FanPost

A quick look at the summer league roster


Well, aside from the players you already know. I left out anyone who was drafted by/has played for the Magic. (So that's Andrew Nicholson, Kyle O'Quinn, Justin Harper, DeAndre Liggins and Ish Smith -- who may be headed for Houston by now.) There are a couple of guys with outside chances at making the team, as well as an assortment of also-rans. Check it out. (Players are sorted by height.)

Luke Nevill -- 7'2", 265 lbs., 26 years old, Utah/Australia

AKA "not Andrew Bogut." An Australian center, he played for the University of Utah, where he was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, as well as an AP honorable mention All-American. Graduating in 2009, he went undrafted, playing in the Summer League and D-League, but not distinguishing himself much. Since then, he's played for Melbourne and Perth in Australia's NBL, as well as Russia's BC Triumph Lyubertsy... but he hasn't excelled in any of these stops. At this point, it seems likely that being really big is Nevill's only real qualification.

Magnum Rolle -- 6'11", 235 lbs., 26 years old, LSU/Bahamas

Rolle has spent years around the fringes of the league ever since being drafted 51st in the 2010 draft. The Pacers played him in the Summer League that year, and he averaged 28 minutes, 13.4 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks. Nevertheless, he failed to make the team. He joined the D-League, but suffered a knee injury after only two games. He was signed to a 10-day contract by the Hawks in 2011, but did not play. He returned to the Hawks after the lockout, but was cut in training camp.

Not bulky but athletic, Rolle is known as a shot-blocking threat with some rebounding skills but a limited offensive game. His chance to stick with the Magic depends on the team's need for another unproven big man -- he's been close to a roster spot for a while now, but it's not clear whether Orlando is the team to give it to him.

Also, yes, he is distantly related to Samari, Myron et al. Also also, he's named after Magnum P.I.

Josh Owens -- 6'8", 240, 23 yrs., Stanford

Owens graduated from Stanford as a fifth-year senior after missing just about the entire 2009-10 season due to injury. A 57% shooter during his college career, Owens averaged barely over 60% on free throws, and possesses the offensive profile of a center more than a PF. He never averaged more than 12 points a game.

Owens started his last two seasons for the Cardiinal, and his junior year of 2010-11 was the best, with 11.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 0.9 blocks. With unimpressive college production and lack of ideal size, it seems unlikely that he has the NBA in his future.

DeQuan Jones -- 6'8", 221 lbs., 22 years old, Miami

Some sources list Jones as 6'6". He played four seasons for the Hurricanes, but never broke into the starting lineup. He did compete in the NCAA slam-dunk championships as a senior, so there's reason to believe he's athletic -- but he's never shown anything that suggests he has the talent to stick on the pro level.

Bradford Burgess -- 6'6", 225 lbs., 22 years old, VCU

Burgess was a solid player for Virginia Commonwealth, but a senior-season collapse removed any chance he had of sneaking into the draft. After shooting 48% from the field in each of his first three seasons and making headlines as part of a Cinderella team in the tournament, Burgess averaged only 37% as a senior, as mass graduations left him the only senior on one of basketball's youngest teams.

The good news is, his three-point shooting wasn't affected as much, and that's the skill he's banking on to carry him forward. A good outside scorer, Burgess played power forward in college, and is a serious tweener in the NBA. He's honestly a little undersized even for SF, but that's the position he's most likely to fit into at the pro level. Burgess is an interesting talent with some skills, but it seems unlikely he'll stick long-term.

Ryan Thompson -- 6'5", 214, 24 years old, Rider/D-League

Thompson is the younger brother of NBA forward Jason Thompson, but unlike his brother, he's a guard. A smart scorer, his unremarkable three-point shooting and lack of athletic ability have kept him from making it to the NBA. After spending 2010-11 in the D-League, last year saw him play for lower-division Italian team Centrale del Latte Brescia. Unless he's improved as an athlete and worked on his outside shot, he's unlikely to challenge for a roster spot.

Dominique Sutton -- 6'5", 201, 25 yrs. old, Kansas State/NC Central

Despite his age, Sutton actually finished his college career this season, transferring to North Carolina Central for his senior year after three seasons at Kansas State. Sutton failed to score in double digits as a member of the Wildcats, but posted 16.5 points on 57.9% shooting for the -- hm, I guess North Carolina Central is the Eagles. I've never heard of them. Anyway, he was first-team All-MEAC.

Sutton was a 47-48% shooter for Kansas State. But he doesn't shoot threes (and is actually below 70% on free throws), isn't a remarkable passer, and isn't known for his D. It's tough to project the kind of skill level he's need to be a NBA SG, and at his age, it seems unlikely he'll learn.

Charlie Westbrook -- 6'4", 208 lbs., 22 years old, South Dakota

Westbrook averaged 18.7 points a game as a senior for South Dakota. Like a lot of these small-school guards, the offense is there (he shot 39% for three as a senior), but he's not a passing-minded player at all, and he's a little short for a SG. Unlike a lot of them, Westbrook is actually a very good athlete. But at the moment, even if he can score, he just doesn't appear to have the balanced game to stick in the NBA.

Maalik Wayns -- 6'1", 195 lbs., 21 yrs., Villanova

Maalik Wayns could have found his way into the 2013 draft. Indeed, he was a strong candidate for a second-round pick this year -- it just didn't happen that way. Wayns declared for the draft, but nobody took him. So here he is in the summer league.

As a junior, Wayns averaged 17.6 points, 4.6 assists and 3.0 turnovers for Villanova. Unfortunately, he only shot 41%, due largely to attempting 5 under-30% three-pointers a game. (It's been suggested that Wayns' shooting woes are due to poor shot selection and off-balance attempts -- he was quite accurate as a catch-and-shoot guy, and mostly missed shots off the dribble.) A pick-and-roll specialist in college, he probably doesn't have the speed to play that game in the NBA. Defense is fundamentally solid, but again, hampered by his lack of athletic ability.

Ultimately, Wayns has the talent to be an NBA player -- but he has to put it all together. The ill-advised shots and turnovers suggest that he's a guy who needs to learn to play within himself, which could very well happen. (In a way, latching onto the Magic could be ideal for him -- his game is reminiscent of fellow Philly PG Jameer Nelson, who could definitely teach him a thing or two.) As the only true point guard on the Summer League roster after the departure of Smith, he should have a chance to make his case... and Monday's game was a good start for him.

Kevin Anderson -- 6'0", 175. 23 yrs., Univ. of Richmond/France

Andrew Nicholson isn't the only Atlantic 10 Player of the Year on the Summer League roster. Like Nicholson after him and Jameer Nelson before him, Anderson earned the 2010-11 conference award -- he was a high-scoring threat for Richmond, where he was teammates with Justin Harper.

A versatile scorer, Anderson's main weaknesses are a lack of ability to run an offense and a lack of size (especially for a guy with a SG-like approach.) worked out for numerous teams pre-draft, but didn't get picked. He headed to Strasbourg IG in France, where he averaged 12.5 points a game. (This is also the team Harper played for during the lockout.) Anderson is young enough to be a prospect, but there's never really been a big place in the NBA for guys with his skill set and size.

This FanPost was made by a member of the Orlando Pinstriped Post community, and is to be treated as the opinions and views of its author, not that of the blogger or blog community as a whole.

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