The NBA Summer League has come and gone. We got to see some youngsters play for the first time and some new stars emerge. Rookies showcased what they could bring to their team while returning players showed how much better they are after their first year or two in the league. Teams trotted out their bright lights who could one day become the face of their franchise. Each team had great players and at least one who stood out; some of those players stood out to the point where they became MVPs of the Division or Conference.
Summer League Team MVPs
Western Conference MVPs:
SOUTHWEST DIVISION MVP: New Orleans Pelican’s Russ Smith. Smith surged offensively with 16 points and 6.4 assists per game. This is a player whom I liked as a second round sleeper, and in the Summer League he showed why he deserved to be picked higher. Russ Smith played the same way he had been playing in college and did a great job of leading his team in almost all categories. This six-foot guard even grabbed 5 rebounds per game and tacked on 1.4 steals a game as well. Smith was all over the place and played well on both sides of the court. He had trouble with turnovers, but he did play point guard in the Summer League. Smith is one player you may see in the Pelican’s starting lineup soon, and he is also the Southwest division MVP.
NORTHWEST DIVISION MVP: Denver Nugget’s Gary Harris. Harris played pretty well in all aspects of the game. He did a great job scoring 18.6 ppg. He also didn’t do too badly on the boards, grabbing 4.2 rebounds a game, and he dished out two assists a game. The other impressive part of Harris’s game other than scoring was his ability to steal the ball. He averaged over 2.5 steals a game, which is great for a guard who plays offense and defense very well. He hardly missed from the free throw line shooting 90%. The only thing Harris needs to work on is his field goal percentage. He shot 32% from the field and that’s not bad for this rookie. He is ready play and help out his team.
PACIFIC DIVISION MVP: Sacramento King’s Ray McCallum. McCallum won the Summer League championship MVP after leading his team to victory over the Houston Rockets with 29 points! McCallum averaged 12 points a game but almost all aspects of his game were solid. He had 5 rebounds a game and 4.1 assists a game. He did a decent job of not turning the ball over too much by averaging about 2 turnovers a game. McCallum’s most amazing statistics are his shooting percentages: he was 50% from the field and 39% from behind the arc, which are already good enough numbers to start and be a big contributor for his team. McCallum certainly had an amazing and memorable Summer League.
EASTERN CONFERENCE MVPs:
ATLANTIC DIVISION MVP: Boston Celtics Kelly Olynyk. Olynyk had an amazing Summer League performance. Olynyk performed well during the Summer League after a poor rookie season, and the Boston Celtics were far from the playoffs. He had 17.5 points a game, 7.3 rebounds a game, and 2 assists a game, and the seven-foot big man even knocked down a few threes. He averaged two steals a game but didn’t do a great job of locking down the paint defensively, coming out with 0 blocks. He averaged 2.75 turnovers per game which isn’t the greatest for a big man. Olynyk has to learn to become more of a defensive threat, but he is on the right track to be a big help to the Celtic’s offense and maybe one day he will be a better defensive center.
SOUTHEAST DIVISION MVP: Orlando Magic’s Victor Oladipo. Oladipo is one impressive player. He was in the running for rookie of the year after his first year and continued to show why he is the face of the Orlando Magic franchise and will be for a while. He averaged 17 points a game, and he grabbed 6 rebounds a game, which is exceptional for a guard. He dished out 2.7 apg and played great all-around basketball for his team. He turned the ball over a few too many times but he also held the ball a lot for the Magic. Defensively he needs to work on becoming more of a stealing threat with all his explosive athleticism. Oladipo has the potential to be an even more amazing player and is on the right track.
CENTRAL DIVISION MVP: Detroit Piston’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. Caldwell-Pope, the 6’6″ guard, surged for 24 points a game, grabbed 7.4 rebounds a game, and dished 1.6 assists a game. Caldwell-Pope led his team to a 3-2 record and hit the 30 point mark against the Memphis Grizzlies. Caldwell-Pope had 2.8 turnovers per game, which isn’t great, and he also averaged 4.2 fouls per game, which is not the best either. That said, this is a really good-sized guard who knows how to score and could help this young franchise to win a title.
Eastern Conference Summer League MVP: Victor Oladipo
Western Conference Summer League MVP: Ray McCallum
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