I just watched the last game against the Hornets. A couple observations.
Harris had a very good 2nd half but after he first half I was wondering why anyone was excited about giving him the 2-way deal. He was not good offensively. He pooped it in the 2nd half but I'm sticking with my feeling there might be someone better that I would rather have.
Shayok was terrific most of the game till the end but Harris also had a poor possession before Shayok and Moore tried to hand the game away. I've never seen Shayok play that kind of all around game especially defensively. I thought he got better each game but this game he was terrific
Moore was another mixed bag but especially the first half he had a number of drive and kicks to get guys open looks and nobody made them. Meanwhile he came out of nowhere for a bunch of plays. He also made some very poor decisions with the ball.
The Wolves Really played well for most of the second half before imploding down the stretch. Everyone was doing good things during that stretch. It was nice to see.
Overall it was a successful summer league. Players showed some good stuff Minott was a success story and everyone stayed healthy.
Wolves Summer League
Re: Wolves Summer League
After watching all the Wolves Summer League games again at home, I've come away with the following thoughts:
1. I feel better about Moore. The more you watch him the more you see a really skilled, smart and amazingly polished player for someone who hasn't even turned 21 years old yet. He was missing some 3-point shots he should make, but even his misses looked good so I'm confident he'll hit those shots as he gets more comfortable from behind the NBA arc. I really like his ball-handling and the way he sees the floor. He absolutely has lead guard potential, which would be tremendous given his wingspan and shooting skill. I was initially concerned that he might be a step too slow to guard effectively at the NBA level. But watching him closely again, I'm not as concerned. He seems quick enough; it's just that his initial reaction was a bit delayed. That tells me he just needs to adjust to the speed of the game at this level. He was on my list of late first-round favorites for the Wolves and the more I've watched his Summer League play the more I realize why I had him on that list - even though I think he underperformed in Vegas. And as I noted even when I was more down on him than I am now, he looks like a player who will be much better when on the court with really good players like he'll have with him on the Wolves.
2. I still think the Wolves should have signed Kevon Harris to their other 2-way deal. As you all know, I was impressed by Harris the first game I watched him play live in Vegas. That was my initial impression, but I'll say that after watching him repeatedly on TV he wears well. That is, the more I watch him the more I like him. He clearly has NBA-caliber energy, physicality, effort and skills. I love his toughness and watching him more closely I appreciate his skills and basketball IQ even more. Alas, Connelly went a different direction.
3. I still love Minott's potential and believe he's not as far away as I thought when the Wolves drafted him. Watching Minott again on video replay has confirmed my view that he huge upside. Watching the Denver game again last night I listened closely to Isaiah Thomas talk about Josh. It was clear that Isaiah really liked what he saw. He mentioned that he liked his shooting stroke as well as his athleticism. I was surprised by both the quality of his shot and his ball-handling. His shooting stroke in Summer League was consistently much, much better than what I saw in his limited college highlights. The fact that he improved so much so quickly tells me he's a really hard worker and quick learner. The consistency of his improved shooting stroke in the competitive crucible of Summer League games tells me he's turned the corner on his shooting. His ball-handling and his ability to score on dribble penetration surprised me. I didn't realize he was that skilled with the ball. Isaiah Thomas raved about Minott's body control on his dribble penetration buckets. And of course, the energy is nonstop. He has Vando's energy, rebounding ability and length, but he has much better shooting stroke, better hands and more refined ball skills. Oh, and he's only 19 years old. There will be several candidates for "steal of the draft" accolades and Minott will ultimately be among them.
4. There were four other players on the Wolves SL roster I liked, although not yet as potential NBA-level players. The four I'm talking about are Matt Lewis, David McCormack, George Conditt IV and Matteo Spagnolo. I assume Matteo will play in Europe next season. I was concerned about whether he'd have the athleticism to play in the NBA. His Summer League play put that concern to rest. I'm still not sure he'll ever be an NBA player. He needs to improve his shot and work on his ball-handling. Right now, his dribble is too high and not controlled enough for the NBA. But his shooting and ball-handling aren't bad. He can work on those skills next season in Europe. But after that, the Wolves will probably need to bring him over and get him on their G-League team so he has a better chance to get accustomed to the speed of the NBA game. Regarding the other three, I hope all of them (and Harris) end up on the Iowa Wolves.
