prospect at 1, and that I can guarantee

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Which makes him not as valuable as an on court presence? Like Klay is just about as good a shooter as Steph is but he's not nearly as valuable because Steph does so much more.

Shaedon Sharpe injured his shoulder 5 minutes into his first Summer League game and did not return. Not an auspicious start to his NBA career.

And earlier tonight Paolo Banchero looked every bit like the overall #1 pick in the draft, and not just in his ability to shoot/score. His passing/playmaking looked advanced in his first SL game. Admittedly it was just one SL game, but the Magic appear to have chosen wisely.

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Originally Posted by Spec3333

And earlier tonight Paolo Banchero looked every bit like the overall #1 pick in the draft, and not just in his ability to shoot/score. His passing/playmaking looked advanced in his first SL game. Admittedly it was just one SL game, but the Magic appear to have chosen wisely.

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Meanwhile, Jabari Smith Jr looked kind of mid. Not too worried about it in some ways (who cares that he was inefficient, FG% in summer league is meaningless) but some of his other negative traits that kept him out of that top two for me continued to show up. Namely, neglecting his size completely and settling for jumpers as a priority in situations where they're probably not the best shot, and the act that he was largely reliant on other people to get him his best shots.

Speaking of which, Houston really needs someone who is a selfless distributor. They have a lot of ''me first'' guys on their roster going into next year.

Lofton was able to bully Chet a few times down in the paint, but I think people have overreacted to it a bit... Chet still finished at +20 in 26 minutes compared to Lofton's -16 in 24 minutes. That's a 36 point swing in game that Chet's team won by 16 points.

https://www.nba.com/game/mem-vs-okc-...core#box-score

Dieng looked solid out there. Really think spending a year in a professional league does wonders in developing players, you okay against grown men instead of other college kids.

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Originally Posted by Eyquem

Lofton was able to bully Chet a few times down in the paint, but I think people have overreacted to it a bit... Chet still finished at +20 in 26 minutes compared to Lofton's -16 in 24 minutes. That's a 36 point swing in game that Chet's team won by 16 points.

https://www.nba.com/game/mem-vs-okc-...core#box-score

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That's a ridiculous statistic in trying to compare the play of two players. The OKC Summer League team has more talent than the Grizzlies team they rolled out where they rested their better players I mean eyebrows were raised here about Naji playing for the Summer League team. They have freaking Josh Giddey playing heavy minutes in their Summer league.

I mean Chet did fine. Not nearly as effecient either offensively or defensively as before. But he rebounded well. But it's also true that Lofton often abused Chet in the paint. Something that is probably going to happen fairly frequently to Chet early on in his career.

Personally, I think that Chet's best position in the NBA is as a stretch 4 type of player where his length can bother other stretch forwards on the perimeter, and where he can utilize his shot blocking as a help defender.

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Originally Posted by Eyquem

Lofton was able to bully Chet a few times down in the paint, but I think people have overreacted to it a bit... Chet still finished at +20 in 26 minutes compared to Lofton's -16 in 24 minutes. That's a 36 point swing in game that Chet's team won by 16 points.

https://www.nba.com/game/mem-vs-okc-...core#box-score

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People overreact to everything in SL.

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Originally Posted by Eyquem

Lofton was able to bully Chet a few times down in the paint, but I think people have overreacted to it a bit... Chet still finished at +20 in 26 minutes compared to Lofton's -16 in 24 minutes. That's a 36 point swing in game that Chet's team won by 16 points.

https://www.nba.com/game/mem-vs-okc-...core#box-score

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Memphis was hilariously outmatched in that game. None of Ziaire Williams, David Roddy, Kennedy Chandler, Jake Laravia, Xavier Tillman, or Santi Aldema played in that one; whereas, OKC trotted out Giddey, Chet, Jalen Williams, Poku, Robinson Earl, and Dieng. A fools errand to look at +/- in such an affair

It's beginning to be clearer why Pels brass were so high on Dieng

Presti always a step ahead

What can we read into the fact that Dyson is one of only four first round picks not signed to a contract?

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Originally Posted by AusPel

It's beginning to be clearer why Pels brass were so high on Dieng

Presti always a step ahead

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Is the though? At some point he's going to have to field a team that can win games.

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Originally Posted by Freyfamilyreuni

What can we read into the fact that Dyson is one of only four first round picks not signed to a contract?

