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Orlando Pre-Draft Camp: Day 2 (last update: 10:38 PM)

Orlando Pre-Draft Camp: Day 2 (last update: 10:38 PM)
Jun 07, 2006, 10:36 am
Update 8

Game Three, Final Score: Team Four 91, Team Three 78

Mike Schmidt

Justin Williams - 10 points, 5-9 FG's, 4 reb, 2 blk

Know for his athleticism and great instincts, Williams put on an impressive display today. He had his few amazing blocks, and was able to get his hands on a lot of missed shots as usual. Much more surprising than this was the fact that Williams knocked down 3 shots from 14-16 feet out. His form looked a little Shawn Marion-ish, but they dropped into the hoop perfectly. There were other times where he received the ball with his back to the basket and was unable to do anything, and he struggle to bring down rebounds after getting his hands on the ball. If Williams manages to bulk up, and continues to develop areas of his game that don’t rely on his great instincts, then he could stick around a while in the NBA.

Victor Keyru - 5 points, 1-2 FG's, 2 reb, 3 stl, 3 TO

Keyru possesses a good body with room to add muscle to his frame, and he is pretty athletic. He can hit mid-range jumpshots pretty well too, and he has great form on his jumper from 15 feet. Unfortunately, he plays out of control. On a few possessions today, Keyru could have gone right to the hoop, but choose to try and make fancy moves. This led to a number of turnovers throughout the game. He is pretty skilled, and he has a knack for getting to the free throw line, but it would take a vast improvement in his basketball IQ for him to truly become an NBA player. Keyru also loses focus on the defensive end, and tries to bring the ball up as a point guard too often. Rather than move off the ball, Keyru just floats around and attempts to get his teammates to pass the ball. He has a lot of flaws in his game, but a few tools to work with should he ever decide to play like a real basketball player.

Jonathan Watters

Mustafa Shakur13 points, 5-11 FG's, 3 reb, 5 ast, 4 stl, 3 TO

It seems that point guards often have the best chance to make a name for themselves at this sometimes individual-dominated camp, because they end up with the ball in their hands. Shakur took this to heart, able to completely control the ball as the only player with point guard ability in his rotation. It must be said that Shakur is one of the better (if not the best) athlete amongst the point guards at the camp. He is both strong and explosive, and finished several drives directly into opposing big men. Unfortunately, for every impressive moment, there were two where he completely forced the action. Shakur overdribbled time and time again, and seemed content to take the ball to the basket against multiple defenders with little regard for any potentially open teammates. This writer wrote down the word “forced” way too many times over the course of the game. Not surprisingly, the offense stagnated whenever he was in the game. The form on his shot is still far from ideal, but he was able to hit one outside jumper in the second half. Shakur was better defensively, showing quick reaction time and forcing a few turnovers. Mustafa Shakur clearly has the physical attributes to succeed at this camp, but would be smart to re-evaluate how much of the spotlight he attempts to take for himself over the course of the week.

Joe Treutlein

CJ Watson4 points, 2-5 FG's, 6 ast, 3 TO

Watson followed up on his impressive scrimmage yesterday with a very solid game today, running his team's offense well and dishing out a ton of assists and nice passes doing so. Watson's court vision was on full display both on the break and in the halfcourt, as he threw a flurry of assists in a variety of ways, including on drive-and-dishes, something his game has lacked in the past. Watson used some impressive ball-handling today, using spin moves and a low dribble to get past his man and into position to create for himself or his teammates. He didn't create for himself much here today, and failed on the few attempts at floaters he had. He did hit one long two pointer, on which he exhibited his picture perfect shooting stroke.

Defensively, Watson played great man-to-man defense on his opponent, Gerry McNamara, when he had the ball, but often gave him too much space without the ball, leading to the red hot McNamara hitting a bunch of spot-up three pointers. Aside from sticking his man without the ball, though, Watson did a good job on the defensive end of the court, never letting his man get past him when matched one-on-one and constantly playing up on him. Watson and his team did have problems dealing with screens, though, as he often got caught trying to go through them while his teammates didn’t step out to hedge the path of his opponent, letting him get into the lane at times.

