NBA Summer League

This year before the draft starting on August 5th we will have the Summer League. This will give each and every one of you a chance to see almost all the draftable players in a team setting before the draft on September 6th. All of the top players will be play at least 2-3 games in a starting role so you can get an idea of there skills and capabilities. Kevin will post the results of each game and I will post the players stats on the blog site I used a few years ago that way you can track potential draftees.

There is a few things you have to consider when viewing the results of these games.

1.Teammates-Always consider who the player is playing with. Guys like Wilt Chamberlain, Rick Barry, Kobe Bryant are volume shooters. They will take upwards of 20-25 shots per game so that could take away from the opportunities the player you are considering has.

2.Opponents-Consider also who his defending the player you’re interested in. Kareem, Dr. J, Jordan, Pippen are all defensive stalwarts you rarely ever let there opponent score very much. If you’re player is being guarded by a defensive player, don’t expect much. On the other hand, if your player has a good game against a very good defender this would tell you that this is someone to keep an eye on.

3. Overall team makeup-Consider if the team has a good point guard. Point Guards can make life so much easier for scorers because they give the ball to the scorers in a good position to put the ball in the bucket. Also, if a player is playing for a rotten franchise like the Bobcats, Magic, Suns, Hornets or Cavaliers this can affect your players output. 2k12 intentionally makes the Coaches for these teams bad so the teams can be just as rotten as they are in real life so beware.

All in all, the Summer League will be a very valuable tool in deciding some of those later round picks. Usually by Round 4-5, owners start to slow down in there picks because a lot of the good known players have been taken. You can still pick up some very good players in these latter rounds and these games will be a good reference point in selecting players that will make your team a winner. Remember no one creates the best team in the first 4 rounds, it’s the latter part of the draft where you do. Study long & strong!