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SL Game 5 Recap
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 7:31 pm
by Q-is-here
Wolves got up big, then frittered away the lead and lost the game in crunch time. Sound familiar? LOL.
A few takeaways from this one:
- I found it somewhat instructive that Beringer didn't play (along with Shannon, Dillingham, Clark, and Miller) but Jesse Edwards and Rocco Zikarsky did. That should make it pretty clear where he is on the depth chart of Centers.
- I really hoped we'd find that diamond in the rough among free agent summer league squad team members, but none really popped to me. If I squint hard enough, I can kind of see the potential in Amari Bailey, but he first needs to figure out the trick to not dribbling it off his leg or an opponent's leg. Once he figures that out, then he can move on to how not to telegraph cross-court passes into the awaiting arms of the opponent.
- Tristen Newton is close to being a serviceable 3rd PG, but he seems like one of these guys that will be just one big strength short of making an NBA rotation. There is nothing he is terrible at, but nothing he's great at either.
- Rocco continues to be slow to react and lacks in "small area quickness", making him not nearly the rim protector he has the potential to be because guys can maneuver around him pretty easily and he's just late a lot in contesting.
- Jesse is a half step faster than Rocco, which isn't saying much, but it definitely enables him to be better at blocking and deterring shots. But offensively he is one of these guys that always has to bring the ball down and has a super long gather in order to go back up with it off boards or post ups in traffic, making it easier to strip or tie him up. He's just kinda weak with the ball...not quite as bad as Rudy, but pretty bad. I put him in the Tristen Newton category of being fundamentally sound and impactful against weaker competition, but just might not have the juice to compete against real NBA players.
That wraps up summer league. It ends with a fizzle!
Re: SL Game 5 Recap
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 7:46 pm
by 60WinTim
I was on a fishing trip up in Canada and missed the last couple of games. While you could say Beringer sitting is a depth chart indicator, it might also just be that the 5 guys who sat are the 5 guys with guaranteed standard contracts...
Re: SL Game 5 Recap
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 7:53 pm
by Q-is-here
60WinTim wrote: ↑Sat Jul 19, 2025 7:46 pm
I was on a fishing trip up in Canada and missed the last couple of games. While you could say Beringer sitting is a depth chart indicator, it might also just be that the 5 guys who sat are the 5 guys with guaranteed standard contracts...
Tim, I believe that's correlation and not causation. If anything it validates why those guys have standard contracts. Having watched all five games, the guys who sat really were the five best players on the squad. If Beringer was truly a "project" with very little chance of playing a lick of NBA minutes this season, I think he would have played today.
Re: SL Game 5 Recap
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 9:53 pm
by Monster
Finshied this one aroujd and hour ago.
Amari baiily 1st half showed all the reasons why he could be something. 2nd half showed why isn't isn't there.
Odd that Fulton was off the ball so much. He didn't convince me he was awesome but I'd like to see him at Iowa and I'm guessing that's where he will be.
This was Cain's chance to shine and he was OK. That end of the half foul was bad but mostly he just played like a role player which is fine.
Edwards at times was terrific. He had a couple fouls that weren't rhe best but he was the best big on the Wolves by a mile.
Rocco was a mixed bag and did do some good things. His shot really does look nice. He definitely looked better as the game went on.
#17 had sole solid moments out there.
#12 looked kinda bad.
Newton showed why is is a 2-way player. Dude hit jumpers in the first then basically took over at times in the 2nd. I don't think he has massive upside but if you want a tough smart combo guard that can play D and play fairly smart on the other end then he is your guy.
I doubt Lip was even cheering for the Wolves in this game as his guys Kevon Harris and Moses Brown were playing. I had remembered Moses still existed the other day looking through FAs but that was after we drafted Beringer and it didn't seem like he was that much different than we already had. Brown clearly can play at this lower level and it was interesting to see him match up against Rocco. Brown should have played more and if so the Rockets probably win by a larger margin. Him playing at all in this game probbaly says where his career is at this point in relation to the NBA.
The game turned when Kevon Harris started absolutely wrecthijg rhe Wolves with his defense. Idk how many steals he was credited with but he was pretty much everywhere. He was knocking the ball away from pretty much everyone and after a slow start he started getting things go offensively. I thought he was an interesting add by the Rockets as a 2-way as an older somewhat experienced player that could probably help this season of called upon. Newton isn't as physically gifted as Harris but he is probably more of a PG.