Curtis Stinson - 6 pts, 3-9 FG's, 2 reb, 6 ast, 3 TO

Stinson didn't have a very good game, showing some of the inconsistency and decision-making problems that have plagued his game at Iowa State. He played the majority of his minutes off the ball, but he still managed to force a lot of shots and passes, many of which resulted in turnovers. The form on his outside shot is still very shaky, and it showed here where he wasn't able to convert any long-range attempts.

On the positive side, Stinson got to the hole fairly well, making a few lay-ups, and also made some nice passes in a variety of ways. He tallied his assists by using drive-and-dishes, pick-and-rolls, passing ahead on the break, finding a teammate for the open three-pointer, and on one occasion, throwing a perfectly timed alley-oop from behind the three-point line.

Defensively, outside the confines of Iowa State’s constant use of a zone, Stinson struggled a bit, letting his man by him on a few occasions.

Will Blalock - 7 points, 3-7 FG's, 1 ast, 3 stl, 6 TO's

Blalock didn’t have the best of games, being fairly indecisive with the ball, committing multiple turnovers, and not being able to score from long-range. His six turnovers came from both passing and dribbling, though he was not as out of control as that number would suggest. He most likely had an off-game running the point, as he’s usually a much more poised floor general.

Blalock did have some positives today, the most notable of which was his defense, which was superb against opponent Mustaka Shakur. He used his outstanding length and deceptively strong frame well to keep Shakur in front of him and frequently poke the ball away, as evidenced by his three steals on the game.

Blalock also looked good attacking the basket, as when doing so he possesses excellent body control and elevation, to go along with a good deal of creativity and ability to finish at the rim. He adjusted to defenders in the lane well in this game.

Eric Weiss

Gerry McNamara16 points, 6-11 FG's, 4-6 3-PT, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 TO

McNamara looked solid in his debut game. McNamara is on a team with little interior support, but managed to get open for a couple signature 3’s. McNamara got into the lane decently when on-ball and had a couple of nifty floaters as well as some sharp passes that weren’t converted by his teammates.

McNamara continued to show good court awareness and leadership ability during his second half play. McNamara used the threat of his 3 point shot to get into the lane, where he displayed his underrated vision to find spot up shooters and cutters. Unfortunately, none of McNamara’s teammates were finishing the plays he set them up for so his assist totals were not indicative of his play. McNamara displayed some slick ball-handling and change of direction to free himself up for some nifty shot attempts going toward the basket as well.

CJ Watson

Watson was solid in transition and picked up some nice assists when going toward the basket. His spot up shot was solid as usual and he had a nice steal in transition for a give-and-go that he finished cleanly with his left hand.

Brad Buckman - 6 pts, 3-8 fg's, 8 reb, 1 blk

Buckman battled a bit under the glass and put himself on the floor a couple of times. Buckman missed 3 spot-up perimeter shots, very uncharacteristic of his usual play.

The second half was better than the first for Buckman. He fought for some tough rebounds and blocked a James Augustine dunk attempt as well as taking a hard charge to his midsection.

Jonathan Givony

Steven Smith 10 points, 3-8 FG's, 2 reb

Smith came out with the type of aggressiveness you love to see from a player in this camp. He took three shots in the first minute fourteen seconds of the game, but from that point let the game come to him and found his looks through the context of the offense. He handled the ball more than we were accustomed to at La Salle, and did not look half bad doing so; taking the ball very strong to the basket and getting to the free throw line. He also pulled up very smoothly off the dribble from mid-range a few times and knocked down his looks. All in all this was a very solid showing for Steven Smith.

James Augustine11 points, 5-8 FG's, 11 rebounds

Augustine is challenging Paul Millsap early on for the “most disappointing player” award, mostly because of his apathy on the offensive end. He managed to contribute to a certain extent with his activity on the defensive glass, but barely looked for a shot on the other end of the floor. When he did touch the ball, a weak turnaround was all he could muster up. His teammates aren’t really looking for him that much, but it would be nice to see him go out of his way and make them give the ball up. In the 2nd half he got himself involved slightly by hitting the offensive glass and then running the pick and roll with the anemic Mustafa Shakur, helping his stat-line to a certain extent.