1. I feel better about Moore. The more you watch him the more you see a really skilled, smart and amazingly polished player for someone who hasn't even turned 21 years old yet. He was missing some 3-point shots he should make, but even his misses looked good so I'm confident he'll hit those shots as he gets more comfortable from behind the NBA arc. I really like his ball-handling and the way he sees the floor. He absolutely has lead guard potential, which would be tremendous given his wingspan and shooting skill. I was initially concerned that he might be a step too slow to guard effectively at the NBA level. But watching him closely again, I'm not as concerned. He seems quick enough; it's just that his initial reaction was a bit delayed. That tells me he just needs to adjust to the speed of the game at this level. He was on my list of late first-round favorites for the Wolves and the more I've watched his Summer League play the more I realize why I had him on that list - even though I think he underperformed in Vegas. And as I noted even when I was more down on him than I am now, he looks like a player who will be much better when on the court with really good players like he'll have with him on the Wolves.
2. I still think the Wolves should have signed Kevon Harris to their other 2-way deal. As you all know, I was impressed by Harris the first game I watched him play live in Vegas. That was my initial impression, but I'll say that after watching him repeatedly on TV he wears well. That is, the more I watch him the more I like him. He clearly has NBA-caliber energy, physicality, effort and skills. I love his toughness and watching him more closely I appreciate his skills and basketball IQ even more. Alas, Connelly went a different direction.
3. I still love Minott's potential and believe he's not as far away as I thought when the Wolves drafted him. Watching Minott again on video replay has confirmed my view that he huge upside. Watching the Denver game again last night I listened closely to Isaiah Thomas talk about Josh. It was clear that Isaiah really liked what he saw. He mentioned that he liked his shooting stroke as well as his athleticism. I was surprised by both the quality of his shot and his ball-handling. His shooting stroke in Summer League was consistently much, much better than what I saw in his limited college highlights. The fact that he improved so much so quickly tells me he's a really hard worker and quick learner. The consistency of his improved shooting stroke in the competitive crucible of Summer League games tells me he's turned the corner on his shooting. His ball-handling and his ability to score on dribble penetration surprised me. I didn't realize he was that skilled with the ball. Isaiah Thomas raved about Minott's body control on his dribble penetration buckets. And of course, the energy is nonstop. He has Vando's energy, rebounding ability and length, but he has much better shooting stroke, better hands and more refined ball skills. Oh, and he's only 19 years old. There will be several candidates for "steal of the draft" accolades and Minott will ultimately be among them.
4. There were four other players on the Wolves SL roster I liked, although not yet as potential NBA-level players. The four I'm talking about are Matt Lewis, David McCormack, George Conditt IV and Matteo Spagnolo. I assume Matteo will play in Europe next season. I was concerned about whether he'd have the athleticism to play in the NBA. His Summer League play put that concern to rest. I'm still not sure he'll ever be an NBA player. He needs to improve his shot and work on his ball-handling. Right now, his dribble is too high and not controlled enough for the NBA. But his shooting and ball-handling aren't bad. He can work on those skills next season in Europe. But after that, the Wolves will probably need to bring him over and get him on their G-League team so he has a better chance to get accustomed to the speed of the NBA game. Regarding the other three, I hope all of them (and Harris) end up on the Iowa Wolves.
Re: Wolves Summer League
lipoli390 wrote:After watching all the Wolves Summer League games again at home, I've come away with the following thoughts:
1. I feel better about Moore. The more you watch him the more you see a really skilled, smart and amazingly polished player for someone who hasn't even turned 21 years old yet. He was missing some 3-point shots he should make, but even his misses looked good so I'm confident he'll hit those shots as he gets more comfortable from behind the NBA arc. I really like his ball-handling and the way he sees the floor. He absolutely has lead guard potential, which would be tremendous given his wingspan and shooting skill. I was initially concerned that he might be a step too slow to guard effectively at the NBA level. But watching him closely again, I'm not as concerned. He seems quick enough; it's just that his initial reaction was a bit delayed. That tells me he just needs to adjust to the speed of the game at this level. He was on my list of late first-round favorites for the Wolves and the more I've watched his Summer League play the more I realize why I had him on that list - even though I think he underperformed in Vegas. And as I noted even when I was more down on him than I am now, he looks like a player who will be much better when on the court with really good players like he'll have with him on the Wolves.
2. I still think the Wolves should have signed Kevon Harris to their other 2-way deal. As you all know, I was impressed by Harris the first game I watched him play live in Vegas. That was my initial impression, but I'll say that after watching him repeatedly on TV he wears well. That is, the more I watch him the more I like him. He clearly has NBA-caliber energy, physicality, effort and skills. I love his toughness and watching him more closely I appreciate his skills and basketball IQ even more. Alas, Connelly went a different direction.