Kennedy Chandler did sole good things in this game and was a reason they won.
Kinda dissapointed they didn't win this one but the 2 way guys that aren't projects showed out and Rocco did some good things. See everyone else in Iowa or playing internationally.
Re: SL Game 5 Recap
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 10:03 pm
by Monster
Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sat Jul 19, 2025 7:53 pm
60WinTim wrote: ↑Sat Jul 19, 2025 7:46 pm
I was on a fishing trip up in Canada and missed the last couple of games. While you could say Beringer sitting is a depth chart indicator, it might also just be that the 5 guys who sat are the 5 guys with guaranteed standard contracts...
Tim, I believe that's correlation and not causation. If anything it validates why those guys have standard contracts. Having watched all five games, the guys who sat really were the five best players on the squad. If Beringer was truly a "project" with very little chance of playing a lick of NBA minutes this season, I think he would have played today.
Edwards was clearly being showcased for a trade. I heard we are working on trading him and the rights to Henk Noel to the Pistons for the rights to Kjisky Kataylik who has big time potential as an up and coming video room guy.
I hadnt exactly thought of this game being an indicator of Beringer being ahead of Edwards I. Mean he started all the games already. I think it was probably already known he was ahead of Edwards to some extent other than obviously being a 1st round pick and Edwards being a 2-way guy. It will be kinda interesting if they keep Edward's around I mean they have Beringer and then Rocco as the project. Maybe they feel like if they have to Edwards is ready to play minutes in the NBA if they need him this year. I think that's possible.
Re: SL Game 5 Recap
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 10:06 pm
by Lipoli390
Monster wrote: ↑Sat Jul 19, 2025 9:53 pm
Finshied this one aroujd and hour ago.
Amari baiily 1st half showed all the reasons why he could be something. 2nd half showed why isn't isn't there.
Odd that Fulton was off the ball so much. He didn't convince me he was awesome but I'd like to see him at Iowa and I'm guessing that's where he will be.
This was Cain's chance to shine and he was OK. That end of the half foul was bad but mostly he just played like a role player which is fine.
Edwards at times was terrific. He had a couple fouls that weren't rhe best but he was the best big on the Wolves by a mile.
Rocco was a mixed bag and did do some good things. His shot really does look nice. He definitely looked better as the game went on.
#17 had sole solid moments out there.
#12 looked kinda bad.
Newton showed why is is a 2-way player. Dude hit jumpers in the first then basically took over at times in the 2nd. I don't think he has massive upside but if you want a tough smart combo guard that can play D and play fairly smart on the other end then he is your guy.
I doubt Lip was even cheering for the Wolves in this game as his guys Kevon Harris and Moses Brown were playing. I had remembered Moses still existed the other day looking through FAs but that was after we drafted Beringer and it didn't seem like he was that much different than we already had. Brown clearly can play at this lower level and it was interesting to see him match up against Rocco. Brown should have played more and if so the Rockets probably win by a larger margin. Him playing at all in this game probbaly says where his career is at this point in relation to the NBA.
The game turned when Kevon Harris started absolutely wrecthijg rhe Wolves with his defense. Idk how many steals he was credited with but he was pretty much everywhere. He was knocking the ball away from pretty much everyone and after a slow start he started getting things go offensively. I thought he was an interesting add by the Rockets as a 2-way as an older somewhat experienced player that could probably help this season of called upon. Newton isn't as physically gifted as Harris but he is probably more of a PG.
Kennedy Chandler did sole good things in this game and was a reason they won.
Kinda dissapointed they didn't win this one but the 2 way guys that aren't projects showed out and Rocco did some good things. See everyone else in Iowa or playing internationally.
lol. I’d completely forgotten about my guy, Moses Brown, before watching this game.
Re: SL Game 5 Recap
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 10:10 pm
by Monster
Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sat Jul 19, 2025 7:31 pm
Wolves got up big, then frittered away the lead and lost the game in crunch time. Sound familiar? LOL.
A few takeaways from this one:
- I found it somewhat instructive that Beringer didn't play (along with Shannon, Dillingham, Clark, and Miller) but Jesse Edwards and Rocco Zikarsky did. That should make it pretty clear where he is on the depth chart of Centers.