Update 7

Game 2 Final Score: Team One 73 - Team Two 72

Mike Schmidt

Darius Washington Jr. - 14 points, 6-8 FG's, 3 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 TO

Of the point guards on the floor in this game, Washington was clearly the best. He was very vocal today in directing his teammates and calling out plays. In the past, he might have forced a shot after an offensive rebound, but twice today he pulled the ball back out and called a new play. Washington’s passing looked great today, both in transition and in the half court. He set up teammates very well for a player with a reputation of being a shoot first point guard. On multiple occasions, Washington bounced the ball through tight areas perfectly to a cutting teammate. He did force up one three outside the flow of the offense, but also knocked down his other three point attempt from NBA range. Washington seemed content sitting back and directing the team, picking his spots to drive to the basket and create plays. His decision making in transition has been very questionable in the past, including yesterday, but he was able to finish some nice layups on the break as well as drawing contact for free throws on one occasion. When attacking the hoop, Washington controlled his body well, and made some nice shots while off balance. He didn’t use his mid-range game a whole lot, but it wasn’t really necessary with the way he was passing and finishing around the hoop. Defensively, Washington has improved, though he is still not consistent in this area. He played Farmar well for most of the game, but still lost his focus from time to time. Gambling is also a problem for Washington on defense. He grabbed a couple steals while gambling which led to a few easy baskets, but other times it created a bad situation for his team when he wasn’t able to grab the steal. The intensity that Washington played with today is reminiscent of his freshman year where he nearly led Memphis to the NCAA tournament.

Allan Ray - 12 points, 5-9 FG's, 1 ast, 3 TO

Ray played a very solid game, despite the fact that he didn’t convince anybody he was an NBA player. He started out by hitting a couple of long range jumpers, and made a great move to the basket, though he blew the layup. His shot selection was a lot better than when we last saw him in the NCAA tournament, and he played with great effort on the defensive end. Despite this, the taller shooting guards he went against elevated over him to get their shots off. A few times he tried to create Ray ended up turning the ball over. Though his limitations as a player hurt his NBA potential, he made the games today a lot more watchable.

Jonathan Watters

Brandon Bowman - 10 pts, 3-5 FG's, 1 reb

One of the day’s biggest surprises was Georgetown small forward Brandon Bowman. Combo forward may have been a more accurate word throughout Bowman’s college career, but today he looked like a legit 3 man. He began the game with a nifty fadeaway jumper off the dribble over the outstretched arm of Steve Novak, and was very productive slashing to the basket throughout the first half. These were more slashing moves than Bowman legitimately creating his own shot, but Bowman did display a bit more understanding of when to attack on the offensive end than he has in the past. Bowman’s shot isn’t exactly textbook, but he was hitting today. Bowman finished with 10 points, but easily could have ended up with more. He hit one 3-pointer from the deep corner with his foot on the end line, and had another one rim in and out. While Bowman’s ability to slash was on display in the first half, he attempted to force a few drives in the second half and wasn’t nearly as productive. Brandon Bowman clearly has the physical characteristics to catch on in the NBA, but will need to continue to develop his understanding of how to play as a full-time perimeter player. The first half of his game today was a step in that direction.

JP Batista - 9 pts, 2-7 FG's, 3 reb, 3 ast, 2 TO

Yesterday I mentioned that it could be a make or break tournament for JP Batista, in that here he would prove whether or not his game translated well against the more imposing level of big man he will face in the NBA. The results certainly weren’t encouraging in this first outing. Going up against Solomon Jones once again, Batista had to fight quite hard to gain position in the paint. He didn’t get consistent touches on the block, and when he did, his shots were fiercely contested and often altered. Without the low-block production, it was much harder to overlook some of the holes in his game. Batista is one of the more grounded big man in the camp, and this showed on defense and on the glass. He wasn’t hitting his outside jumper, and had one embarrassing sequence where he missed an open layup followed by a blown dunk directly beneath the basket.. He is likely to have more opportunities to show off his post offense as the camp continues, but it was not a good start for Batista.

