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Thanks for the write up. Agree on all points.
-The difference in Kyle Anderson's game from the start of summer league until now is night and day. At first, it seemed like everything was happening too fast for him on both ends of the court and he was constantly making questionable decisions. In the last three games or so, Anderson has become a maestro out there and is clearly the most polished player on the court at all times. Sure, he still moves slowly but it seems like each of his movements are calculated. On defense, he has improved greatly by getting back to the basics: staying in a defensive crouch, not reaching on the perimeter and using his length to bother shots. He's never going to be a great defensive player but he has gone from terrible to average in summer league. On offense, his combination of craftiness, patience and length has been deadly. And then when the other team shows him too much attention, he flashes his passing skills. Becky Hammon has been playing him a lot at power forward in the last two games and Anderson has flourished even more. There's simply not a summer league power forward who can even think about guarding him. On top of that, having one more shooter surrounding him allows him to operate freely. Bottomline: Anderson not only looks like a legit NBA player, it's now a no-brainer that he should be the team's backup small forward. His playmaking and basketball IQ will be a perfect match for the bench unit. If he can knock down three-pointers at even 34-35 percent, I expect him to have a successful sop re season and should be a fixture in the rotation.
-I continue to really like Jonathon Simmons. Offensively, he incessantly looks to create via penetration. While the dunks get put on the highlight reel, he's not a slam-or-bust player at all. He has really good footwork going toward the hoop, he can finish with either hand and he appears to be an outstanding passer – whether it's a cross-court pass or a dump off in the lane. Defensively, he's very active when on the ball. He can maneuver quickly around screens. He draws offensive fouls. He knows his responsibilities team-defense wise. Simmons does have some weakness – namely being a bit too loose with the ball on offense and overplaying too much on defense – but he appears to be an exciting prospect. A hungry, active, energetic, athletic, creative swingman on the deep bench? Yes, please. It'll be fun to see how he grows from here.
-I thought Cady Lalanne played relatively well. He's raw but he exhibits glimpses of ability. When he takes his time on his jumper, he can knock it down. Lalanne isn't close enough to an NBA player right now to be worthy of a roster spot, but due to those aforementioned glimpses, I hope he signs in Europe and the Spurs take a look at him next year in summer league.
-Jarell Eddie remains interesting due to his tantalizing three-point stroke. His fast, accurate release could be deadly in San Antonio's offense. Unfortunately, he's just so inept everywhere else. Really bad on defense. Molassesly slow to loose balls. Can't dribble or pass. That said, I hope to see him in training camp simply due to his shooting ability.
-I'm a fan of Darion Atkins. He's basically a poor, poor man's version of PJ Brown. He plays stout post defense, can defend pick-and-rolls, plays physically in the paint and is unselfish. I doubt he'll ever make it in the NBA since he's short (6-foot-8 at best) and unathletic but he has my respect for how he plays the game. It's apparent that he really understands the ins and outs. If he doesn't make it anywhere as a player, he has a future as a coach.
-Brandon Davies actually has the skill-set to maybe make it as a stretch power forward in the NBA one day. What's holding him back right now is a bad body. He struggles to hold his position under the basket, which is compounded by his lack of upper body strength. Nice player but he needs to dedicate himself if he wants to make it in this line of work.
-The point guards on the team, Shannon Scott and Will Cherry, are pretty damn bad. They're not even reliable enough to bring the ball up the court, much less do anything else. Thankfully Simmons and Anderson are around to bail them out by taking some of the ball-handling duties.
-Treveon Graham would be a good get for Austin. He's a work in progress but if he can vastly improve his guard skills, he'd be a worthwhile prospect on the D-League level.
-Twenty years ago, Youssou Ndoye probably makes it as an NBA player. Unfortunately for him, these days there really isn't much of a use for a 7-foot brute without many refined skills.
-Livio Jean-Charles hasn't played in the last two games. I haven't heard anything official but I'd guess his knee is bothering him since he had been limping since about the third game of summer league.
-I've been really impressed with Becky Hammon. It's now clear that she wasn't simply a token hire. This Vegas team has been far better coached than the Salt Lake team was, for example. Her out-of-timeout plays have been successful. Her rotations show that she has a good feel for which players deserve extended court time. In this game against the Nets, a key to the win was getting Anderson and Simmons rest late in the third and early in the fourth in order to let the duo carry the team down the stretch. Hammon didn't panic when the Nets went out in front and instead kept her eye on the big picture. To top it off, she's made advanced adjustment – such as using Anderson at power forward to create mismatches, making sure Atkins is the bigman pick-and-roll defender in key situations and running the offense through Simmons when the point guards shriveled – that make it clear she knows exactly what she's doing. Could she be a future head coach in the NBA? I'm now a believer.
Thanks for the write up. Agree on all points.
thanks. nice write up. i'm so impressed by Kyle's turnaround. went from scrubbing it up, to being arguably the best player this summer. wonder how far simmons and kyle and becky can take us.
I'd like to see Ndoye get on the Austin roster
Great write upI've been really impressed with Kyle Anderson's recent play; he really look's like a legit NBA player out there.
