MM's all important summer league game 1 grades

haha. Nice

 

Not ripping him at all. The kid can flat out shoot, and has proven he can put up big numbers against this competition. He is slow of foot though, and that equates to a specialist IMO

 

Good pick up. I didn't notice that at all. I will have to rewatch the game

 

I like the grades for the most part.

I'm not as long on Babbitt as everyone else, but I don't think he's a superstar either.

I think in general I'm a little lower on Leonard than most. He is great when he's got a clear lane in front of him after someone has drawn his defender over to help, but I was surprised at how he didn't appear comfortable putting back offensive rebounds at two feet. As powerful as his dunks were, I didn't think he was very strong around the rim in traffic. That said, no doubt he can put on 20lbs and with experience could be a very good center.

Fun game overall!

 

Because this is a summer league game. 19 and 10 in the summer league for a guy who has been in the league for two years already is encouraging, but not really impressive.

The thing I was most impressed with though was his confidence. I like seeing confidence in a shooter.

 

Umm... You know that last night WAS summer league, right?

I don't hate Babbitt. I like him. I just don't think he's anything more than a threat from 3. I hope he proves me wrong and becomes more. And I didn't expect anything more from him given where he was drafted (and projected to be drafted). Every good team has a guy who can come in and stretch the D by being a 3-point threat. For that, I like him. He's not untouchable in my book, but you don't just dump him either - he definitely has a purpose and a role.

So I don't hate him - I'm just not impressed, either. The next time he gets his feet off the ground will be the first time.

 

I agree. I don't hate Babbitt by any means at all, and I really don't think there has been much "hate" as PapaG said. We were bashing his defense though, because he's getting absolutely torched by a bunch of summer leaguers. His defense did not look good.

I guess my expectations for him are very low, so it's hard for him to disappoint me. His shot looked good last night, however, and he did a good job rebounding so all and all I was pleased with his performance.

 

and now for the all-important Libertarian response...

My Grade: A
As a teacher I'm not allowed to give out A+, but what is better than having a great game is struggling some and then having the maturity to overcome that.
As for the Westbrook comparison, I agree that DL doesn't have the elite explosion of RW, but I think DL can become an elite shooter, which RW is not. MM and I were looking for several things from DL, and he gave us all of them.

My grade: A-
ML is not a skilled basketball player, but what he brings, he should be able to bring every night, and that's cause for celebration. Can really hedge, and likes to do it. I am frustrated by the fact that when he's under the hoop he thinks he's 1'7" instead of 7'1" - power it up big guy, if they block it, they block it (but they're probably going to foul you). BTW, it's damn refreshing to have an aggressive big man who can shoot FTs. Another reason I love this guy - while there's plenty he can't do, most of it can be learned (unlike, say learning the PG position if you've never played it before, ahem AR)

My grade: none
He wasn't really in the class, just TAing for a bit.

My grade: B-
He can't run a team for extended minutes, and he can't create his own shot, and he can't really shoot. He's figured out he needs to be aggressive or he's out of the league. Let's hope he keeps that up. When he did well the team seemed to do poorly, let's hope this isn't a trend (though he was +0).

My grade: B
Probably should give him a B+, but he had me yelling at my computer in the first half because of his defense. His stats were fantastic: 19 points on 12 shots, 10 rebounds. His defense seemed to be horrible. If his man wasn't scoring, his team mates had to foul. However, what I can't explain is that the team was +14 while he was in the game (Lillard was +5). Wouldn't advanced stats say he was a great defender? He also does not work hard on the defensive end. What I like about Babbitt is that he can shoot a very good % from 3 without lowering his arm. When I and most NBA players shoot, they naturally lower the ball to their waist to get a rhythm. Babbitt practices shooting the 3 without doing that, which I think is a great NBA skill. I have a real love/hate relationship with the guy. He needs to be on a team with multiple penetrators - we now have exactly 1.

My grade: C
The guy missed the first day of camp, so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt for now. He only shot the ball 4 times in 30 minutes, so I'd like him to be more aggressive. He didn't do anything really stupid out there. Still hoping he'll show that he can be a rotation player, but he didn't in game 1.

 

Because of his shooting, Babbitt has a role in this league. He'll never be a starter (at least not on any team that wins more than 20 games), or not even a 6th man. Something like 7th - 9th man - part of the rotation, but not a major part. He will be a James Jones, Eddie Johnson (late career), Kyle Korver type that comes in to keep the defense honest and keep them from packing the paint.

As ironic as it is, there always seems to be a shortage of guys who can flat out shoot the basketball in the NBA. There is so much emphasis on athleticism, that most guys rely more on mad hops and blazing quickness than a good shooting touch. Of course, the rules have evolved to favor Sports Center Top 10 highlights over lights out shooting. So guys who can shoot, but do little else have been marginalized, but it's still nice to have one on your roster to spread the court for the guys who are more athletic.

BNM

 

Really bro! Start a thread with your own name in the title?

 

You've been awfully diva-ish lately. Are the Blazers forgetting to stock your dressing room with the required fruits and candy bars that you stipulated in your contract?

