I'm not entirely clear why JV was there in the first place. There was a play yesterday where he moved three guys across the lane. I don't even think he was trying when he did it. Clearly, though, he's prepped to take a big jump this season, so that's awesome. Having been a Raps fan for so long, I forgot what it was like to have an elite talent on the team. It seems like Bosh and Carter have been gone for about 20 years.
I was surprised they sent him too, but watching him was really giving me my summer basketball fix. I guess I'll have to wait for Eurobasket now.
"Every time the 7-foot Valanciunas, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2011 draft, has taken the court this week in Las Vegas, he’s done a handful of things to make the basketball traditionalist chuckle out loud. The pump fakes are breathtaking, but they have been only one of his many attributes on display. Valanciunas has shown the ability to make jump hooks with both hands, and the footwork necessary to set them up. The touch on his passes and the calm with which he handles double teams are rarely seen in a player with his size and strength. Defensively, he’s maintained a high effort level and diligently committed to finding a body to box out as to maximize his rebounding opportunities. He’s altered shots and shadowed pick-and-roll ball-handlers. And, it goes without saying, he’s outmuscled and overpowered virtually everyone he has come across this week.
Put simply, Valanciunas is the best player in this year’s summer league, and his development is progressing so well that Raptors coach Dwane Casey didn’t hesitate or hedge when asked to gauge his center’s ceiling.
“I see an All-Star in the making,” Casey told SI.com on Thursday. “He’s not there yet. … I think you’re going to see that [recognition] in the future. As he grows as a player, we’ll grow as a team.”"
I was surprised they sent him too, but watching him was really giving me my summer basketball fix. I guess I'll have to wait for Eurobasket now.
This is Casey's reasoning for sending JV to Summer League:
“We wanted him to pick out his spots, to read the post defenses, to make good decisions with the pass, and that’s what he’s doing. We wanted him to really gauge the speed of the game because we don’t have Roy Hibbert here, or Brook Lopez, and some of the big-time centers in our league. … He’s done a heck of a job of making decisions with the ball, making the right reads and passes. That was what we intended for him to get out of the summer league, and that’s what he’s done.”
This is Casey's reasoning for sending JV to Summer League:
“We wanted him to pick out his spots, to read the post defenses, to make good decisions with the pass, and that’s what he’s doing. We wanted him to really gauge the speed of the game because we don’t have Roy Hibbert here, or Brook Lopez, and some of the big-time centers in our league. … He’s done a heck of a job of making decisions with the ball, making the right reads and passes. That was what we intended for him to get out of the summer league, and that’s what he’s done.”
I have no problem with the reasoning, or them sending him there. But it was obvious after the first couple of games that he can't really do more growth there in terms of basketball skills.
Like I said in another post somewhere, the biggest positive I take from it is that he got reps at game speed with his added weight. He was gassed in the first game, but looked better in later games. A good sign that means he's putting in the right conditioning work, not just bulking up.
Ross' confidence looks off. He just doesn't seem to make the right moves over and over again. Passed up a three (probably because he has been missing so many) so he could drive to the rim (excellent idea) but then draws a charge. Perhaps he should just work on his strength and he can be our defensive guard who will lock down the other teams second unit.
Ross' confidence looks off. He just doesn't seem to make the right moves over and over again. Passed up a three (probably because he has been missing so many) so he could drive to the rim (excellent idea) but then draws a charge. Perhaps he should just work on his strength and he can be our defensive guard who will lock down the other teams second unit.
He's not playing particularly bad on offense. He's only taken 3 shots and hit 2.
It's only Summer League. But Ross gotta show more than that. Not impressed.
I very much like what I am seeing from buyucks and acy. Ross is still learning the game I are it. Will he learn how simple the game is in the time he has here in Toronto I don't know but he will be good at some point.
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