3. I still love Minott's potential and believe he's not as far away as I thought when the Wolves drafted him. Watching Minott again on video replay has confirmed my view that he huge upside. Watching the Denver game again last night I listened closely to Isaiah Thomas talk about Josh. It was clear that Isaiah really liked what he saw. He mentioned that he liked his shooting stroke as well as his athleticism. I was surprised by both the quality of his shot and his ball-handling. His shooting stroke in Summer League was consistently much, much better than what I saw in his limited college highlights. The fact that he improved so much so quickly tells me he's a really hard worker and quick learner. The consistency of his improved shooting stroke in the competitive crucible of Summer League games tells me he's turned the corner on his shooting. His ball-handling and his ability to score on dribble penetration surprised me. I didn't realize he was that skilled with the ball. Isaiah Thomas raved about Minott's body control on his dribble penetration buckets. And of course, the energy is nonstop. He has Vando's energy, rebounding ability and length, but he has much better shooting stroke, better hands and more refined ball skills. Oh, and he's only 19 years old. There will be several candidates for "steal of the draft" accolades and Minott will ultimately be among them.
4. There were four other players on the Wolves SL roster I liked, although not yet as potential NBA-level players. The four I'm talking about are Matt Lewis, David McCormack, George Conditt IV and Matteo Spagnolo. I assume Matteo will play in Europe next season. I was concerned about whether he'd have the athleticism to play in the NBA. His Summer League play put that concern to rest. I'm still not sure he'll ever be an NBA player. He needs to improve his shot and work on his ball-handling. Right now, his dribble is too high and not controlled enough for the NBA. But his shooting and ball-handling aren't bad. He can work on those skills next season in Europe. But after that, the Wolves will probably need to bring him over and get him on their G-League team so he has a better chance to get accustomed to the speed of the NBA game. Regarding the other three, I hope all of them (and Harris) end up on the Iowa Wolves.
Good breakdown Lip I'm glad you were able to see some of the things I thought I saw about Moore
On Harris let me be clear I like him but there was also some questions I had about his game. I mentioned at one point I wondered about his catch and shoot 3 point shooting. I do not know if that's a weakness strength or whatever but he does seem like a guy that shoots off the dribble. Again I'm not saying for sure he is or isn't good in the catch and shoot but that's something to consider. The other thing that I think about is he is what I would call a power guard on both ends. He is kinda like a Tyreke Evans type only not as long or as talented. I do wonder as a driver of the ball how much that translates at the next level. This doesn't matter much if he can finish on transition make drives when there are opportune times and if he is a really good defender...and if he can hit open 3's that's fantastic. What I am getting at is that some of his strength we saw in the SL driving I'm not sure how much value there will be once he plays in the NBA. To compare him to Lawson Lawson is more of rangy shooter that does have some all handling skill. He looks like a guy that's catch and shoot guy. He isn't as powerful but I think he might have a bit more lateral quickness than Harris. Again we are comparing a rangy guy to a power guy. It's a different type of player one isn't specifically better than another. I mentioned catch and shooting for both guys I think it's easy to say watching both that Lawson LOOKS like he has a more off ball catch and shoot skill set. Whether or not that's actually true and or translates better than Harris we don't know. I could see either guy having viable worth as a player but they are different. I think they have around the same amount of length one guy is just built much stronger but is also 3 years older. I would also add that while I do think Harris is a better ball handler especially getting his own bucket Lawson isn't sole guy that can't do something with the ball besides shoot it. One scouting report said he actually played PG at times for SC but that's not his position. Sometimes it's nice to have guys that played that way even if they never will play that at the next level because it still gives them some experience making decisions with the ball. I don't want to knock any player too much or pump them up too much because of conference but the SEC is a better conference than the one Harris played in. Not a deal breaker but something to consider. The bottom line for me is I think right now Harris and Lawson are similar in talent but different players. One is younger and year out of school. I think it's fair to say if you like one guy more than another but I don't think either is significantly better or worse right now. There are some folks on Twitter that aren't a fan of either Dallas or the Wolves that are really praising the signing of Lawson. Hopefully we picked the right guy it would be nice to have someone to continue up the pipeline.
On Spagnolo supposedly the Italian team he is being loaned out to will be better and playing better competition than he did last year.
Of the guys you didn't list I thought Terrell Brown jr generally made the most of his time that he got. There was one game he was really good in.