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How many of those first rounders have already played SL games or have one scheduled for tonight? I'd bet he signs prior to the game tomorrow

The contracts for both he and EJ are both drawn up and agreed to. The signing of them has little to do with the KD trade or anything big and more to do with losing leverage in other, smaller negotiations once they are signed. I would bet they get signed tomorrow afternoon

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Originally Posted by pelafanatic

I still don?t think people quite understand the impact Jabari is about to have. He?s Klay if Klay was 6?10. He?s being undervalued at the present time, but he?ll be the most valuable on court presence in this draft in the long run. The difference between he and Paolo or Chet, however, is that he?s more dependent upon others. The Pels would not have even had a conversation about another prospect at 1, and that I can guarantee

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I love Jabari. The overreactions have been insane lol.

He's got a great motor and the way he can move his feet to contain guards has been awesome.

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Originally Posted by MichaelMcNamara

The contracts for both he and EJ are both drawn up and agreed to. The signing of them has little to do with the KD trade or anything big and more to do with losing leverage in other, smaller negotiations once they are signed. I would bet they get signed tomorrow afternoon

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Appreciate this fam !

What do y?all think the starting lineup will be for the first SL game? I have no idea, but would go with:

Trey
Jose
Naji
Dyson
Karlo

With the Pels first SL game today, it's time to remember the rules:

In Summer League, we do not care about FG%, 3PT%, Steals, 1v1 ballhandler defense, or raw assists data. These numbers are small sample size offensively, and defensively they occur against sub-NBA talent for the most part. Nobody cares if you can steal the ball from someone who would never handle the ball in an NBA game.

In Summer League, we do care about shot selection, 3PAr, blocks, off-ball defense, screen navigation, and passing craft. These are not reliant on makes or misses and show much more league-applicable skills. Also worth noting we don't care about blocks themselves, but instead can use them as a proxy for reaction time and quick twitch burst.

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Originally Posted by PELICANSFAN

If Naji plays the SL like he did last year, I would hope they shut him down quickly. He thought he was Harden out there and did not involve his teammates much.

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He shot the ball a lot yes, but he averaged 5 assists. Had 10 assists in that last game alone.

Herb's play was a true barometer of what was to come.

I'm also wondering what's going on with Brockington. He's interesting and would like to see him play.

So what's the story with John Butler? Not sure why a 7'1 kid with athleticism AND a jumpshot can't get drafted. Seems like a good kid too.

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Originally Posted by DroopyDawg

So what's the story with John Butler? Not sure why a 7'1 kid with athleticism AND a jumpshot can't get drafted. Seems like a good kid too.

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Aside from the obvious frame issues (he weighs 20lbs less than Chet, and Chet's weight is a concern to some), he's just got a pretty undeveloped game so far. I know the highlights shows a few moments where it looks okay but overall his handle isn't great, he didn't excel as a passer in college, and he shot 50% at the rim despite being massive, which is terrible. Poor FT% (44%) combined with a poor FTr (took fewer than 1 FTA per game in college) doesn't give you much to work on there. Not really a rebounder either, partly because he gets moved easily.

IDK how medicals or interviews went because I have zero insider info but that's why I had him as a second round prospect, personally.

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Originally Posted by DroopyDawg

So what's the story with John Butler? Not sure why a 7'1 kid with athleticism AND a jumpshot can't get drafted. Seems like a good kid too.

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As raw as can be. I personally think it was a mistake for him to enter the draft after one year. Someone was not advising him right, because he's going to be spending a lot of time either not playing or in the G League (or perhaps Europe for a few years).

Has a great skill set, but the guy is a twig (and that's putting it nicely). He definitely needs to put meat on those bones, and needs to refine his game. He's someone though I want to hang onto, because I love the skillset he has. Definitely want him on the last two ways.

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Originally Posted by kinglio21093

As raw as can be. I personally think it was a mistake for him to enter the draft after one year. Someone was not advising him right, because he's going to be spending a lot of time either not playing or in the G League (or perhaps Europe for a few years).

Has a great skill set, but the guy is a twig (and that's putting it nicely). He definitely needs to put meat on those bones, and needs to refine his game. He's someone though I want to hang onto, because I love the skillset he has. Definitely want him on the last two ways.

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Yeah, I would like to see if we can develop him (his game and his body).

Official: first-round pick @DysonDaniels signs with the #Pelicans! pic.twitter.com/JhnPE5mGAt

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) July 9, 2022

I think Karlo Matkovic is gonna surprise us today

Main priority is health. Ivey just got injured. Hope he's okay, and certainly hope there's no imitations of that on the Pels. Everyone be sensible and careful, please.

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Originally Posted by Pelicanidae

Main priority is health. Ivey just got injured. Hope he's okay, and certainly hope there's no imitations of that on the Pels. Everyone be sensible and careful, please.

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This