- I really hoped we'd find that diamond in the rough among free agent summer league squad team members, but none really popped to me. If I squint hard enough, I can kind of see the potential in Amari Bailey, but he first needs to figure out the trick to not dribbling it off his leg or an opponent's leg. Once he figures that out, then he can move on to how not to telegraph cross-court passes into the awaiting arms of the opponent.
- Tristen Newton is close to being a serviceable 3rd PG, but he seems like one of these guys that will be just one big strength short of making an NBA rotation. There is nothing he is terrible at, but nothing he's great at either.
- Rocco continues to be slow to react and lacks in "small area quickness", making him not nearly the rim protector he has the potential to be because guys can maneuver around him pretty easily and he's just late a lot in contesting.
- Jesse is a half step faster than Rocco, which isn't saying much, but it definitely enables him to be better at blocking and deterring shots. But offensively he is one of these guys that always has to bring the ball down and has a super long gather in order to go back up with it off boards or post ups in traffic, making it easier to strip or tie him up. He's just kinda weak with the ball...not quite as bad as Rudy, but pretty bad. I put him in the Tristen Newton category of being fundamentally sound and impactful against weaker competition, but just might not have the juice to compete against real NBA players.
That wraps up summer league. It ends with a fizzle!
Q I pretty much agree with what you said here except I think Rocco might have more small area quickness than you have seen. There was one possession he contested a player and then quickly got back around for the block. I think he slowness is more about not knowing what he is doing than him being way to slow. I mean he isn't the quickest guy either but he doesn't have heavy feet. I think we agree that he has quite a ways to go.
I'll say this about Newton. If he can play good defense bring the ball up without Turing it over and make 3's at even 35% he could be useful. I could see him being a NAW or even a Jevon Carter type. Considering the Wolves could use some depth at PG especially maybe a defensive on... I could see him having a place in the league. There are clearly people in the Wolves organization for years that have been looking for those types of guards. Newton seems to kinda fit that mold. I'm not wildly invested in him but I can see a path for him.
Bailey has sole craftiness to his game but he also hasn't figured out when to use it and when to just dial it back. My guess is he might have had a bit of a green light from the coaching staff to go for it espcilaly making plays. Like Ai said hopefully we see him in Iowa.
Re: SL Game 5 Recap
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 10:12 pm
by Monster
Lipoli390 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 19, 2025 10:06 pm
Monster wrote: ↑Sat Jul 19, 2025 9:53 pm
Finshied this one aroujd and hour ago.
Amari baiily 1st half showed all the reasons why he could be something. 2nd half showed why isn't isn't there.
Odd that Fulton was off the ball so much. He didn't convince me he was awesome but I'd like to see him at Iowa and I'm guessing that's where he will be.
This was Cain's chance to shine and he was OK. That end of the half foul was bad but mostly he just played like a role player which is fine.
Edwards at times was terrific. He had a couple fouls that weren't rhe best but he was the best big on the Wolves by a mile.
Rocco was a mixed bag and did do some good things. His shot really does look nice. He definitely looked better as the game went on.
#17 had sole solid moments out there.
#12 looked kinda bad.
Newton showed why is is a 2-way player. Dude hit jumpers in the first then basically took over at times in the 2nd. I don't think he has massive upside but if you want a tough smart combo guard that can play D and play fairly smart on the other end then he is your guy.
I doubt Lip was even cheering for the Wolves in this game as his guys Kevon Harris and Moses Brown were playing. I had remembered Moses still existed the other day looking through FAs but that was after we drafted Beringer and it didn't seem like he was that much different than we already had. Brown clearly can play at this lower level and it was interesting to see him match up against Rocco. Brown should have played more and if so the Rockets probably win by a larger margin. Him playing at all in this game probbaly says where his career is at this point in relation to the NBA.
The game turned when Kevon Harris started absolutely wrecthijg rhe Wolves with his defense. Idk how many steals he was credited with but he was pretty much everywhere. He was knocking the ball away from pretty much everyone and after a slow start he started getting things go offensively. I thought he was an interesting add by the Rockets as a 2-way as an older somewhat experienced player that could probably help this season of called upon. Newton isn't as physically gifted as Harris but he is probably more of a PG.
Kennedy Chandler did sole good things in this game and was a reason they won.
