Redick, Robinson, Thomas Among Top Performers In This Year's NBA Summer Leagues

July 19, 2007 3:57 p.m. EST


Todd Sikorski - AHN Sports Reporter
West Palm Beach, FL (AHN) - The Summer Leagues in Las Vegas and Orlando ended this past weekend without much fanfare. In fact, there seemed to be such a lack of excitement concerning the proceedings that some people watching the event wanted to rename it The Slumber Leagues.
Part of the problem could be attributed to all of the attention focused on the two men who have been mentioned as the future saviors of the NBA, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Both players did not factor much in the summer play as Oden appeared in only two games and Durant took a couple of games before he started to shine.

Since the men who went Nos. 1 and 2 in this year's draft showed they were human, the buzz around what happened in the summer leagues dropped as low as the ratings in this year's NBA Finals telecasts. It got so bad that the top NBA news revolved around the Eva Longoria-Tony Parker wedding that took place a whole continent away.

Still, the summer leagues, particularly the one that took place in Vegas, had some fine performances which were good to watch. With that in mind, we here at AHN will spotlight some of the best performances at this year's summer leagues. So, here's our list of the 10 most impressive players this summer, listed in no particular order.

Nate Robinson, New York Knicks

The 23-year-old second year guard was expected to be one of the better players in the leagues and he did not disappoint. Robinson was named the MVP of the Vegas league as he averaged over 19.6 points in five games while shooting 48 percent from the floor.

The most interesting aspect to Robinson's play was the fine job he did at finding open teammates. He averaged 6.0 assists a game, a number well above his 1.4 average for the Knicks this past regular season.

If Robinson can get stats like he achieved in the summer this coming season, he might end up making Knicks coach Isiah Thomas look like he knows what he is doing behind the bench. Well, almost.

Louis Williams, Philadelphia 76ers

The 20-year-old guard has seen little action for the 76ers in the past two years so what happened in Vegas was a revelation for a club that needs backcourt help now that Allen Iverson is a distant memory.

Williams, who came to the NBA with no experience in college, averaged 25.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.0 assists in five games for Philadelphia. He also showed a delicate shooting touch as he made a fine 49 percent of his shots and an even more impressive 41 percent from beyond the arc.

Marco Belinelli, Golden State Warriors

The Italian guard, who was the Warriors' first-round draft pick this year, was impressive in his four games with Golden State. His 22.8 scoring average was fifth-best in the Vegas league and he also dished out 2.5 assists a game.

The best aspect to his game is his deadly shooting as he showed how effective he was from 3-point land. He made 44 percent of his shots from beyond the arc, which was even better than his entire shooting percentage.

Belinelli might be a very important player for the Warriors because the club lost Derek Fisher and traded Jason Richardson. Baron Davis can not accomplish everything by himself.

Craig Smith, Minnesota Timberwolves

The summer leagues were dominated by the play of guards this year but Smith, a second year forward for Minnesota, had one of the best showings by someone in the frontcourt.

He averaged 21.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in five games. His most impressive stat was his 63 percent field goal shooting percentage which far outshined Kevin Durant's 33 percent showing. (Durant did have a higher scoring average, however, with 24.0 points, thanks to his performances in his final two games.)

Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies

The second-year man from Connecticut was expected to dominate because he had a solid rookie year for the Memphis in 2006-07. While Gay was not head and shoulders better than his competition, he performed well enough to wonder when he will be put in his team's starting rotation.

The forward averaged 18.2 points and 5.6 rebounds in five games for the Grizzlies and he showed he was not too bad on defense as he averaged 1.4 steals also.

Rodney Stuckey, Detroit Pistons

The 2007 first round pick for the Pistons looks to be a possible star in the making as he scored 19.0 points in five games while grabbing 4.0 rebounds a game. Not bad for a 6-5 guard who played college ball at Eastern Washington.

The other aspects of Stuckey's game look sound also as he dished out 2.6 assists and had 1.2 steals a game, which should fit in well with Detroit's team oriented offense and hard-nosed defensive mindset. His shooting might be better than some thought too as he made 46 percent of his field goals.

Javaris Crittenton, Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers' first-round selection was a pleasant surprise as he averaged 17.0 points a game despite having one performance where he failed to score in 15 minutes of play. The guard who played at Georgia Tech ended strong as he scored over 26 points twice in his last three games.

Crittenton shot over 48 percent from the floor and his 2.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists a game would make even Kobe Bryant happy-something that is not an easy thing to do these days.

Tyrus Thomas, Chicago Bulls

The second year forward played in the Orlando league and he shined despite playing in only three games. The former LSU standout averaged 16.0 points and 9.0 rebounds a game.

The sometimes moody Thomas played so well he could actually challenge his talented Bulls teammates for plenty of significant minutes during crunch time this coming year.

The biggest surprise to Thomas' game during the summer was his intense defensive play as he averaged 1.7 steals in the three games and he had numerous eye-opening blocks.

Marcus Williams, New Jersey Nets

The 21-year-old guard enjoyed a fantastic summer league in Orlando and he showed he might be the future of the Nets once that man named Jason Kidd calls it a career. Williams, who picked up some good minutes last year for New Jersey, averaged 16.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists in five appearances this summer.

Of course, he will never steal too many minutes away from Kidd, but that should give him more time to develop. The 24 turnovers he had in the summer league points to the improvements he still has to make.

J.J. Redick, Orlando Magic

The man that the majority of basketball fans hated because of his talent and the fact that he played his college ball for Duke, was the best offensive player in the Orlando summer leagues as he was tops in scoring with 19.8 points a game.

Redick, who played well in limited action for the Magic last year, also dished out 3.8 assists a game and he showed his grittiness by playing fine against bigger, more physical opponents. The solid performance might even have been good enough to make the shooting guard a legitimate contender for taking Grant Hill's spot in the Magic's starting lineup.

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• Power forward: Tyrus Thomas, Bulls -- Even in the low-key offseason, Thomas was as prickly with the media as ever. But that couldn't detract from the fact that he was hands down the best player on the floor in the three games he played.

The Bulls are convinced that his basketball skills will eventually catch up to his off-the-charts athleticism, and he certainly showed signs of that this week. His ability to make the midrange jumper now made him almost impossible to guard off the dribble. If he can hit that shot, he said, it would make it harder for coach Scott Skiles to keep him out of the starting lineup next season.

And no player drew more oohs and aahs than Thomas this week with his jaw-dropping blocked shots. His stuffing of Indiana's Shawne Williams a foot above the rim will undoubtedly be one of the lasting memories of the week.

• Small forward: Thabo Sefolosha, Bulls -- Sefolosha didn't always shoot the ball particularly well, but his nifty passing and decision-making clearly made him a favorite this week.

The Switzerland native bounced back from a stinker on Thursday with a dazzling 25-point, seven-rebound effort. He routinely snaked his cat-quick frame into the lane and got to the free throw line 10 times.

With Thomas, Sefolosha and JamesOn Curry all playing well this week, it reaffirmed Bulls GM John Paxson's abilities as a top talent evaluator. And when Noah, who worked out furiously twice a day during the camp, mends there will be an even greater logjam of young talent on the roster.

With Kirk Hinrich's extension and Andres Nocioni's new contract kicking in, and Ben Gordon and Luol Deng up for new deals, don't be surprised if Paxson soon peddles some of his young talent for a player who can give the Bulls some pop in the low post.