2014 Summer League rosters – Detroit
July 6th, 2014
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope – It was a bit of a nothing season for KCP, who was given plenty of opportunity to succeed (80 games, 41 starts, 19.8 mpg) and simply didn’t. He averaged only 5.9 points, 2.0 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game, shooting 39.6% from the field and 31.9% from three, looking very awkward on the offensive end of the court. Caldwell-Pope faired better defensively, given plenty of big matchups (especially at the start of the season) and using his athleticism and wingspan to occasionally be a deterrent to any slashing guard, but on offence he mostly looked lost, was unreliable with the handle, and settled for far too many long twos. KCP projects to be a very good three and D role player, which would suffice despite his draft position, but he absolutely needs to spend the summer honing that jump shot. There is something there to work with, yet a long way to go. Brian Cook – The 33 year old Cook is back for one final go-around, joining the Jazz last year for training camp and now back in summer league for the first time in a decade. Cook however has not been an effective player for seven years, and, having not played in his time since being cut by the Jazz, hasn’t done anything to show this will stop being the case any time soon. Justin Harper – Seems Stan Van Gundy is bringing in all the stretch fours from his Orlando days. Or at least, that’s what Harper was projected to be. He has not shot the ball well from three point range since leaving Richmond, hitting only 31.9% of his threes last season with Hapoel Tel-Aviv in Israel, on his way to 10.4 point and 5.1 rebound averages. Nevertheless, Harper can stretch the floor […]
2013 Summer League rosters, Orlando Summer Pro League – Detroit
July 8th, 2013
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Cuttino Mobley. Just putting it out there. And if he can’t shoot like Cuttino Mobley yet, that’s OK, because nor could Cuttino Mobley at that age. Andre Drummond We won’t know until it’s over quite whether or not Drummond’s career is a reminder of why mental make-up tests shouldn’t be too overvalued in light of a player’s actual abilities and impact, but the indications from his rookie season suggest that it will be. Kim English To stick in this league, English will have to not just be a catch-and-shoot player, but also as a shooter off of screens and occasionally off of the bounce. He showed in college that he could potentially do this if he could develop the extra range required, but he has yet to show this has happened. Due to having had no opportunity to do so. Ryan Evans Evans is a wing man with a famously poor outside jump shot, so it’s probably a slight contradiction that last year, he started to take jump shots for free throws. If he could shoot, he’d be a great prospect, an above average defensive player (who can defend inside and out) and very good rebounder from the swingman positions with length, athleticism, transition finishes and some off-the-dribble game. But the lack of a jumper submarines it all, and it seems it’s trending backwards. JaJuan Johnson Johnson’s pro career has thus far been a jarring disappointment. Last year he played for three different D-League teams, this after being picked first overall in the draft. He was traded twice, once for Luke Harangody and once for Kyle Weaver, and his averages declined at each gig. By the end of the year, Johnson found himself averaging only 6.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.4 blocks per game for the Idaho Stampede. […]