Steve Novak - 11 pts, 3-4 FG's, 2 reb

The camp directors did their best to pair Steve Novak with a player that would get him the ball in Jordan Farmar, but Novak still wasn’t able find many open looks this afternoon. He generally struggled to get open with the long, athletic Brandon Bowman shadowing him most of the way. Novak showed a remarkably quick release on an early 20 footer and then failed to attempt a shot until late in the second half. He was able to work off screens for a pair of slick looking jumpers in the games final minutes, backing up his reputation as the top shooter at the camp. Offense doesn’t appear to be a problem for Novak at any level, but defense probably will be in the NBA. Both Brandon Bowman and Denham Brown were able to score at will with Novak defending them. It is Novak’s task the rest of the camp to prove that he can put up a better fight on that end of the floor.

Jonathan Givony

Jordan Farmar - 8 pts, 3-7 FG's, 3 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl, 2 TO

Nothing spectacular, but Farmar did a solid job of running his team’s offense and defending the opposing man on the other end of the floor today. He pushed the tempo of the game nicely and got into the lane to find the open man unselfishly on the drive and kick. When the opportunity was there, Farmar managed to score around the hoop as well with a nice floater or finger roll. There were quite a few minutes when he struggled to get things going too, though, being contained in the half-court due to his average first step. All in all, this was an above average showing for Farmar, but we know he is capable of much more.

Solomon Jones - 1 pt, 0-3 FG's, 4 reb, 3 blk

This was not the most productive game for Jones, but he still showed plenty of flashes that lead you to believe that he has plenty of potential to reach the point that he can contribute to an NBA roster down the road. Good things; like fighting in the post, a nice pass and a couple of very nice on-ball blocks, were mixed in with bad things, like a very late goaltend, an airball from 15 feet and some very raw post moves.

Paul Millsap - 2 pts, 1-6 FG's, 6 reb

Millsap is the early candidate for most disappointing player of the camp so far. His energy level is extremely low and he is struggling to separate himself from the dozens of other undersized power forwards through his work offensively or on the glass. His lack of size and athleticism were highlighted by two embarrassing blocks by 7-2 Frans Steyn, and another weak shot that did not even hit rim. A good pass or two was the only highlight of this game for Millsap. He’ll have to step it up tomorrow and show some more energy if he doesn’t want to slip into the depths of the 2nd round here for good.

Joseph Treutlein

Daniel Horton - 6 pts, 3-8 FG's, 2 reb, 3 ast, 3 TO

Horton had a Jekyll and Hyde type performance, not much unlike the way he's played his entire college career. One second he's throwing great passes on the break and hitting long pull-up jumpers with hands in his face, but the next he's forcing the issue both passing the ball and driving to the basket, making him a turnover waiting to happen. His decision-making leaves a lot to be desired, with him often dribbling into the hands of opponents, throwing careless passes, or pulling up for an off-balanced, contested shot early in the shot clock. At times today, as in the past, Horton displayed some excellent point guard abilities, and he certainly has the physical characteristics necessary to be a good NBA point guard, but he just doesn't have the right mentality for the majority of the time.

Horton did have some very notable positives today, for the time when he took on a point guard's mentality and really ran his team's offense. He made some excellent passes both on the break and in the halfcourt, displaying strong court vision and the ability to put the ball through the seams of the defense. He also played some very strong defense on Darius Washington for the time he defended him, getting up in his face and not often allowing him to get by.

Bobby Jones - 4 pts, 2-6 FG's, 4 reb, 2 stl, 0 TO

Jones had a decent showing, doing what he normally does: hustling for rebounds, loose balls, and playing great defense. Jones didn't get many opportunities offensively here, as he still lacks the ability to really create for himself. He looked noticeable discomfortable when he was forced to dribble with his left hand on one fast break, and he wasn't able to finish on the ensuing lay-up attempt. He wasn't able to finish on most of the lay-up attempts created for him by his teammates, missing at the rim on most tries. He did have one very impressive and-1, though, where he attacked the basket strong and plowed through multiple defenders to lay it in. He wasn't able to convert any long-range shots today, but he did hit one spot-up mid-range shot on the baseline.

