Nets Summer League First Impressions

AP

Four Nets rookies from their record-setting five-pick Draft haul made their first impressions to an anxious fan base via two games at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. Though No. 22 overall pick Drake Powell was designated as unavailable for the event with a knee injury, Egor Demin (No. 8), Nolan Traore (No. 19), Ben Saraf (No. 26) and Danny Wolf (No. 27) each received about 20-25 minutes per game in a pair of defeats.

As I noted in my last post, the results, good or bad, are usually utterly meaningless. Brooklyn’s best players in Sunday’s 102-96 loss to Washington were center Drew Timme and two-way guard Travis Etienne, both of whom will be 25 come training camp. They are by no means considered to be integral to the organization’s present, never mind its future.

The hope has been that this rookie class, particularly Demin, the Nets’ first lottery pick since 2010, would start to lay a foundation to better days ahead. Two Summer League contests aren’t going to alter my opinion as to what the might Nets have—for instance, I saw enough of Demin at BYU to conclude that he was going to need intense Nets Performance Team magic to avoid a trip to Bustville, his 40% three-point shooting on 15 attempts notwithstanding. Can they make him faster? Even in the unlikely event he can sustain that conversion rate in real games (he shot 27% from the shorter college distance last season), NBA defenses will crowd him until he proves he can effectively drive the ball into the paint.

Saraf and Wolf are also deficient in relative athleticism. The Thunder and Wizards were the proverbial bullies pilfering their lunch money despite all the Fancy Dan juking. Adjusting to NBA speed will take time, if ever. Traore at least has the giddy-up in his bag to stress defenses, though it was less consistent than if all you saw was an edited highlight reel. He too had difficulties protecting the ball, though his main issue even before he was drafted has been finishing, both at the rim and from behind the arc.

From a more macro view, here’s what I saw:

The SL Nets can’t guard a cone

The foot speed issues have plagued Brooklyn more on defense than on offense. The ease with which the opposition blew by Nets defenders was disturbing. I liked how Wolf at least tagged the roller in pick-and-roll hedging (which is more than I can say for the stationary Timme, who often left his teammates hanging to defend a 4-on-3 following his token blitzes), but it was curtains every time he switched onto a capable ballhandler. Washington’s Tre Johnson, the No. 6 overall pick, got to any spot he desired on Sunday as a large segment of pro-tanking Nets fans bit their tongues in disgust. There were some good one-on-one reps from Demin and Traore, but the team just isn’t fast enough to get away with all the chasing and scrambling from the disadvantages created from the initial required help. In general, the Nets defense could best be described as praying for a miss of an open shot. Not too unlike what we saw for the majority of last season.

Underdog search continues

Two years ago, little-known Armoni Brooks rained 3s all over the Las Vegas courts during his Nets Summer League audition. Though 25 at the time, he played his way into a two-way contract and even helped the club win a regular season game in Miami. Last season, Tyrese Martin impressed Brooklyn’s brass enough during his Summer League run to earn a two-way deal. Currently, the Nets have an open two-way slot (Tosan Evbuomwan and Etienne were signed to two-year deals last season), so this new crop of undrafted Summer Leaguers have an opportunity. I can’t say anyone has seized it. Per NetsDaily.com, big man Grant Nelson, after starring for Alabama last season, declined a second-round offer in favor of a training camp invite with Brooklyn. Was he promised anything more? From the two games, he looked as out of sorts as Wolf, who is two years younger. Wing TJ Bamba came to Las Vegas with some hype as a potential feel-good story, but he’s been dreadful. If you have the motivation to watch the last two Summer League games, Tuesday versus the Knicks and Wednesday against Orlando, maybe keep an eye on former Villanova guard Caleb Daniels. Though also older (26), his physicality has been noticeable and it hasn’t hurt that he made some shots on Sunday. Daniels is still in the longshot category, but things can change quickly in Summer League.