| Summer League Analysis: Game 1, Vs. Philadelphia Authored by J.T. Magee - July 6, 2007 - 9:43 pm
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Jackie Butler
While Butler turned the ball over a lot and fouled a lot, he played pretty well. He was the best passer on the floor for the Spurs. He was one of the best passers out of the post I’ve seen in the past couple of years. He just had a knack for finding people out of the post. His post moves were a bit technical, but he showed good moves in the post. He was able to get to the free throw line and was productive from the stripe. There was one play where it took him 18 seconds to get into the half court offense. 18. I repeat, 18 seconds. If he wants to prove he deserves to play in the NBA, he must show he is willing to at least jog up the court on every possession. Overall, he was the best big man, but playing time will dictate whether he was lazy or just out of shape.
CJ Watson
Watson displayed a lot of patience running the point for San Antonio. He made sure not to force the issue, although having just one assist in the box score doesn’t do his play justice. His size was a bit of a problem for Louis Williams and ended up getting a couple of steals off of Williams’ miscues. He didn’t look for his shot like Williams did, so he didn’t stand in a lot of people’s eyes. It’ll be interesting to see whether he stays in the same pass-first, shoot-third mode he was in or if he decides to get a little more aggressive as the SL plays out. He’s one point guard to watch.
James White
White displayed a better handle compared to last year, as well as trying to draw contact at the rim, rather than go up for the dunk every time. With the exception of the monster, I mean, monster jam in traffic, White displayed good patience in his takes. He made decent decisions with the ball, but for someone who is 24, I expected better all-around play. His outside shot has good mechanics, but he didn’t show enough of a perimeter game to fully draw Philadelphia’s defense outside. I want to see his perimeter game more before I draw a conclusion, but he was off and on today.
Marcus Williams
Williams was considered a bubble first round prospect this year. His year didn’t go quite as planned at Arizona, but he’s found a good place to learn the little things with the Spurs. He wasn’t forcing the issue like he did his freshman year. His outside game was there, but he didn’t show enough aggression attacking the hoop. He faded away in spots where his talent should come alive. Not too impressed with Williams off the bat, but there’s plenty of games where he can come alive.
Matt Haryasz
Haryasz bruised his way to a decent game for the Spurs. His shot wasn’t falling, but he was setting decent picks and making sure his guards were getting good shots off those picks. He doesn’t have NBA written on him anywhere, but if he can show more offensive potential in the post, he has a chance to make someone’s training camp. If he just goes with the flow and gets outplayed by the likes of Louis Amundson and players smaller but scrappier than him, then he may just have a longer career overseas.
Donnell Harvey
Harvey, a former first round pick, player power forward for the Spurs. He made sure Jason Smith had a hard time getting acclimated in the post. He was a pure inside player in this game. I can’t say much else about him. Same goes for the other Spurs in this game. Maybe they will show more in the coming games, but, like the entire team, didn’t take advantage of any opportunities Philadelphia laid at their feet.
Overall View
San Antonio failed to live up to the actual NBA team. They never took advantage of easy opportunities. There were a couple of times where they had a 5-on-4 or a 3-on-2 and couldn’t get the easy bucket. They’ll have to take advantage of those opportunities because there will be a lot of them. If they don’t, then the lack of defense in the Summer League will be too much for this team. |