Kinda dissapointed they didn't win this one but the 2 way guys that aren't projects showed out and Rocco did some good things. See everyone else in Iowa or playing internationally.
lol. I’d completely forgotten about my guy, Moses Brown, before watching this game.
I'm dissapointed in you Lip. I won't tell Moses about it he would be absolutely devastated!!!
Re: SL Game 5 Recap
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 10:20 pm
by Lipoli390
Q-is-here wrote: ↑Sat Jul 19, 2025 7:31 pm
Wolves got up big, then frittered away the lead and lost the game in crunch time. Sound familiar? LOL.
A few takeaways from this one:
- I found it somewhat instructive that Beringer didn't play (along with Shannon, Dillingham, Clark, and Miller) but Jesse Edwards and Rocco Zikarsky did. That should make it pretty clear where he is on the depth chart of Centers.
- I really hoped we'd find that diamond in the rough among free agent summer league squad team members, but none really popped to me. If I squint hard enough, I can kind of see the potential in Amari Bailey, but he first needs to figure out the trick to not dribbling it off his leg or an opponent's leg. Once he figures that out, then he can move on to how not to telegraph cross-court passes into the awaiting arms of the opponent.
- Tristen Newton is close to being a serviceable 3rd PG, but he seems like one of these guys that will be just one big strength short of making an NBA rotation. There is nothing he is terrible at, but nothing he's great at either.
- Rocco continues to be slow to react and lacks in "small area quickness", making him not nearly the rim protector he has the potential to be because guys can maneuver around him pretty easily and he's just late a lot in contesting.
- Jesse is a half step faster than Rocco, which isn't saying much, but it definitely enables him to be better at blocking and deterring shots. But offensively he is one of these guys that always has to bring the ball down and has a super long gather in order to go back up with it off boards or post ups in traffic, making it easier to strip or tie him up. He's just kinda weak with the ball...not quite as bad as Rudy, but pretty bad. I put him in the Tristen Newton category of being fundamentally sound and impactful against weaker competition, but just might not have the juice to compete against real NBA players.
That wraps up summer league. It ends with a fizzle!
A fizzle indeed! My take-aways are similar to yours but I’d put Newton in a slightly higher category than Jesse. As you noted, Tristen is not terrible at anything. I’d go far to say that he’s pretty good at just about every facet of his position but certainly not great. In contrast, Jesse is really bad at finishing shots inside. You identified correctly part of the problem as his need to bring the ball down and gather himself before putting the shot up. Another contributor to his finishing problem is that he’s simply physically weak, which was painfully obvious when he couldn’t score at the basket in the final seconds against far smaller players. Yes, he was fouled on the second shot and it should have been called, but he should have finished on his first attempt and even on his second attempt in spite of the contact. As for Newton, after the first SL game I wondered why TC offered him our last two-way deal. But after watching him in the four games thereafter I absolutely see why. He’s solid and, unlike Jesse, I can seen Tristen providing some solid minutes in the regular season if needed.
I had the same thoughts as you about Rocco. I started SL with the hope that his 9’7 standing reach and solid frame would make him a potential defensive asset for us. But after watching him play more minutes today, I have serious doubts about him ever becoming a good rim protector at the NBA level. But I do like his shooting stroke and I think he can become a nice short and mid-range shooter - perhaps even with some three-point range. As I watched him tonight, he started to remind me a big of Luc Longley - and not because they’re both Australian.
. Rocco moves like Longley but also seems to have a nice shooting touch like Longley. It will be interesting to see how he develops. Jesse’s already 25 but Rocco’s still 18 so there’s hope that some areas of his game develop to the point where he can become an NBA-caliber player.
In the end, I only saw one NBA caliber player on the floor four the Wolves today and it was Tristen Newton. So I’m hoping Newton signs that two-way deal.
Re: SL Game 5 Recap
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2025 10:27 pm
by Monster
Also the analyst for this game was horrific. Jaylen Clark was pretty fun when he was on with them. I can't believe that analyst never answered the play by play guy's question about how assess talent in SL even if it was one that is truly difficult to answer. He could have said so and moved on but first it was a lengthy awkward silence and then when asked again eventually said said nobody wants to hear what I think. WTF are we listening to to you for then? He also claimed Jesse Edwards was really good offensively...i mean I think I give him more credit on that end than some here but...no.
