Celtics (0-0) vs Utah Jazz (0-0) Jazz SL Game 1 7/6/15

[Neurotic Guy]

Agree or Disagree?

It is more meaningful for a player to play poorly in SL than it is for a player to play well.

In other words, it's common for a guy to have a good SL and do nothing during the season, but it's very unlikely for a guy to be awful in SL and then play well at the NBA level during that season. 

To that point, are there any SL busts that you can think of who went on (that season) to have a good NBA season?

Sorry -- sitting in my bed eating Cheetos and irrelevant questions are coming to me that would get the "are you seriously thinking about that?" face from my wife.

[colincb]

That's what Kevin Pelton says. I'd agree too, especially for 2nd year guys.

[Tr1boy]

So far the Sixers SL team looks to be tanking too.  This group should fit right in.

Very tough game to watch.  Okafor's 3 for 11 and Grant's the only other player they have. SA has a bunch of guys who'll never play for them.

How does Okafor manage to go 3-11 against that SAS lineup? That's awful.

Dude its the SL. And first few games mean little.  For example Stanley Johnson getting lucky.

[GreenCoffeeBean]

Agree or Disagree?

It is more meaningful for a player to play poorly in SL than it is for a player to play well.

In other words, it's common for a guy to have a good SL and do nothing during the season, but it's very unlikely for a guy to be awful in SL and then play well at the NBA level during that season. 

To that point, are there any SL busts that you can think of who went on (that season) to have a good NBA season?

Sorry -- sitting in my bed eating Cheetos and irrelevant questions are coming to me that would get the "are you seriously thinking about that?" face from my wife.

In before James Young puts up 35 and we all go insane

[beantownboy171]

I have not been impressed by Okafor today. I don't think he has an elite motor. He currently doesn't have much range to space the floor with his shooting. I don't think he will do a good job guarding centers or protecting the rim defensively. Which isn't so much a strength issue, as it is an athleticism and defensive technique issue. He seems like he is reaching too much defensively and has poor balance.

Right now Okafor is a power forward and an average defender at that spot. He will rebound well, especially with the stacked front court the 76ers are rolling out. He has a great back to the basket and fadeaway game. But because of his limitations defensively, he's going to either need to play with a center who can space the floor for him (it won't be Noel) or a power forward who can shoot and defend really well or he's going to have to extend his range to three-point range in order to really make an impact. Right now I think his best case scenario is a rich-mans Kevin Love (Bigger size, better post game) if he can extend his shooting range.

[BringToughnessBack]

Does anyone have link to game they can PM me? I dont have nba tv and not sure if want to spend money.

[knuckleballer]

 I just turned the game on and Okafor has made a couple of nice plays.  Checked the box score and he has 20 points on 10 for 20 shooting with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in his first pro game.  Why do people love hating on this guy?

[PhoSita]

I just turned the game on and Okafor has made a couple of nice plays.  Checked the box score and he has 20 points on 9 for 19 shooting with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in his first pro game.  Why do people love hating on this guy?

I'm guessing that when this sort of performance becomes pretty commonplace for Jahlil at the NBA level people will quit bagging on him.  Then again, Big Al had some pretty great 20-10 seasons and still people didn't give him much credit.

[PhoSita]

That's what Kevin Pelton says. I'd agree too, especially for 2nd year guys.

Yup.

Summer League is like the D-League.  Guys who dominate probably can play at the next level, though it's not guaranteed.  Guys who can't dominate the summer league might just be role players whose game doesn't really fit well when playing with scrubs.  Or, it could mean they don't have the necessary combination of athleticism, strength, and skill to stand out.

In any case, failing to do well in Summer League doesn't mean you're not an NBA player, but if you can't dominate at this level of competition, it's doubtful you can at an even higher one.

[Greenbean]

I have not been impressed by Okafor today. I don't think he has an elite motor. He currently doesn't have much range to space the floor with his shooting. I don't think he will do a good job guarding centers or protecting the rim defensively. Which isn't so much a strength issue, as it is an athleticism and defensive technique issue. He seems like he is reaching too much defensively and has poor balance.

Right now Okafor is a power forward and an average defender at that spot. He will rebound well, especially with the stacked front court the 76ers are rolling out. He has a great back to the basket and fadeaway game. But because of his limitations defensively, he's going to either need to play with a center who can space the floor for him (it won't be Noel) or a power forward who can shoot and defend really well or he's going to have to extend his range to three-point range in order to really make an impact. Right now I think his best case scenario is a rich-mans Kevin Love (Bigger size, better post game) if he can extend his shooting range.

He might have no motor. I am watching right now and in a tie game he just missed 2 straigt point blank shots barely contested within 5 feet, then was barely accross halfcourt before SA ran a lazy secondary break and hit a pull up 3. He has been walking alot. Maybe its conditioning and maybe the coaches are telling him not to go all out, but its definitely a reference point for me in watching his first pro action.

[Who]

To add onto those tiredness concerns ... from a philly.com article

Jahlil Okafor learned it by the end of the second day, if he hadn't known it already: The 76ers will run you. They want to play fast, and they want their players to get from one end to the floor fast, and, if you're Okafor, they will want you to establish position in the post fast. So by 1 p.m. Friday, when another day of the Sixers' first summer minicamp was winding down and the pell-mell pace of practice had slowed, Okafor, like the rest of the players in camp, was dragging.

For a post-practice shooting session, he hovered near the top of the key, a couple of feet inside the three-point arc, and his shooting form revealed his fatigue. He pushed the ball toward the hoop with his arms instead of flicking it with his wrists. He took several shots. He made two - banking both, and not on purpose.

After a while, though, he set up closer to the rim, and there, even tired and moving as if he were underwater, Okafor showed what the Sixers and everyone else around basketball saw from him at Duke and could see coming from him in the NBA: the balletic footwork in the lane, his touch returning, all 6-foot-11 and 270 pounds of him a smooth, synchronous machine.

They had some more optimistic quotes in another article

"He did excellent today," said Sixers assistant Billy Lange, who will coach the team's Utah Jazz Summer League squad. "His energy was great. He looks you in the eye. He's coachable. He's engaged with his teammates. He asks the right questions. He's humble.

"And he's exactly what you would want him to be on the first day."

But Lange said something else stood out the most about the 19-year-old.

"His selflessness," Lange said. "Whether it was in drills, communicating to players, passing the ball, encouraging teammates."

[CM0]

I just turned the game on and Okafor has made a couple of nice plays.  Checked the box score and he has 20 points on 9 for 19 shooting with 9 rebounds and 2 blocks in his first pro game.  Why do people love hating on this guy?

I'm guessing that when this sort of performance becomes pretty commonplace for Jahlil at the NBA level people will quit bagging on him.  Then again, Big Al had some pretty great 20-10 seasons and still people didn't give him much credit.

His performance was far less impressive/dominant than those numbers indicate. He's pretty much what his scouting report says: incredible post skills for such a young guy but he looks absolutely lost at times and can't stretch the floor. He would make a great defensive play (even on the perimeter) than blow coverage completely on the next possession. His handles looked poor as well.

[timobusa]

LETS GOO!!!

[bostonsportsforlife]

James Young hype train WOOOOWOOO

[max215]

Smart already getting disrespected. So excited for Celtics basketball though!