As summer league action comes to end, some former Blue Devils are beginning to prepare for the regular season while others are waiting patiently for an offer from an NBA team.
Justise Winslow, Miami Heat: Winslow did not have as strong a finish to his summer league campaign as he hoped for. Before a sprained ankle kept him out of the Heat’s final two games, the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft scored a combined eight points on 2-of-6 shooting in 23 minutes against the Denver Nuggets and Boston Celtics.
Despite his recent struggles, Winslow’s summer league play demonstrated his high ceiling and elite skill set. The Houston native proved that he can defend multiple positions on the floor and attack the basket with both patience and aggression. The biggest key for Winslow in his rookie season may be staying healthy as injury problems have plagued the forward at Duke and in the Summer League.
Jahlil Okafor, Philadelphia Sixers: Okafor’s strengths and weaknesses were on display in his lone game this week against the New York Knicks. Although he faced numerous double-teams, the 6-foot-11 center scored 18 points, snagged six rebounds and showed glimpses of his adept moves in the paint.
But, Okafor’s free throw shooting and ball security struggles were persistent once again and appear to be a challenge going forward for the big man. Okafor was just 2-of-7 from the free throw line and committed four turnovers.
Quinn Cook, Cleveland Cavaliers: After scoring 15 and 22 points in his final two games of the Orlando summer league, Cook struggled in Las Vegas. In his last four games, the undrafted rookie shot a combined 8-of-22 from the field—including 0-of-6 from distance—and committed eight turnovers.
Cook now faces an uphill battle as he looks to make an NBA roster by the start of the 2015-16 season.
Tyus Jones, Minnesota Timberwolves: Jones’ inconsistent summer league campaign continued in his final two contests this week. The No. 24 pick in this year's draft scored only six points on 2-of-6 shooting in his team's loss to the Utah Jazz. The former Blue Devil then followed up that performance with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting along with four assists in a 78-73 defeat against the Cleveland Cavaliers—the team that drafted Jones.
In both games, Jones committed four turnovers and continued to struggle with ball security. Expect the point guard to start to figure it out as he gets more experience playing at the next level.
Rodney Hood, Utah Jazz: After scoring 23 and 18 points in consecutive games last week, Hood sat out the Jazz’s final four games to nurse a sore shoulder.
Seth Curry, New Orleans Pelicans: Curry may have secured himself a guaranteed contract with the Pelicans by proving he is more than just a three-point shooter.
Despite shooting a combined 3-of-14 from three-point range, Curry—the Las Vegas Summer League scoring leader—averaged 22.8 points over his final four games and led the Pelicans to the semifinals of the Las Vegas Summer League tournament. Known as a subpar defender throughout his career, the 2014-15 NBA Developmental League all-star also shined defensively this summer and averaged 3.2 steals per contest. Curry's improved play earned him the distinction of being named to the All-NBA Summer League First Team.
Andre Dawkins, Portland Trail Blazers: Dawkins’ 24 points and four rebounds in his final game in Las Vegas may be too little too late. The former Blue Devil averaged only 5.8 points in his first four games of the week and failed to prove he is anything more than just a spot-up shooter at the next level. But, the Chesapeake, Va., native can certainly be a marksman from distance as 12 of his 16 made field goals this week came from beyond the arc.
With his summer league campaign now over, Dawkins will look to make an NBA team's preseason roster and play himself onto a roster for the upcoming season.
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