Defensively, Jones was his normal self, playing great man defense on whomever he defended, including the much quicker and smaller Allan Ray. He forced multiple turnovers in man-to-man defense, as well as on the weakside, where he frequently helped out his teammates. He had one very impressive block coming over from the weakside in which he reached from behind a cutter on the baseline to block his shot, using his length and athleticism to avoid making contact with his body. Jones also did well on the glass, frequently getting rebounds outside of his range and constantly fighting for any loose ball he could.

Denham Brown - 12 pts, 6-10 FG's, 3 reb, 1 stl

Brown had a pretty good game on both ends of the floor, playing some solid man defense and breaking up passes on that end while hitting a large assortment of mid-range shots on the other. Brown hit pull-up jumpers, fadeaways, off-balanced shots, and contested shots from the baseline and the shoulders. Most of them were created by his teammates, but on one he showed off some impressive ball-handling abilities including a behind-the-back dribble to get the space for his shot. He also was consistently going after loose balls and rebounds on both ends of the floor, getting his hands on a few and breaking up multiple passes. His man defense was also solid as always.




Update 6

Half Time: Team One 28- Team Two 26

Jonathan Givony

Jordan Farmar

Nothing spectacular, but Farmar did a solid job of running his team’s offense and defending the opposing man on the other end of the floor. He pushed the tempo of the game nicely and got into the lane to find the open man unselfishly on the drive and kick. No points yet, but that doesn’t appear to be what Farmar has come to show here.

Paul Millsap

Millsap is the early candidate for most disappointing player of the camp so far. His energy level is extremely low and he is struggling to separate himself from the dozens of other undersized power forwards through his work offensively or on the glass. His lack of size and athleticism were highlighted by two embarrassing blocks by 7-2 Frans Steyn, and another weak shot that did not even hit rim.




Update 5

Game 1 Final Score: Team Six 80, Team Five 76

Nik Caner-Medley 22 points, 21 minutes

Medley was very solid offensively during his first game. He hit two of his 3 outside shots and grabbed a number of loose balls and offensive rebounds, which he put back for the easy score. Medley lacks superior quickness or explosion, but he managed to work his way into the lane using his broad shoulders to bull his way toward the basket where he finished quite well.


Jonathan Watters

Taj Gray- 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals, 19 minutes

Taj Gray was one of the more impressive players in the first game, as his raw explosiveness and strength translated well into the camp setting. Never much of a back to the basket presence, Gray made an impact by crashing the glass hard, running the floor, and generally outhustling the competition. The usual assortment of put back dunks and emphatic rebounds were on full display (don’t believe the boxscores here – Gray made a significant impact on the glass). Despite the presence of several other interior players that weren’t going to back down from anybody, Gray’s power around the rim was blatantly obvious. He managed to get a hand on the ball several times when he appeared to be boxed out fairly well.

Gray will never be recognized as an effective back to the basket scorer, and doesn’t appear to have improved his footwork or offensive awareness in the paint. However, it does look like Gray has improved the form on his jumper quite a bit. He was solid in the morning shooting drills and looked much better at the free throw line than we have seen in the past. One particularly impressive play saw Gray grab a rebound and hit Yemi Nicholson in stride with a full-court lob for an open dunk. On the whole, Taj Gray accomplished something significant in that he showed he can make a difference in that hustle type of role

Yemi Nicholson- 13 points, 4 rebounds, 1 block, 18 minutes

Yemi Nicholson put in a solid first outing, as he displayed the soft hands and nice touch that we expect to see from him. Nicholson appears to have improved a bit as an athlete, and is running the floor with a bit more ease than he did at Denver. Nicholson used his bulky frame to his advantage in the paint, and got more lift than I expected in fighting more athletic post players for rebounds. His back to the basket game came into play on several occasions, and he continues to display mastery of the short jump hook. His feathery touch is something that can be matched by few post players in this camp, and is quite a weapon for someone checking in at his size. Despite the obvious improvements in mobility and conditioning, Nicholson is still sub-par in these areas. This shows up more on the defensive end, as he doesn’t always contest shots the way that he should. All in all, this was a good start to the camp for Nicholson.

