Friday, July 3, 2015

An Arizona Fan's Viewing Guide for the Orlando Summer League: Day One

We'll get the first look at Stanley and Rondae as professionals, and Aaron Gordon and Solomon Hill will be there too.

The Orlando Summer League gets kicked off on July 4th, and for Arizona fans, there will be plenty of familiar faces and things to watch for. Former Wildcats that will participate are: Solomon Hill, Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, and Aaron Gordon.

All the games will be televised on NBATV.

Anyway, here is what I call "the Arizona Fan's Guide to Day One of the Orlando Summer League":

Miami vs. Indiana, 9 AM EST:

Despite now being a third-year player, Solomon Hill has chosen to play in the Summer League with the Pacers. He'll look to continue his development as a "3-and-D" forward. Hill will have some teammates that Arizona fans will definitely recognize, including Xavier's Matt Stainbrook, Oregon's Joe Young, and Washington State's DeVonte Lacy.

The Heat have Shabazz NapierJustise Winslow, and Joshua Smith (the one from Georgetown that also played at UCLA in what feels like decades ago).

Detroit vs. Orlando (white), 11 AM EST:

The Orlando Magic have two Summer League teams: the White team, and the Blue team. Unfortunately, Aaron Gordon is on the Blue team, so we won't get to see Stanley Johnson matchup against Aaron Gordon on day one. Stanley has a legitimate chance of starting on Opening Night for the Pistons, but certainly will have to shine in Summer League to help his case.

Other than Stanley, some notable names on the Pistons' Summer League roster are Colorado's Spencer Dinwiddie, and UCLA's David Wear. Orlando (white) team has Sun Devils Jahii Carson and Jordan Bachynski. So basically, if you don't root for Detroit in this one, you might as well just consider yourself as an Arizona State fan.

Orlando (blue) vs. LA Clippers, 1 PM EST:

Aaron Gordon will go up against the LA Clippers. Gordon's jumper and free throw shooting had a visible improvement in his rookie year since his college days, and we'll get to see if his development has continued. Orlando (blue) should be one of the better teams in the Orlando Summer League. Other than AG, they have Elfrid Payton, 5th overall pick Mario Hezonja, and former Louisville standout Peyton Siva.

The Clippers feature Washington's C.J. Wilcox.

Royce White, who is trying to make a comeback to the NBA, is also on the Clippers' roster.

Charlotte vs. Oklahoma City, 3 PM EST:

No Arizona Wildcats will be playing in this game, but there will plenty of players that I'm sure Arizona fans don't like. The Hornets have Frank Kaminsky, LaQuinton Ross (remember that game-winner he hit against Arizona in 2013? You erased it from your memory? Me too.), Aaron Craft, and Justin Cobbs (he also hit a game-winner against Arizona in Berkeley in 2014). So if you want to root against these guys, make sure to pull for the Thunder in this one!

The Thunder have Cal's Richard Solomon and Michigan's Mitch McGary.

Brooklyn vs. Memphis, 5 PM EST:

Have shimmy withdrawals? You do? Then this is the game for you! Rondae Hollis-Jefferson will make his first appearance as a Brooklyn Net. He has been working tirelessly on his jumper this offseason, and we'll get to see how much it has improved since the end of the season. Either way, there will surely be some suffocating defense and highlight reel dunks. One of Rondae's teammates that I'm sure Arizona fans will recognize is former San Diego State Aztec Xavier Thames. They also have Kansas' Cliff Alexander, Connecticut's Ryan Boatright, and Wisconsin's Josh Gasser.

The Grizzlies feature UCLA's Jordan Adams.

Note: T.J. McConnell, Brandon Ashley, and Nick Johnson will play in the Las Vegas Summer League, which starts on July 10th.



from Arizona Desert Swarm - All Posts http://ift.tt/1NDZuPT
via IFTTT

Labels: ,

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]

<< Home