The Essentials
Summer League Game 2
Sixers vs. Wizards
Thomas and Mack Center
8 p.m.
CSN and NBATV
Pregame Links
- Wizards Insider on the Portland game
- Hoopsworld: McGee's Expectations
- David Thorpe's Summer League notes
Some have already shouted their war cry for tonight, and I, for one, am really curious to see how everyone responds. Film study aside, the first game can be seen as a mulligan, and there were some positives that can be taken away, but I'm really hoping to see a more concentrated team tonight. There were too many breakdowns defensively last game, and I'd ideally like to see fewer turnovers tonight. More transition opportunities would be nice as well.
Philly's Summer League team has plenty of talent. The headliner is Thaddeus Young, whose arrival in the starting lineup coincided with the Sixers' strong finish last year. He's been playing a lot on the wing in Vegas to prepare himself for playing with Elton Brand. I'm not sure if Blatche or McGuire guards Young, but either one is going to have to deal with a difficult task. Young's presence also forces me to eat humble pie, as I didn't think he'd amount to much of anything in the pros. He's certainly proven me wrong on that front.
There's also Jason Smith and this year's first-round pick, Marreese Speights.
I am taping this game so I can track one individual the second-time around, but I haven't decided who yet. When I decided to track JaVale McGee yesterday, I did it because it would be the first of a series, not because I had any sinister motives to rail on the kid. It's important to understand that none of those posts are designed to project anything into the future. They're just there to evaluate the past and show where he needs to improve. So no, just because McGee struggles like crazy in his first NBA game doesn't automatically mean he's a bust. It just means he has a ways to go.
I was going to either look at Andray Blatche's offense or Nick Young's defense. You guys can let me know which you'd prefer or if you want to see something else.
Anyway, this is an open game thread, so think of the NBA's best leftys in this space.