NBA Summer League: Orlando Pro League Vol. 3
NBA Summer League action continued today, with Tyler Hansbrough and the Indiana Pacers continuing their dominance, going 3-0 after defeating the Utah Jazz.
If you’ve missed any of the action, backtrack to catch Tuesday and Wednesday‘s top performers.
Read on to see how he and several other players did in Thursday’s games:
A.J. Price, G, Indiana Pacers
Price stepped it up in his third game, hitting 6-9 shots, including 2-3 from long range, while pouring in 14 points for the Pacers.
It’s been clear so far that Price isn’t a seasoned point guard, as his assist numbers have been low, but his ability to create for himself and shoot consistently could end up getting him a spot on the team.
Final line: 14 Pts, 4 Reb, 2 Asst
Roy Hibbert, C, Indiana Pacers
Hibbert continued his stellar play, dominating the post for the second straight game, while getting to the line and hitting 5-7 free throws.
He wasn’t going up against great competition, but Hibbert did exactly what good players should do against lesser opponents: he dominated.
Final line: 21 Pts, 8 Reb, 2 BS
Tyler Hansbrough, PF, Indiana Pacers
With his third straight game of at least 17 points, Hansbrough is starting to look the part of a 13th overall pick.
Hansbrough has shown he can shoot the ball well, and is consistently getting to the free throw line and converting on his opportunities.
He has been surprisingly average on the boards, but ironically enough, that has been his only weakness thus far.
Final line: 24 Pts, 5 Reb
Russell Westbrook, PG, Oklahoma City Thunder
Stop me if I’m repeating myself, but with his third straight 20+ point game, Westbrook is putting his offensive arsenal on full display, and showing everyone again why he was selected by the Thunder last year.
Again, we know his status with the team, and he’s simply in the summer league to grow and build chemistry with the other players, but it sure doesn’t hurt to be playing at a high level.
Westbrook was also extremely active on defense, as he recorded five steals, while helping force J.R. Giddens into 6 turnovers.
Final line: 26 Pts, 5 Asst, 5 Stl, 4 TO
J.R. Giddens, G/F, Boston Celtics
Another solid effort on offense for Giddens, however, his defense and offensive awareness has at times looked spotty.
He shot the ball well and filled up the stat sheet, but seems to be lacking a killer instinct, as he was clearly the most talented player on his team, yet he never felt the urge to take over the game.
Still, he’s beginning to show that his talents aren’t simply zoned-in on scoring, as he can help out all over the court.
Final line: 16 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Asst, 3 Stl, 6 TO
Chris Lofton, G, Boston Celtics
Lofton has his first big game of the summer league, as he hit 4-5 long range shots, enroute to a solid 15-point game.
Just as in college, Lofton can struggle to get open looks, as he usually depends on several screens or set plays.
Lofton is a lights-out shooter, but with less than ideal size and a fairly one-dimensional game, he’ll need to learn to help his team in other areas besides shooting in order to earn an invite to training camp.
Final line: 15 Pts, 2 Reb
Terrence Williams, G/F, New Jersey Nets
Finally, some light at the end of the tunnel.
After two horrendous efforts and a measly 10 combined points in his first two outings, Williams put together a sound all-around game, while finishing the game with the second most points on his team.
Williams is active on the boards and has gotten more aggressive offensively, but clearly still has a ways to go to earn serious playing time with New Jersey.
Final line: 16 Pts, 7 Reb, 4 Asst, 2 Stl, 5 TO
Dionte Christmas, SG, Philadelphia 76ers
After being rather quiet in the first two games, Christmas opened up some presents and broke out in game three, going 4-6 from downtown, and dropping in a team-high 18 points.
Christmas has good range on his shot and is solid at getting to the line, but needs to be more aggressive on both ends of the court.
Final line: 18 Pts, 2 Reb
Maurice Ager, SG, Orlando Magic
In his first major action of the summer, Ager chipped in a stellar performance, going 6-12 from the field, while connecting on 8-9 free throws.
Ager is an athletic wing with an outstanding ability to get to the rim, and due to his aggressiveness, he also gets to the line consistently.
He’s also improving as a defender, as he helped hold Chris Douglas-Roberts, one of the stars from the previous two games, to just five points.
Final line: 21 Pts, 2 Reb
Kasib Powell, F, Orlando Magic
Powell made the most of his minutes in game three, as he launched five three-pointers, hitting four, and ended the game with 19 points.
He played decent defense and stayed out of foul trouble, but outside of his offensive outburst, he didn’t stick out much.
Final line: 19 Pts, 3 Reb
Ryan Anderson, F, Orlando Magic
Anderson continued his run of summer league dominance to three straight games of 20 or more points, as he dropped in 21 points on 8-15 shooting.
He has done a fantastic job offensively, as he’s shown he can hit shots inside and out, while also displaying his above-average athleticism.
He still needs to watch the personal fouls, but as it stands, there aren’t many flaws to his overall game.
Final line: 21 Pts, 7 Reb, 3 Asst
Check back late on Thursday night for updates as the NBA Summer League in Orlando comes to a close.