Wrapping up DNHQ 2022 Summer League coverage

No one seems to be seriously hurt, so we declare victory

Eric Apricot

and

Nate P

Jul 18, 2022

484

Apricot In-Game Notes

Key is to watch only the last 30 sec of the 1st half. Mac and Wise will seem like unstoppable best buddies
Joe Viray @JoeVirayNBA
Mac McClung to James Wiseman. Some shaky possessions (including a missed lob opportunity to Wiseman in the dunker spot w/o anyone sinking in) led to this one that finally saw Wiseman get the ball as the roller. His screening continues to be good.
12:20 AM ∙ Jul 18, 2022
189Likes18Retweets
Feels like their relationship thawed when Wise had the pitch back to Mac for the open three. Truly a buddy cop movie unfolding
Many other rookies are more ready. Wiseman’s the one on my team, so he’s getting plenty of patience from me.
Last 30 sec of every quarter are gonna make a great montage for Wise. Glad to see him catching a couple of tricky passes in traffic.
Joe Viray @JoeVirayNBA
I think this was a pretty astute adjustment by Wiseman. He sees there's no angle for a typical screen because the defender is shading the ball handler to his weak hand (called "Weak" coverage). So Wiseman adjusts by setting a flat screen, which leads to a lob.
12:51 AM ∙ Jul 18, 2022
90Likes7Retweets

Nate In-Game Notes

Something I guess I’m mildly interested in: if Wiseman’s knee continues to hold up. “Back in March, before his knee swelled up again, James Wiseman played 62 minutes in the G League. This week, with his knee finally healthy enough for the cautious Warriors to clear him, Wiseman has logged 41 summer league minutes.” I guess we won’t know anything for a while if his knee does give him more problems, but thought it was interesting that he’s still 20 game mins away from where he is in March. Who knows how many extra practice/workout mins he put in before swelling last time 🤷🏾‍♂️ https://theathletic.com/3416052/2022/07/13/warriors-james-wiseman-news-roster/?source=weeklyemail&campaign=602288
Wiseman came out in the first quarter a little more aggressive than normal — really made an effort to fight for position on both ends, boxed out really well one time which took his man out of a rebounding play. Offensively, he’s really working but Echenique just seemed too strong for him. Loved the play he had to get the mid-range jumper but it was just strong.
Quinones looks way more assertive this game, which is good to see — a few of the games this summer have looked like he’s out there just getting cardio lol Pretty clear his NBA role would have to be spot up shooter so, for me, I’ll look forward to preseason before coming to any conclusions.
The last 2 mins of the second quarter for Wiseman was really good — he has forced a guard to change a shot at the rim, boxed out, had an assist to McClung after a nice screen and had a nice P&R lob with McClung. After a timeout, he had a nice P&R with McClung that led to a two handed SMASH, blocked a shot, and had another solid screen. 1. If he can just put together more stretches like that, he can absolutely be a positive contributor this season. 2. The commentators are talking about whether the chemistry with McClung improves McClung’s chances … and I don’t know about all that … but Mac is looking way more like a point guard looking to run an offense today than he has on previous days and if his comfort with Wiseman is leading to that, all the better.
Wiseman just looks way more engaged today, like something clicked for him since the last game. It still feels like he’s a half step behind the action sometimes, but summer league is so chaotic that I can’t blame him. There’s so much good to work with here that it’s hard not to be excited…
Hmm … good question. He has a lot of raw talent at his disposal and I feel like there were times in his rookie year when he was trying to bring all of that to bear on every single possession every time he hit the court. That worked sometimes and absolutely didn’t at others. Despite looking like he’s still thinking through every step on the court, he also looks like he’s settling into a role that isn’t going to be a centerpiece (at least for now). And I think that’s a positive.

Overall Notes

Watching Summer League is pretty tough sledding sometimes but looking back on the last two weeks, I think we learned a few things.

Apricot’s Quick Thoughts

Summer League is not for winning, and with barely any time to practice, and with players either on a guaranteed deal or gunning for one, it’s not really for teamwork either. This year I didn’t see them running any Warriors motion offense. There were maybe three set plays. It’s mainly an athleticism stat check. I’m not going to get too mad about pretty much anything that happens.
We learned Gui Santos is an intriguing tall guy who has some drive and kick game.
Moody is still a solid guy who sometimes fills up the box score. There was that fun play when he jawed with a guy and then made a three in his face, and when he tried to dunk everything that one game.
Kuminga, once he got over the jet lag and apathy, still has Kobe-ish game and alpha mentality. When he wants to, he can dominate iso-ing against Summer League defenses.
Wiseman’s body seems to be recovering nicely, and he is making visible progress even from game to game in SL. The knee seems to not be worth mentioning any more. His defense and rebounding were good, his offense was mostly in control, and he reduced his fouls as SL went along. He set some good solid screens that got his guy open. His roll game is still under construction.
Mac McClung was a fun watch for a while, until he irked fans by not being able or willing to get the ball to Wiseman, Kuminga or Moody.
Lester Quinones had flashes, but was very unpredictable in SL chaos
Justinian Jessup seems to be out of the running for a G-League spot as his numbers went down to zero.
With JK, Mac, Wise and every other hopeful trying to get their shots, Quinndary Weatherspoon barely saw the ball, but looked okay when he did.