TAKE A LOOK AT THE BEST X & O’s ORLANDO SUMMER LEAGUE 2017! GREAT INFORMATION HERE by Chris Filios

The NBA Summer League kicked off on July 1 shortly after the draft concluded. Eight teams competed in the Orlando-version of the NBA Summer League. Summer league gives us our first chance to watch the newly drafted players, as well as many 2nd NBA players, G-League players looking to make the jump up, and free agents looking to show good enough skills to land an NBA contract. The teams The teams participating in Orlando were: Dallas Mavericks, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, NY Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons, and Orlando Magic.

The winner of this year’s Orlando Summer League was the Dallas Mavericks, as they went 4-0. The Pistons and Pacers both went 3-1, while the Thunder, Hornets, and Magic went 2-2, and the Heat and Knicks both went 0-4. A few of the 1st round draft pick names that participated in the league were:

Jonathon Isaac Orlando Magic Florida State University

Luke Kennard Detroit Pistons Duke University

TJ Leaf Indiana Pacers UCLA

Bam Adebayo Miami Heat University of Kentucky

Terrance Ferguson OKC Thunder Adelaide 36ers

Click on the pdf link to download the best X’s and O’s of the Orlando Summer League 2017 season:

Best X’s and O’s from the NBA Summer League

Here are Eleven Standouts that made the Orlando Summer League 2017!

What happens at the Orlando Summer League 2017 is six days, twenty games, and a ton of different stories from it. Here are 11 players that made an impression on me.

Bam Adebayo – Miami Heat: Some people thought that Pat Riley made a reach on Adebayo with his lottery pick. John Calipari, his college coach, believes that he will grow and thrive on the NBA level. Adebayo didn’t shoot the ball that consistently, but he was fifth in scoring, second in rebounding, and second in blocked shots. He also defended multiple positions during the summer league.

Jonathan Isaac – Orlando Magic: Isaac is very slender and only 19 years old, but the Magic grabbed him in the NBA draft on potential. He was active and showed his skill set, before a hip injury and having to sit 2.5 games. He needs to put some muscle on that frame to withstand the NBA competition, but you could see that Isaac didn’t back down from anyone. He is something special in the making.
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Dakari Johnson – OKC Thunder: Johnson, a second-round pick in 2015, has spent the last two years in the NBA G league with the OKC Blue. He had a solid performance in the Orlando summer league 2017. He scored and rebounded well, so maybe they will pull him up with Domantas Sabonis moving to Indiana in the Paul George trade deal.

Luke Kennard – Detroit Pistons: Kennard showed that he could handle the ball, get open and shoot it well. The central question in the NBA Draft was if Kennard can play the defense that Stan Van Gundy will demand of him. He is a project on defense but had decent footwork, and there is a chance that Van Gundy will play him as a rookie. In the Orlando Summer League 2017 championship game, he hit 9 of 15 shots and was 3-3 on three-pointers for 24 points.

Luke Kornet – New York Knicks: All of the talking heads wanted to see first round draft pick (Frank Ntilikina), but he was injured. This undrafted 7 foot 1 center from Vanderbilt made some noise from behind the three-point line and showed that he could protect the rim. It was the last decision that Phil Jackson made on his way out of NYC. Kornet got a two-way contract with the G-League and NBA for this season off his play.

T.J. Leaf – Indiana Pacers: Leaf showed that he could be the stretch-four that they want by hitting down any shot. Leaf averaged 15.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the third game, but then fatigue got the best of him later in the week. The Pacers are building around Myles Turner, so Leaf will be able to help him out by spreading out the floor.

Henry Ellenson – Detroit Pistons: Ellenson spent most of his rookie season with the Grand Rapids in the NBA G-League. The Pistons 2016 first round draft choice showed up with a better shooting touch from the perimeter until the Orlando summer league 2017 championship game. He was 0-5 from the three-point line, but he should be able to spread the floor and get some rebounds for the Pistons.

Dwayne Bacon – Charlotte Hornets: Bacon was very calm and collected during his play. He never seemed rushed and was able to score and get the job accomplished when he was on the floor. Bacon scored 29 points in his last game in Orlando.

Dwight Buycks – Dallas Mavericks: This 28-year-old veteran lit it up all week in the Dallas Offense. He played in the Chinese Basketball Association, but he should make the roster if he keeps improving.

Canyon Barry – New York Knicks: Rick Barry’s son carried on the tradition of shooting his free throws “granny style.” Barry shot over 83 percent from the free throw line with the Florida Gators last year.

Josh Huestis – OKC Thunder: Huestis was one of the best players in Orlando. Huestis averaged 15 points and 6.8 rebounds during the week. Huestis shot over 42 percent from the three point line too. He has played with the OKC Blue (NBA G-League team) the last could years. He could be pulled up for a roster spot this year.