The Magic fell short in their second NBA Summer League game 108-85 to the Indiana Pacers last night in Las Vegas. The Magic were led in scoring by Caleb Houstan who finished with 18 points on 5-of-10 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Solid sighting from the second-year man out of Michigan, but the two Magic lottery picks left a bit to be desired to some fans.
No. 6 pick Anthony Black finished with eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists, while the No. 13 overall pick Jett Howard had 10 points and dished out five dimes. Neither player shined. Black shot 3-of-12 from the field and his three assists was lower than what some people were hoping for from the rookie. As for Howard, there’s not much to pick at, the “issue” is that there isn’t a ton to point to as positives.
The reality is that these are two 19-year-olds who haven’t even stepped on an NBA court yet. For reference, Franz Wagner didn’t exactly electrify the crowd in his Summer League campaign. In four games played, Wagner averaged 8 PPG, 4 RPG, and twice as many turnovers as assists. Wagner was beyond efficient to the tune of 18.6 PPG, 4 RPG, and 3.5 APG in his sophomore campaign.
Beyond that, Summer League is a chance for young players to develop, practice new skills, and add to their game. Don’t expect these players to play a polished 30 minutes. Instead, look at the short stretches where these players make the correct decision to produce success at the end of the play.
:AB slung in a strong two-handed pass from half court for an easy dunk in transition:
Jett found his spot in the corner, used a very simple jab-step to create some separation, and knocked down the triple.
And remember, even poor decisions can have a positive impact on Summer League players. Both of these young players have plenty of time to develop into the lottery-level talent that NBA fans and Magic fans in specific hope to see, give them time. Stefan and I tackled what to make of the first two Orlando Magic Summer League games earlier on ‘In The Zone’. Check out the snippet of this section below.