Jonathan Givony

Kenny Adeleke- 9 points, 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, 1 block, 21 minutes

Adeleke continued right where he left off at Portsmouth, being an absolute load inside, scoring off the glass and throwing his body around at will. He ran the floor extremely well on one possession, being the perfect trailer coming off a wide angle in transition and being rewarded with it by an excellent pass from his pick and roll buddy Chris Quinn. He also crashed the glass extremely well, showing his length and toughness. His demeanor has been excellent throughout the camp. It was surprising to see Adeleke only finish with 9 points, although he did leave quite a few points at the free throw line by going only 5/10, largely due to his extremely ugly stroke from the free throw line. The four field goal attempts he supposedly had did not do justice to how big of a role he played offensively for his team. What was most impressive to see was just how many fouls Adeleke managed to draw, using his body to constantly establish position in the paint, pin his defender and get the ball in a place where he had to get fouled. He was constantly around the ball, even getting in the passing lanes on one occasion and taking the ball coast to coast on a steal before being fouled. All in all this was an excellent showing for Adeleke.

Louis Amundson 6 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 turnovers, 20 minutes

Amundson continued to establish himself as one of the top players in the camp during the first half. He was extremely athletic around the basket, finishing with contact time after time and hitting the offensive glass extremely well. He beat people up the floor and scored off of plenty of garbage points just by being in the right place at the right time. The only thing he couldn’t do here was hit the mid-range jumper, or knock down his free throws for that matter. In the 2nd half he cooled off considerably, not being as big of a factor inside the paint with his quickness, length and tenacity. He became a factor in the closing minutes for his team, though, coming up with a clutch block and rebound with 29 seconds remaining before being fouled (he missed both free throws very badly) and then coming up with another big rebound in traffic that might have sealed the game for his team. He’s doing a great job here showing that he has a niche somewhere in the league with the way he’s played so far, looking like a bit of a mix between David Lee and Mark Madsen.

Bobby Brown 4 points, 1 assists, 3 turnovers, 18 minutes

Brown did not have the most impressive showing in his first game here, but still showed plenty of nice tools in almost everything he did. His quickness was a major factor, getting by his man time after time and being a blur in the open floor. When he did get by his man, he tried to shoot a floater on three different occasions, but got a bit unlucky by seeing all of them rim out. He showed sparks of potential as a point guard running the pick’n’roll and on the drive and dish, but still needs some time to adapt to his teammates. A sweet pull-up mid-range jumper from 18 feet might have been his best play of the day. He also quickly hit a college 3-pointer off a broken play. On defense he showed good hands on a number of occasions to pick his opponent’s pocket.

Joseph Treutlein

Brad Newley - 3 points, 2 assists, 1 turnover, 1-6 FG, 1-1 3P

Newley had a pretty solid performance overall, though he seemed to have trouble adjusting to the American style of play at first, which was noticeable through the first day and up until the later part of the first half in this first official game played at Orlando. Once Newley became comfortable, he began to show off his skills, dishing out nice passes, driving into the lane, and shooting the outside jumper. He was only credited with two assists and three points in the official scoring, but he played better and showed more promise than that would indicate. He didn't try shooting any mid or long-range shots off the dribble, which was a skill he showed in the individual drills earlier, but this is something to look for in the rest of the games this week.

As mentioned above, Newley got into the lane well, but he was very unselfish when he got there, at times forcing a tough pass when he had an open shot at the rim himself. On one drive that he did attempt to finish, he was blocked from the weakside by Yemi Nicholson. He seems lacking in confidence with finishing around the rim even though he possesses the tools to get there. One very notable tool is an obvious ambidexterity that Newley possesses, in that he can adeptly dribble and lay the ball up with both his left and right hands. Newley did manage to show off his court vision in the lane, which he took advantage of to dish out a few nice assists and would-be-assists that his teammates couldn't finish. He recognized multiple defenders well, then found the seam to get the ball to his teammate in position to score. He has an unorthodox compared to most players in the NBA, using misdirection and throwing a lot of sidearm and underhand passes either directly to his teammate's chest or on a bounce. He consistently gets the ball to his teammate, though, which is all that matters.

