Guard play is important in summer league basketball. It must be. That’s the only explanation for the Bucks 0-3 record that remains incredibly satisfying.
When the Bucks spent three draft picks on forwards and loaded their summer league roster up with undrafted free agents and D-Leaguers at point guard and shooting guard, everyone knew there would be some struggles handling the ball.
The struggles were on display again Thursday night. Milwaukee turned the ball over 17 times while tallying just 12 assists. Combine the sloppiness with the ball with a general inaccuracy from the field, evidenced by 40% shooting, and that’s how the result comes to be Atlanta 83 – Milwaukee 60.
Milwaukee point guards shot a combined 4-10 with seven assists and four turnovers.
As usual, there were bright spots. And as usual, the brightest bright spot was Larry Sanders. Read more…
(UPDATE: My piece from the ESPN Daily Dime on Larry Sanders)
I’m kind of liking the summer league thing. Exciting games that have me on the edge of my seat but don’t leave me feeling heartbroken when they don’t end the way I desire?
That sounds good to me.
Another day, another exciting finish that doesn’t really matter.
Milwaukee dropped their second straight Vegas Summer League game 67-64 to the Memphis Grizzlies after an exciting finish that saw Larry Sanders connect on two threes in the final 35 seconds of the game to tie it up with .7 second left for Milwaukee. Unfortunately, Sam Young of the Grizzlies finish the Bucks off with a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Videos would later reveal that the shot would not have counted were this the regular season, but we have more important things to discuss.
Like the aforementioned Sanders. My thoughts on him will be out later, so we’ll hold off there for now, just know that I’ve never seen a player do a complete 180 the way the Bucks first round pick did Tuesday night. Even better was the fact that Sanders big day came against a Grizzlies front line that featured Hasheem Thabeet and Darrell Arthur. They aren’t summer league fodder.
But there were other success stories Tuesday night. Read more…
Your 2010 Las Vegas Summer League Milwaukee Bucks:
G – Antoine Agudio 6-3 Hofstra
C – John Bryant 6-11 Santa Clara
G – Paul Delaney 6-2 UAB
F – Micah Downs 6-7 Gonzaga
F – Tiny Gallon 6-9 Oklahoma
G – Darington Hobson 6-7 New Mexico
F – Darnell Jackson 6-8 Kansas
G – DeMarcus Nelson 6-4 Duke
F – Larry Sanders 6-11 VCU
G – Jerry Smith 6-2 Louisville
F – Deron Washington 6-7 Virginia Tech
C – Sean Williams 6-10 Boston College
