Summer League (Dose of Reality)

[mloyko]

Since everyone on the board is so reactionary to calling Fab Melo a bust or crown Perry Jones III, I decided to do a little research.

Just so people temper their expectations a little bit:

2003 Reebok Summer League Leading Scorers

1. Donny Marshall, NJ - 20.0
2. John Salmons, Philadelphia - 19.6
3. Juan Dixon, Wash - 18.0
4. Kedrick Brown, Boston - 17.2
5. Brandon Hunter, Boston - 16.3
6. Lebron James, Cleveland - 15. 3

2004 Orlando Summer League Leading Scorers

1. DaJuan Wagner, Cle - 18.6
2. Jarvis Hayes, Wash - 17.8
3. Tony Allen, Boston - 13.4
4. Al Jefferson, Boston - 13.0

Now granted I didn't post every season here.. but, you get the point. You can't judge a player to be successful or unsuccessful in the NBA based on their summer league stats.

[Cman]

Since everyone on the board is so reactionary to calling Fab Melo a bust or crown Perry Jones III, I decided to do a little research.

Just so people temper their expectations a little bit:

2003 Reebok Summer League Leading Scorers

1. Donny Marshall, NJ - 20.0
2. John Salmons, Philadelphia - 19.6
3. Juan Dixon, Wash - 18.0
4. Kedrick Brown, Boston - 17.2
5. Brandon Hunter, Boston - 16.3
6. Lebron James, Cleveland - 15. 3

2004 Orlando Summer League Leading Scorers

1. DaJuan Wagner, Cle - 18.6
2. Jarvis Hayes, Wash - 17.8
3. Tony Allen, Boston - 13.4
4. Al Jefferson, Boston - 13.0

Now granted I didn't post every season here.. but, you get the point. You can't judge a player to be successful or unsuccessful in the NBA based on their summer league stats.

LeBron James had "bust" written all over him based on his summer league performance, based on my mother-in-laws now former boyfriend.

[bfrombleacher]

Yeah, it's fun to watch but nowhere near a good barometer for the likely career trajectory of the players.

[Boris Badenov]

Since everyone on the board is so reactionary to calling Fab Melo a bust or crown Perry Jones III, I decided to do a little research.

Just so people temper their expectations a little bit:

2003 Reebok Summer League Leading Scorers

1. Donny Marshall, NJ - 20.0
2. John Salmons, Philadelphia - 19.6
3. Juan Dixon, Wash - 18.0
4. Kedrick Brown, Boston - 17.2
5. Brandon Hunter, Boston - 16.3
6. Lebron James, Cleveland - 15. 3

2004 Orlando Summer League Leading Scorers

1. DaJuan Wagner, Cle - 18.6
2. Jarvis Hayes, Wash - 17.8
3. Tony Allen, Boston - 13.4
4. Al Jefferson, Boston - 13.0

Now granted I didn't post every season here.. but, you get the point. You can't judge a player to be successful or unsuccessful in the NBA based on their summer league stats.

Two players in the top 5 each year...surprised we didn't win the championship in either year.

[Boris Badenov]

Yeah, it's fun to watch but nowhere near a good barometer for the likely career trajectory of the players.

It's a barometer but only in the negative direction.

If a player stinks in summer league, he has virtually no chance of making it in the NBA. But if a player lights up the summer league, we learn almost nothing. The D-league is littered with guys who lit up one summer league or another.

Also, someone else said this, but the summer league is not kind to big guys. We learn less about them than we do about wing players.