Newley wasn't exploited defensively because his opponents did not challenge him much there, though this had shown to be a problem against more talented opponents earlier in the week. Newley's lateral quickness is below average, and he is prone to being taken off the dribble or not getting around screens.

It will be interesting to see how Newley plays in his next two games, once he becomes more comfortable with the tendencies and skills of his teammates, along with the new style of play that he is adapting to. Newley plays in the Australian League and while only 20 years old, is one of the most dominant players there, where his role entails taking on a much larger scoring burden than he has so far here. We've yet to see just how well his scoring can translate to the American game, though early indications show that Newley is a very smart and talented prospect with a lot of promise.

Sean Dockery – 2 assists, 2 steals, 4 turnovers, 0-0 FG

Dockery didn’t have the best of games, not getting off to a good start following his play at Portsmouth. Offensively, Dockery tried forcing the issue multiples times passing and dribbling, often getting into trouble because of it, as evidenced by his four turnovers. Dockery didn’t take a single shot attempt in the game either. Dockery wasn’t all bad offensively, though, as he had a few nice passes, most of which came towards the end of the game when the tempo quickened and he seemingly got a bit more comfortable running the offense. Dockery had some good passes running the break, as well as by getting in the lane, getting his defenders in the air on two occasions, only to bring the ball down and under them to dish it to his open teammate near the basket. Overall, Dockery did a good job keeping his team’s offense flowing, even though he wasn’t able to get directly involved often.

Defensively, Dockery was a bit over-aggressive, sometimes letting his man get by him on a steal attempt, and others playing very touchy defense that would not fly with the new rules in the NBA. He uses his hands very often, putting them on his opponent on the perimeter, which is something the NBA has really cracked down on recently. Dockery will need to adjust his style of defense in order to be effective in the NBA, and given that defense is Dockery’s most valuable skill, this is something he certainly needs to work on. To Dockery’s credit, he played good defense in this setting, picking up a pair of steals, as well as constantly poking at the ball when his opponent had it, causing constant discomfort. He also had a clutch steal with under a minute remaining in the game, the steal that clinched the game for his team.

Chris Quinn – 4 points, 4 assists, 3 turnovers, 0-8 FG, 4-4 FT

Quinn didn’t have one of his better games here, not getting into a rhythm with his shot and not racking up as many assists at the pure point guard is accustomed to. Quinn missed a variety of long-range shots, mid-range shots, and lay ups over the course of the game, including one floater in the final seconds of the game that possibly cost his team the game. None of Quinn’s shots were really forced or out of the flow of the offense. He was just unable to convert on any of his attempts. Quinn did a decent job running the offense, throwing some good passes in full court and half court sets, but his team didn’t finish all of them.

Defensively, Quinn had some problems against the quicker Bobby Brown, letting him blow by him on a few occasions. Fundamentally, Quinn is a very sound defender, and he’s also very competitive, always putting in the effort on this end of the floor. He did a better job when matched with Sean Dockery, picking his pocket on one possession.




Update 4

Mike Schmidt

One of the more interesting battles of the day transpired when Bobby Brown and Sean Dockery battled head to head in the one on one drills. Brown started out with the ball, and was able to blow by Dockery a number of times. He is very quick with the ball, and he uses the threat of his first step to create space for his mid-range jumper. He missed a few layups inside on drives in this drill, but Brown’s jumper went in nearly every time. Dockery was able to beat Brown nearly every time on when he was on offense. He hit 5 mid-range jumpers in a row off the dribble, but didn’t really take it to the hoop at all.

Joe Treutlein

The main court held a few scrimmages prior to the first real game of the day, and a few players managed to stand out. Kenny Adeleke was being his normal self, fighting relentlessly for every rebound and finishing around the rim. Taj Gray had an impressive block, but struggled offensively, where he wasn’t very fluid getting off his moves in the post and had trouble on one occasion dribbling the ball on the break, trying to do too much and making a turnover because of it.

