Photo Credit: Katherine/ Def Pen Radio
2014 NBA Summer League is over and it happened as fast as Elfrid Payton’s first step to the basket. The 2014 Summer League was the second year of the tournament style and it proved to work out for both sides, Orlando and Las Vegas. DefPenRadio is going to take the time now to recap both leagues championship games, give out some awards and showcase some of the highlight plays from both leagues.
Starting with the smaller league first down in Florida, with Orlando which only featured 10 teams this year. Some of the main stories were how Nerlens Noel would perform in his first NBA action, How point guard Elfrid Payton could show his hometown Magic crowd that he was worth the early draft pick and if there would be a standout from the Orlando League.
The Championship in Orlando this year was won by the Philadelphia 76ers team in a 91-75 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Hollis Thompson lead the Sixers in scoring with 21 for the game while Deon Thompson dropped 15 for the Grizzlies.
The Def Pen Radio Orlando Summer League MVP is Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who averaged an Orlando Summer League high 24 points per game, on 40.4% shooting, grabbed 7.4 rebounds per game and dished out 1.6 assists per game as well as averaging 1.8 steals per game in his 5 appearances for the Detroit Pistons team. Caldwell-Pope also won the overall MVP in the Summer League last year.
The Def Pen All-Orlando Summer League teams are:
First Team:
Philadelphia 76ers Point Guard Casper Ware
Detroit Pistons Shooting Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Indiana Pacers Small Forward Kevin Jones
Memphis Grizzlies Power Forward Jarnell Stokes
Boston Celtics Power Forward/Center Kelly Olynyk
Second Team:
Orlando Magic Point Guard Elfrid Payton
Indiana Pacers Guard Donald Sloan
Miami Heat Small Forward James Ennis
Philadelphia 76ers Power Forward Hollis Thompson
Oklahoma City Thunder Power Forward/Center Mitch McGary
Honorable Mention:
Houston Rockets Guard Nick Johnson, Boston Celtics Guard Marcus Smart, Philadelphia 76ers Forward/Center Nerlens Noel, Brooklyn Nets Center Mason Plumlee, Memphis Grizzlies Guard Jordan Adams and Indiana Pacers Center Arinze Onuaku.
Def Pen Radio Veteran Of The Summer Award: DaJuan Summers, Forward, Brooklyn Nets.
Drafted in 2009 by the Pistons in the second round. Summers played in all five games in Orlando for the Nets. He averaged 20.4 minutes per game, 10.4 points per game and 4.0 rebounds per game. The fifth year NBA veteran is trying his hardest to make a NBA roster and the Nets are missing a significant piece at Small Forward.
The Las Vegas League was the most anticipated league though featuring 24 teams in total. Included in this is the Cleveland Cavaliers team which feature Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, the last two seasons number one overall picks, The Milwaukee Bucks featuring Jabari Parker and Houston Rockets who might have had the most surprising player in the Summer League this year, Nick Johnson.
The Championship game of the Vegas bracket featured the Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets. The Kings took the Samsung Summer League trophy with a 77-68 victory lead by game MVP Ray McCallum who dropped 29 points for the Kings. Rockets guard Nick Johnson led the way for Houston with 17 points.
Def Pen Radio MVP is with a shadow of a doubt, Washington Wizards Guard/Forward Glen Rice JR. Rice, Jr. helped the Wizards advance to the semifinals of the Samsung NBA Summer League tournament and secure a 5-1 record at the event. He averaged a league-leading 25 points on 46.9% shooting, to go along with 7.8 rebounds per game and 2.5 steals per game.
The Def Pen Radio All-Vegas Teams are:
First Team:
Portland Trail Blazers Point Guard CJ McCollum
New York Knicks Shooting Guard Tim Hardaway Jr
Washington Wizards Small Forward Glen Rice Jr
Philadelphia 76ers Power Forward Jordan McRae
Houston Rockets Center Donatas Montiejunas
Second Team:
New Orleans Pelicans Point Guard Russ Smith
Chicago Bulls Shooting Guard Tony Snell
Washington Wizards Small Forward Otto Porter
Milwaukee Bucks Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo
Minnesota Timberwolves Center Gorgui Dieng
Honorable Mention:
Cavs guard Andrew Wiggins, Bucks forward Jabari Parker, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, Phoenix Suns Forward T.J. Warren, Bulls Forward Doug McDermott, Nuggets guard Gary Harris, Hornets Guard P.J. Hairston, Rockets guard Isaiah Cannan, Lakers guard Jordan Clarkson, Rockets guard Nick Johnson, Kings guard Ray McCallum, Kings guard Ben McLemore, Hawks guard Dennis Schroeder and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Zach Levine.
Def Pen Radio Veteran of the Summer in Vegas: Austin Daye, Small Forward, San Antonio Spurs
Another former Pistons draftee, Daye has been a consistent bench player through his career in the NBA and is part of the Spurs summer league team trying to just make the cut for the squad. Daye showed out in the Summer league for the Spurs in 6 games played. Daye dropped 16.7 points per game on 35% shooting from the field, grabbed 6.7 rebounds per game and handed out 3 assists per game.
The NBA Summer League was very exciting, full of great young talent to look forward too and a whole lot of promise for the future. Just check out Houston Rockets Guard Nick Johnson’s dunks that stole the Summer League in 2014.
The best of the best highlights in the summer for basketball, happen during the summer league. Here are some of the top plays from both Vegas and Orlando as given to us by NBATV’s “The Starters”.
https://youtu.be/ZOp3525P3mk
