NBA Draft and D-League Coverage

Some tidbits on our rookies: – Though James Johnson is very skilled, it’s clear that he’s not ready to play the small forward position full time yet. He’s still too heavy on his feet and not explosive enough to get by people off of the dribble. – Taj Gibson with 5 fouls in less then a quarter and a half. An NBA Summer League norm for rookie big men. – James Johnson is really struggling out here, even though he just hit a jumper. He needs to understand how good he can be as a face the basket power forward. Maturity, conditioning, basketball IQ, and understanding of the game will ultimately be what makes or breaks him. He’s got the talent though.

The link is to the final stats for the Utah Jazz's summer league team, which went 3-2 in its five games. Unfortunately, Mr. Suton missed all 10 of his attempts from beyond the arc. Nevertheless, he averaged 4.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 19.6 minutes/game--logging the third most minutes played among the 14 players to appear in league play for the Jazz. I can't find any post-summer league commentary on Suton's prospects for making the Jazz roster for the upcoming season. Best I can do is point you to an SB Nation commenter who was impressed with Suton's ability to run the pick and roll. I assume they still run that play a fair amount in Salt Lake City?