NBA 2K24 Summer League July 7-17

I did like JHS a lot first time watching him. Has great handles and similar style of controlling how he gets to places with his dribble, very similar to both DLO and Reaves, and looks like he will be be a very good passer as well, also like both of them.

 

Pelinka mentions he has the Lakers DNA, which I don't what that means. Maybe he means of having the mamba mentality like Reaves seems to have. Hopefully his game will evolve being a knock down shooter like reaves eventually became

 

Am just assuming superior athlete by virtue of some of the high flying plays he had in the game compared to lack of from JHS, who of course is 3 years less mature physically.

I know we have one or two die hard UCLA fans here. What did you think of the choice between them?

Did we bring Jacquez in for a workout?

 

No, it was clear to me watching Max play last season even in limited minutes he was much better than players like Beverly, Nunn, Anderson, Ryan. Even Austin wasn't getting the minutes he earned and should of had. I don't think we handled out young guys like we should have at all. Fortunately they are good enough to thrive and break out anyway. I don't want any of them getting more time than they earn but I also don't want them sitting if they earned the time just because they are young or rookies. Players are so much more ready now. Basketball goes on all year and they come into the league with so much more experience. It seems a lot of people are good with how they brought them along but for me it was botched. Like Ham talking about defense and accountability and that was all hot air. I could see if we had started the season with the roster we ended with but our original roster was terrible and going nowhere fast. We could have developed players and won more games. Win, win situation. At the worst I don't think we could have lost more. Those four guys I mentioned were not playing NBA level basketball. I am actually surprised anybody would think Max shouldn't have been playing ahead of them but it seems to be pretty common thinking. I just know how much further along he would be if he had got those minutes. By the time the playoffs hit he would have been a valuable rotation guy that could have helped us when Vando couldn't play because of his offense, Malik couldn't hit squat, Dlo disappeared. Max could play defense and hit a few shots. Would Max alone have made up the difference between us and the Nuggets? Not very likely but he would have helped and he would be the better for it. Playing Max and Austin more early would have been better for the team then and the future which is coming up quick. That is just my humble perspective. I look through the lens of a coach, so maybe my view is distorted. I am always trying to take advantage of every opportunity. I can't stand wasting a second of practice time...lol.

 

Watch Wembayana duck Castleton.

 

“The Castle Wall”

 

Castleton looks pretty good lol. Dude is big and athletic

 

Christie was at another level clearly then everybody else on the Lakers summer league game

Then only standout for me was Castleton. He's got some skills as well. Needs to add on 15 pounds of muscle and I think he can make it in the NBA

Not really seeing is so far with JHS. Got to the rim one the second half but looked more like hope prayer layups rather then having his man in jail.

 

Max Christie looks good. He has the size, length, and shot to make his mark in this league. I hope he gets at least 12-15 mins per game this year. Shades of dare I say….. BI on that one drive and missed poster/hammer?!

JHS just ain’t cutting it for me. I know it’s only 2 SL games, just don’t see it at all. Swider would easily be our best shooter. Castleton had like 6-7 blocks or something seemingly from the highlights. I really dig Max Lewis, hope he gets garbage time PT unless we assign him.

 

I thought JHS had a good game, better than his 1st game. He showed that he has a nice tear drop in the mid range. He uses his body well in the mid range to get off his shots and seems to be ambidextrous around the rim, made a few shots from outside. He doesn't have an elite 1st step, he is a pick and roll guard, though he has a long 1st step to get by you, his footwork will improve with time. I really don't to much emphasis in the summer league though.

 

I hate that we just gave Max 2 years. We could have had another 2 years of cost control.

 

from the highlights:

christie looks every bit as good as i expected. he's ready for regular minutes in the real games.

hodge's shot is really pretty and quick; i prefer him to swider as a project shooter, as he's got a rep for defense, too.

jhs has a really strong off hand and good intermediate game. it's funny that he doesn't look big out there despite his measurements, but guys definitely bounce off him on his drives. his career will hinge on him becoming a shooter.

lewis has a ton of natural talent but sort of looks like he's never been coached before.

castleton continues to intrigue.

 

Christie is ready. Definitely in the 9 man rotation this year. It's slowed down for him, can get to his spot, run some offensive sets.



JHS had a much better game but I don't know. Trusting the scouts and it's good we don't need anything from him this year.

Lewis has good twitch speed and instincts. Needs some mass and a lot of time in the d-league. Raw ability is there to be a good two way player in a couple years.

Castle looks be another good find. Heady player. Not enough to cover for our front court deficiency. He is still a UDFA. Maybe he'll be able to do what Huff never could.



I also thought Fudge had a good activity level to him tonight.

 

Hi IQ. Good passing big man. Can put the ball on the floor. Hope AD gives him some defensive pointers to help him quickly beyond where he is now. And needs to bust his a** whatever the strength trainers want him to do.

 

I’m excited to see what Max can do this year. He’s definitely ready for a small role.
Castleton is a really good pickup. He plays with poise and doesn’t rush his offensive moves. His handle for a big is rare and his timing on defense is already pretty good. Another good prospect who should be able to help in a year, maybe even spot duty mid way this season if he can add about 10 pounds of muscle.
I haven’t seen enough of Lewis yet, but the length and speed are there.
I think Fino can be pretty good. Yeah, he doesn’t have top tier explosiveness, but there have been plenty of NBA guards who have carved out long careers by doing other things well. He’s definitely a project and I’m willing to be patient and see him grow- just like with Christie.

 

I like what I see with a couple of those guys. Maxwell's length and athleticism are intriguing, but looks a couple of years away. Castleton is already adjusting to the speed, but you can tell he has skill. He could handle 5-10 mpg this year, but probably better in the minors to get playing time and develop his body. The PG's name I don't want to remember will struggle with length for awhile til he adjusts, but looks like he'll find a way. But Max Christie looks like he's been there. Great to see our development team doing work and for him to have the confidence to show off his progress.

 

To counter what everyone keeps telling @Toklat about there was no reason to rush Christie and get him in over his head …. the guy didn’t just get that good since the season ended in May being a 3&D wing we could have indeed used in the playoffs over some of the guys we were playing that weren’t hacking it. He showed signs all season that he was shooting better than he did in Summer League last year. In fact shot 42% from deep. Nah didn’t need none of that. In three games against Denver finally 15 minutes average taking only what came to him that the coaches wanted him to do or get yanked, he shot 67% from deep and 62% overall. All season he flashed glimpses of moving his feet as well or better on D over some of the guys Ham woundn’t give him minutes in place of just for the experience, especially pre deadline moves. IMO too he could have been brought along a little more quickly at least than he was and it might have been of more benefit regular season when we were sucking and then probably too, with that experience, in the playoffs as well.

 

gotta keep the youngins hungry

and he's too tall

--Ham (Probably)