MM's all important summer league game 1 grades

Ripping on Babbitt is kinda fun, though. He's just that ugly, pasty white boy with no athleticism, and when you consider the level of athleticism in the league, he's just kind of an anomaly. He's somewhat of a tweener. You don't see many 3/4-types survive in the NBA with his level of athleticism.

The fact that he is surviving tells me a couple of things. One, he's a solid shooter. Two, aside from him occasionally chucking some outside deep bombs, he's probably a pretty smart player and makes the most of what he has.

 

Did anyone else notice the amount of "clanging" from the rims? I mean, shots that barely hit the rim and went through still made a huge clang.

 

Well, Babbitt shot 43% from 3pt in games last year, and it wasn't SL.

There is a 15 page thread on SL, and in it, you're raving about Lillard and Leonard because of their performance in the same SL game.

At least be consistent. Either SL matters, or it doesn't. If it doesn't, then why do you have 32 posts in a thread dedicated to a meaningless SL game?

 

Babbitt went from entirely useless to a solid NBA shooter in one season, and that was without a SL or even a real training camp.

I'm all for ripping players, but it seems silly to continue to berate a guy who ended up being one of the better players on the floor last night, and who has proven that he has the skill to be a top-level NBA specialist, if given the opportunity.

 

Fact.

 

I noticed a real change in his confidence last season, and I'm seeing it in SL. Confidence makes all the difference with a shooter. It was a lack of confidence that held Martell back.

 

Yeah, that's what I'm trying to say. Babbitt is never going to be a star player, or a good defender, but that doesn't matter as long as he can rebound a bit and shoot the hell out of the ball. I liked that he was driving to the hoop last night.

I just don't think he's a wasted pick at all, and he's the type of guy off the bench that a good coach can utilize very effectively.

Mike Miller could barely walk the last few years, but if he had an open shot, he'd hit it consistently enough to extend the defense out to him. James Jones has never played defense in his life, but because he can shoot, he just helped win Miami an NBA title.

 

I was already high on both Lillard and Leonard. I think Lillard is going to be a very solid PG in this game. I think he'll struggle at times, but a lot of players struggle in their very first SL game. It's his very first. We have yet to see him against anything above college competition (and many have judged because of the level of college competition).

Babbitt.... he's played SL, he's played preseason, NBADL, and he's played real NBA games. I expect him to understand the level of SL and know what he's up against, and know how to take advantage and put up respectable numbers.

Babbitt had solid numbers. But he didn't really do anything that jumped out at me, except the one thing he's good at: shoot. He had some nice box-outs for rebounds, too. But if this kid didn't come in and put up numbers in SL, I'd be severely worried about his future in the NBA. But other than some rebounds, he mostly stood outside waiting for his shot. And his D sucks.

Lillard, meanwhile (and yes, I realize he's a PG and has the ball in his hands), was driving, dishing, shooting, up on his guy on D (for part of the game, anyway). He showed me the things I wanted to see, and he did it in his very first SL game. So, call it inconsistent, but there's a reason for that level of inconsistency. Babbitt did what you'd expect guy entering his third season to do at SL. Lillard came in right off the bat and showed he's better than most SL players. Doesn't guarantee stardom, but it's something a lot of guys who turn out to be solid NBA players don't do.

If you can't get that logic/reasoning, then I won't be able to help you out. But I've seen this reasoning mentioned on forums (not to mention the analysts) for some time now, and it's legit IMO.

 

I don't really recall anyone berating him. But people do make fun of him. Boo-fucking-hoo.

 

Same as a lot of guys. When Nate was fired, players played freely and with confidence, knowing that mistakes were acceptable.

 

I wished I saw this game.

 

No one has said he isn't a good shooter.. and that's all you're arguing. You're basically arguing with no one.

 

Every player on the team gets berated at some point. Babbitt is fucking awful at defense, even in a summer league game, so he deserves berating for that.

 

I think he could definitely be a role player on a winning team. Hell, Korver is still in the league and what else can he do but shoot?

 

For the record, you're hilarious PapaG. You're trying to get me into an argument on Babbitt, like I hate him. I've said a lot of the same things you're saying to me, but you're trying to create an argument with me about it. But I don't disagree with you. Babbitt is what he is. He's a role player, and his lone role is to shoot (and try to get some boards, which every player should do in the NBA). And every team needs some role players.

But that won't keep me from having fun and making fun of him. He looks like Sam Perkins out there shooting that damn 3-ball. You can barely slide a sheet of paper under his shoes while he's shooting bombs. No hops. Very little athleticism. It's awesome he's come this far in a league full of, and generally dominated by, athletes. It's like how people made fun of Andre Miller and his lack of jumping. Even his teammates got into the action (Didn't one of his teammates say that Miller was the first player to drop 50 without getting off the floor once?).

 

Lillard: A. CP3esque. Faster than you think, smart, knows when to get others involved, crafty, great finisher, good shooter, had some questionable passes, dribbling in the first half was a little herky jerk. After the jitters went away, made better decisions, hit shots, had some nice passes, nice step back 3, got to the line. Got others involved, even if they missed. Did a decent job on D, as well. Picked up a charge on Rivers, and generally stayed in front of him at a decent rate (considering Rivers truly has elite moves to get to the rack).

Barton: C. Very, very average. Shots weren't falling, missed a day of camp, had a couple nice rebounds, offensively and defensively but couldn't finish them. Played good D, played really hard, don't expect him to excel in this setting. He is more in the mold of Kobe, 1 on 1 player, than rat ball player with no defensive rotations or sets offensively. Surprised his mid range game wasn't falling for him. Also had a nice pass or two.

Diebler: D. Shooter that really struggled shooting yesterday. Could be an anomaly, but could also be a sign that he isn't Steve Novak from 3. Seemed to be working hard, but didn't really pop out good or bad. Didn't notice him get thrashed on D, but he was missing good shots. Looked to blend in more than anything.

Smith: B+. Really liked the aggressiveness, showed some speed, showed some good decision making, but only saw him for a limited amount of time, got his shot off. Too bad it was cut short.

Babbitt: Going to give him an offensive and defensive grade, or else it just wouldn't be fair to him. Offensively: B. Defensively: F-. Bad: Shitty dribbler, needs to be aware of his surroundings, forces shots off the dribble way too often, turns it over, drives to deep, pretty much anytime he drove it was "oh shit - turnover" or "oh shit - bailout foul, thank God". His defense is non-existent. Got torched, lost track of his man, led to some team fouls. Now for the good: Definitely a good shooter, got some decent rebounds, did manage to get to the FT line, has improved confidence, made some good passes (maybe not right on the numbers or anything, but the ball got there), seems to be a decently smart player, just not athletic enough (against these guys) to do what he wants to do.

Leonard: A. Raw offensively, attitude, big guy, fast, athletic, rebounds, blocks out, sets good picks, got the FT line, didn't seem too mentally fragile. Toughness. Questionable circus shot to say the least. Affected others shots. Does what it takes to win. Exceeded my expecations greatly.

 

Yeah - I think they're miked up or something.

 

And Novak got benched in the playoffs.

and Ryan Anderson is superior to Babbitt, also Ryan Anderson isn't a trap door on defense. He doesn't get absolutely manhandled by shitty players. He actually does decently against PF's.