On one of the side courts, coaches held more of the one-on-one drills from the wing, and Chris Quinn was a standout in his group including Keydren Clark, Brad Newley, Antywane Robinson, and Tarency Kinsey. Quinn was extremely competitive on both ends, poking the ball away on defense and hitting some outside shots on offense. Defensively, he played solid man defense, keeping his center of gravity low with good fundamentals and not letting bigger or quicker players go past him. Brad Newley showed off some nice skills, despite being a bit slow-footed with the ball. He has an uncanny ability to hit shots off-balanced with a hand in his face, and displayed so multiple times in this drill. He also showed some signs of ambidexterity, dribbling and attempting to finish left, though he was blocked by the bigger Antywane Robinson. Keydren Clark, despite being much smaller and quicker than everyone involved, refused to try and get past his defender, instead trying to force off-balanced shots over the longer, bigger defenders, though he was able to hit a few.

Jonathan Givony

In the scrimmage, Louis Amdunson continued his strong play from yesterday, being the most active player on the floor again, hitting the offensive glass like a mad man, setting screens, and putting his toughness on display at all times. He did get caught up at times trying to do a little too much, and exposed his below-average skill level by handling the ball in the full-court or trying to create his own shot in the post.




Mike Schmidt/Joe Treutlein

The players on the first side court started with one on one drills where they would get the ball on a pass from the coach around the three point line, and make a move to score on the defender. Darius Washington displayed his impressive ability near the hoop, including one play where he exploded by Bobby Jones with one dribble, and dunked right over him. Jones struggle to get his shot off throughout the drill, but his defense was solid as always. It is clear that he will need to work hard to be able to create anything for himself at the next level. Denham Brown had similar struggles creating for himself, but also did a solid job defensively. Dwayne Mitchell used his impressive athletic abilities on the defensive end, but had trouble getting to the rim to finish in this drill.

Next some players moved to some five station shooting drills, first from about 15 feet, then behind the NBA three-point line. The players took a shot at each station moving left, then went back around the court, taking a shot at each station moving right. Most players had noticeable problems adjusting to the footwork moving left, but did better moving right. Gerry McNamara looked outstanding in all of the shooting drills, knocking down nearly everything in sight. He, like others, had struggles moving left, but went 5-for-5 moving right, from behind the three-point arc, in the drill. Taquan Dean also did well in this portion of the drills, while Will Blalock and Curtis Stinson struggled with their long-range consistency, as they have all season. Stinson’s shot form seems to be improved, though he has a tendency to drift his arm to the side while shooting. Brad Buckman was unable to knock down the mid-range jump shot with any type of consistency, but he was able to make 6 of his 10 attempts from NBA 3 point range.




Main Court:

Jonathan Givony

Team One scrimmaged against itself by splitting the ten players into two teams. The teams not playing in the 11 AM game then started doing 3 on 2 transition drills leading into 2 on 1 transition . After that the players went through their sets to make sure everyone is on the same page for the games today. NBA and NCAA 3-point drills followed, with pull-up mid-range jumpers and more.

Drill Standouts

Jordan Farmar- Farmar was probably the best overall player in the morning session. He ran his team with terrific poise, making excellent decisions on the pick and roll and beginning to develop some cohesiveness between his unit as far as becoming familiar with each other. He found the open man time after time in both the game and the transition drill, and did a good job scoring the ball himself unselfishly when the opportunity presented itself.

Solomon Jones- After a bit of a rocky start in day one, much like in Portsmouth, Jones rebounded and began to show off his terrific physical tools early and often. He ran the floor like a deer on more than one occasion, either coming up with a super athletic dunk, drawing the foul or coming up with an offensive rebound. His quickness in the open floor was always evident. .

Steve Novak- After pulling the string a bit early on both yesterday and today and missing plenty of shots he’d usually knock down in his sleep, Novak calmed down a bit and started doing what he does best. He knocked down a few open NBA 3’s and did a decent job rebounding and being active defensively.

Taj Gray 4/10 college 3-point line station.

Louis Amundson- 4/10 NBA 3-point line. (4 in a row at one point).

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