Great read.
KA has definitely opened my eyes during these summer league games. I'm very impressed by him and Simmons out there. Great read old sport
Agree with everything. I think part of the adjustment to play KA at the 4 has to be to have all of your best players in the court at the same time for some stretches: KA, Simmons and Eddie. Having KA at the 4 also allows them to run some sets designed w a stretch 4 in mind, and allowsis Simmons room to isolate and run PnR with space,and make it harder to defend, since you do have to account for KA in SL. Nice write-up!!!!
I prefer Simmons playing next to Ginobili this year over KA. Better at defense, three point shooting, passing, generating offense for others,etc. He can help take the pressure to create off of Gino every so often while still maximizing Patty Mills shooting ability. He'll be able to take advantage of an open paint that will result from playing two bigs that can shoot. A better option overall imo.
I've been saying all along that Anderson is a legit player. I've been around enough basketball to see who has it and who doesn't. Given the minutes (15-20) I think Anderson can be an 8 pt, 5 rb, 3 ast, 1 steal a game player.
http://projectspurs.com/2015-article...-win-over-nets
Post-game notes
Livio Jean-Charles missed his second straight Summer League game. After the game, Jean-Charles told me he tweaked his ankle and his injury was more precautionary.
Thanks a lot timvp .
RC said few days ago that their priority was now the wing. I wonder if these good games by Anderson and Simmons have and impact on what they are looking for. While I doubt Spurs will go as far as signing no one, RC might now value players who could potentially be fine with not playing in case Anderson and/or Simmons turns into good rotation players. It's typically the 35 years old vet who won't whine with not playing because his mindset isn't on showcasing his skills to get a bigger contract.
So I'm guessing both Kyle and Jonathon both will be sharing the minutes vacated be Belli? They both bring a different dimension to the second unit. Kyle's mismatch potential, passing skills, rebounding, and ability to control the offense combined with Simmons' energy, passing skills, 3pt. Shooting, athleticism, and defense will definitely upgrade the bench over what Belli did. Plus in those games when Manu is resting I see Simmons sliding right in to the second guard spot and Kyle in the other. I'm really starting to see how this might work out pretty well this season. I just hope they stay consistent and continue to play within themselves.
With the good play by Anderson and Simmons, I suspect they will turn to a veteran like Prince instead of another young & unproven wing player.
Good to hear about Kyle picking up his game. I gotta remember to catch the next game. Thanks for the writeup
Nice find, thanks. Let's hope ankle and not knee.
1. If the Spurs are REALLY impressed, I could see them not adding anyone right now. They could do a sink/swim test early in the season with Anderson and Simmons. If they show signs of struggling, then they can always sign a player in the Rasual Butler mold. Those types of players grow on trees.
2. I really do think that the way Anderson and Simmons have played lately has changed RC's course of action. Last week, it appeared as if he was moving on from Bonner. It even got to the point Bonner was fielding offers from other teams. Then, all of a sudden, instead of signing the wing that RC said was the next move, he went back to Bonner.
3. The role the Spurs have to offer really couldn't be too appealing to free agents. Backing up Kawhi and competing against Kyle Anderson for minutes? Even an old retread like Tayshaun Prince would see that and assume he'd never get to play. With a minimum contract and a likelihood of limited minutes to offer, the Spurs would probably have to scrape the bottom of the barrel. Perhaps a Chris Copeland or Carlos Delfino is the best they could do at the moment.
I'm surprised that Blackshear has barely been getting any minutes. I'm guessing after signing Simmons the Spurs are no longer interested.
Nice to have a couple of guys on the SL team to get excited about. Perhaps they can put together a couple of more good performances and gives a little bit more basketball before we head into the dead period.
I like the fact that simmons and ka leads spurs offense
the team looked lost on offense without one of them, i was skeptical about KA but last couple of games were good and it probably change the FO mind
Nice write up as always OP!
Simmons saved the summer league for me. After LJC and Cady fell off, the team looked destined for a repeat of the Utah league. But now, this is the first time in years that the Spurs have had two roster guys playing at a high level at the same time (Cory and Kawhi did good jobs in 2012 but not the in the same games, and Cory wasn't as good as he'd be in 2013 anyway). Besides being awesome from a viewer's experiences, it bodes well for both of their prospects with the big roster that they can share ball-handling with each other and with a PG. They'll need to be able to do that to play next to Manu.
I wouldn't even consider adding a vet wing on a guaranteed deal unless it was too good to pass up. They simply don't need to fret about who's going to be the ninth perimeter player during the regular season. There will be time to grab a guy off the street later in the year. Williams' contract is probably better to keep on the books for now anyway.
Noticed this about Anderson. He was extremely effective alongside Simmons and Eddie. I think him having the versatility to play either forward spot is extremely helpful to his long-term outlook with the Spurs. Still want to see him not come up short on so many jumpers, but hopefully he can improve over time.Becky Hammon has been playing [Anderson] a lot at power forward in the last two games and Anderson has flourished even more. There's simply not a summer league power forward who can even think about guarding him. On top of that, having one more shooter surrounding him allows him to operate freely.
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