 

I almost turned off at halftime (I'm on East Coast time.) Rather glad I didn't. At half time I was formulating lines in my head about how we should have taken Wroten and how my opinion of the Big Sky was plummeting. Also how it was true that Nolan was better than Lillard. Lillard looked a step slow and my worst fears that he wasn't a PG were confirmed.

Then came the second half. I am officially a convert. I was vocally against him (although I did prefer him to both Drummond and Barnes) but not any more. Y'know who he reminds me of? Brandon Roy. A pint-sized Brandon Roy. He's a 4-year college guy (well, only a couple of games one year before he redshirted), injured in college (doomy foreshadowing music plays in background), not the fastest or most athletic or flashiest player, picked at #6.... It's uncanny! But the most encouraging similarity is that they both can (could) get layups when they want. That was the thing that REALLY impressed me about Lillard in the second half - he finishes layups of ridiculous difficulty level. He's "and-1" in the non-corporation sense. So all that shit I said about him being just a jump-shooter? It was just shit. And the step-back three at the end was just icing.

Another guy who looked lost at first. He really is a project. He's kind of lost out there at the moment and kind of top-heavy and not too graceful. BUT. He is a specimen. And he's a hard worker. And tough. And he can hit his free throws. I'll eat my hat if he doesn't have a significantly better career than Andre Drummond. BUT BUT: if there's anybody who should spend some time in the D-League, it's him. He is VERY RAW INDEED. But also very promising. Impressed despite my significant reservations. So much so that if Chicago offered Noah for him straight up, I would actually think a few minutes before accepting.

That's too high. He shouldn't be here and he's trying to do things he will never be able to do and getting turnovers. He should be happy with watching in street clothes like JR Smith et. al. But I like the commitment.

Nolan was about the only pleasant surprise in the first half. And it was very pleasant. He looks much longer out there than I remember and he really is being more aggressive, and looked very solid in the ten minutes before he twisted his ankle (that spin move followed by a flip finish? Awesome!). I predict he becomes a solid rotation player. Yes, on the basis of ten minutes. In Summer League. So sue me.

That's harsh - Babbitt was one of our best players. He is still a lights-out shooter with a quick release (because he shoots it flat-footed, like Brent Barry) but he's actually trying to build on that and managed to get his guy in the air a couple of times and get to the rim where he was usually fouled. And he got double-figure rebounds. And he wasn't completely abused on D. And he brought the ball up court a couple of times, so his handle isn't terrible. He actually looked like a solid NBA benchwarmer out there. I was impressed. I think he's got his confidence back, like Nolan.

Gotta totally disagree. He started very slow and was kind of invisible, but he got going and ended up with 6 rebounds, a steal and a couple of assists. I wanted a lot from him (he was my fave of our draft picks) and was disappointed at first, but I warmed to him, particularly his defense. He's just a baller: he found other ways to contribute. Very happy with him.

You forgot: Diebler. He's a shooting specialist who missed his shots and was -18, so you'd think F. But actually I thought he was much more well-rounded than I expected. Brought the ball up the court, worked hard on defense, wasn't a total slug. He could turn into a specialist who doesn't kill you in his time on the court. I say C-.

 

What kind of consumption are you suggesting HCP enjoys here?

 

Yeah, MM. You're really starting to get to HCP's level of narcissism.

He would know.

 

Yeah. What's your point? Babbitt was one of the better offensive players on the floor, regardless of it was a pick-up game at Club Sport.

I guess I don't see a problem with a guy who has one elite NBA skill. If you're expecting him to have the all-around game of Scottie Pippen, well, you're always going to be disappointed in the guy. Good teams need role players, too.

Irrelevant to the role he'll fill on this team (or another team). If he's even a Matt Bullard in terms of his one elite NBA skill, that's good enough to play a role on a title team.

 

Um, OK. I don't care if he's green, so long as he shoots 43-45% from 3pt range.

 

Did you read the game thread? Most of the first three pages were posters ripping on Babbitt. Do you people even enjoy watching games?

That game thread was a disaster, but a very funny read in hindsight.

 

I said Lillard was the PG version of Roy a week or so ago. And yesterday, I saw it during the second half, and then I saw lots of posters mention that same thing. Affirmation! Even if it is only 1 SL game, others are seeing it too.

But what I see from those two.... and as you say, they both get layups at will.... They can go right or left, though it seems like both like to go to the left, then switch and finish right-handed. They both have the ability to take a bump, realize they don't have the best shot with whichever hand the ball is in, and then switch to the other hand for the finish.

When Lillard drove to the hoop, he also had the vision to kick the ball to the corner to an open shooter if he was going to have to force a bad shot. That also reminds me of B-Roy. I thought he did a good job of playing within the game and making the most of what he was given.

 

My point is the same as everyone else's..... It's SL. See Travis Outlaw, Bayless, etc. And yes, Babbitt was one of the better offensive players on the floor. But considering the guys on the floor, that really ain't saying much.

As for your response to the rest of my post.... it was pretty much everything I said. I'm not sure if you're disagreeing or agreeing, seems like your approach implies disagreeing, but everything you wrote pretty much agrees with what I've been posting in this (and other threads about his performance) so I'd assume it was agreeing.

 

Nah I didn't read the first few pages. I didn't get to start watching until the second half and that's where I joined the game thread.