There were a fair amount of pretty solid performances in this evening's slate of games. I only listed four, but there were several others I could've mentioned, like Marcus Landry, Ronald Dupree, Garret Siler or Morris Almond. Due to the quirks of court availability and Summer League scheduling, some teams have been powering down and resting their roster players while others are just getting started.
The majority (if not all) of these games will be shown on NBA TV, and those that don't have access to NBA TV can watch all of the Summer League games online for $14.95 either live or on demand. The "what to watch for" notes are after the jump (all times are Eastern).
Monstars
- John Lucas III, PG, Chicago Bulls - Lucas is undoubtedly a "scoring point guard," and showed his ability to that end by scoring 25 points on 12 shots, including hitting all six of his three-point attempts. At this point in his career his game is more suited to being the American player that overseas bring in to score rather than being a backup NBA point guard; witness his two free throw attempts (he doesn't really have the size to drive into the lane repeatedly). He also had just three assists, but given how well he was shooting the ball it's hard to knock him for calling his own number so many times.
- Laurence Ekperigin, C, Denver Nuggets - I made Ekperigin a player to watch a few days ago because he was a good Division II player, but I certainly didn't expect this at any point. Ekperigin had 21 points and six rebounds in a little over 17 minutes, and while many of those points came at the free-throw line, he also was pretty good from the field, shooting 7-11. I think he could be an interesting player for some team to give a shot in training camp.
- Trent Plaisted, PF/C, Chicago Bulls - Plaisted had some decent games playing in the Orlando Summer League, but nothing like this. He had 13 points and 10 rebounds, with just one foul and a pair of turnovers in 21 minutes. Up until this point in his career Plaisted has gotten by on being tall, but he's shown some effort this summer and could work his way into a training camp invite somewhere.
- Honorable Mention: Weyinmi Efejuku, SG, Miami Heat - I know absolutely nothing about Efejuku, and I never got around to the Miami roster preview, so I'll have to rely on DraftExpress for a quick scouting report: "his combination of explosiveness and body control were on display once again, as he did a nice job with pump fakes and show-and-go moves...He appears to have all the makings of a productive European league shooting guard." Efejuku indeed played in Spain last year, and it appears his array of offensive moves were on display here. Efejuku scored 19 points on 6-13 shooting, and only Greg Monroe and Davon Jefferson shot more free throws in this game (Efejuku had eight). He also had four rebounds, not a bad contribution considering he doesn't have the best wingspan.
Nonstars
- James Augustine, PF, Atlanta Hawks - This clearly was an off night for Augustine. Whereas he'd been pretty solid both here and playing for Utah in Orlando, he shot 1-6 against the Spurs' team with just one rebound in 17 and a half minutes.
- Nik Caner-Medley, PF, Los Angeles Clippers - I'm not sure if Caner-Medley got hurt, but he played just six minutes against the Bulls' team and finished with zero points, one assist, one rebound and one turnover. He attempted four shots, three of which came from behind the three-point line, and he missed all of them. So either he was hurt or the Clippers' coach realized Caner-Medley was playing a gross game and yanked him, which would be the first smart decision associated with the Clippers since...what?.
- Eric Boateng, C, New York Knicks - Not a good night for backup big man, I'm afraid. Boateng actually hasn't done all that well in any of the Knicks' games, averaging twice as many fouls as he does rebounds. He was particularly bad tonight, shooting 0-4 with two boards and five fouls in 14 minutes.
- (Dis)honorable Mention: Richard Roby, SG, Denver Nuggets - I like Roby generally, but boy has he been bad this week. He started off okay, with 16 points against Dallas, but it's been all downhill from there. Roby shot 2-11 against Houston, and 1-5 from the outside, and he's not really contributing much in any other areas. Somewhat frustrating (to me, anyway) is the fact that he likely always was headed back to Europe after Summer League, and he's an established enough Euroleague player that he should be able to get a job on his resume and not based on how he does here (which, in this case, would be a good thing for him). Ideally, the Nuggets could've used Roby's Summer League roster spot on someone who isn't, you know, Kenyon Martin's half-brother.
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