Smart special in Summer League

Smart was crazy good Thursday

Marcus Smart posted a Hoop Obsession efficiency rating above 1.000 Thursday at the NBA Utah Summer League. A game efficiency rating that high usually happens only a handful of times each summer. Smart's Boston Celtics defeated the San Antonio Spurs 85-71. Smart, a second year pro from Oklahoma State had 22 points (9-14 FG, 4-6 3-pt.), four rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in 27 minutes. He was dominant. 

Hoop Obsession All NBA Summer League Team for July 9, 2015

Tyler Harvey - Orlando (Blue). ...Harvey posted 24 points (8-13 FG, 4-7 3-pt., 4-5 FT) with five assists but his Orlando Magic (Blue) team fell to the Indiana Pacers 91-85. Harvey (E. Washington) was the 51st player selected in the 2015 NBA Draft. 

Jack Cooley - Utah. ...Cooley scored ten points (3-8 FG, 4-4 FT) and grabbed eight rebounds in 20 minutes as the starting center for the Jazz. Utah beat the Philadelphia 76ers 84-78. Cooley played 16 games with Jazz in 2014-15. 

Joseph Young - Indiana. ...Young had a better day playing point guard for the Pacers Thursday. He scored 28 points (9-17 FG, 5-9 3-pt., 5-6 FT) and added three boards but most importantly, he had three assists and only one turnover. Young has clearly demonstrated that his jump shot is accurate. 

Devyn Marble - Orlando (Blue) ...Marble scored 22 points (8-17 FG, 5-9 3-pt. 1-2 FT), with seven rebounds, three assists, and four steals in 34 minutes. 

Chris Johnson (Dayton) - Utah. ...Johnson scored nine points (3-6 FG, 1-3 3-pt., 2-2 FT), and added three rebounds, five assists, and three steals in 24 minutes.

Russ Smith - Memphis. ...Smith continued to be one of the best individual performers of the first week of NBA Summer League. In the Grizzlies 87-81 win over Oklahoma City, Smith scored 17 points (4-10 FG, 0-1 3-pt., 9-9 FT), grabbed four boards, dished four assists, and had five steals in 27 minutes.  

Darnell Lazare - Memphis. ...Lazare put up nine points (3-5 FG, 3-3 FT) and controlled six rebounds in just 20 minutes. He went undrafted in 2007 out of LSU. Lazare played professionally in Canada in 2014-15. 

Quinn Cook - Oklahoma City. ...Cook is a kid we think could crack an NBA roster due to his overall feel and skill. He makes high IQ basketball plays. Thursday he scored 15 points (6-13 FG, 3-7 3-pt.), had five rebounds, and five assists in 26 minutes off the bench for the Thunder. 

Jarnell Stokes - Memphis. ...Stokes is an old-school power forward. He bullied his way to 18 points (7-10 FG, 4-4 FT) and added four boards in 26 minutes. 

Arinze Onuaku - Indiana. ...Onuaku scored eleven points (3-6 FG, 1-1 3-pt., 4-8 FT) grabbed nine rebounds and blocked three shots (28 minutes), manning the middle for the Pacers. 

C.J. Fair - Boston. ...Fair scored six points (3-5 FG, 0-1 3-pt.), with seven rebounds, and three assists in 25 minutes. 

Notes: One player, that played at least 20 minutes, was in "negative" efficiency territory. Olivier Hanlan the Utah Jazz rookie selected 42nd overall scored just two points (1-5 FG) in 22 minutes. 

NBA Summer League Monday, Rodney Hood shines

Hood up to all good

Rodney Hood, a second year pro from Duke, was the most efficient player on a winning team across two NBA Summer leagues Monday. Hood led the Utah Jazz to a 100-82 win over the Boston Celtics in the second game of the Utah NBA Summer League. Hood dropped jumpers, scored in transition, and played an unselfish game on his way to 23 points (9-17 FG, 1-5 3-pt., 4-6 FT), ten rebounds, and four assists in 29 minutes. 

Hoop Obsession All 2015 NBA Summer League Team for Monday July 6th. 

Chris Singleton - Orlando (White). ...Singleton played as well Monday as we've ever seen him play. Always known as an outstanding defensive player, Singleton often runs into trouble with terrible shot selection, trying to be an OFFENSIVE force. The reality is that Singleton's jumper is sketchy at best. Monday he played his trademark great D and limited his forced offense to just a couple possessions. The result was a super-efficient 17 points (8-12 FG, 0-1 3-pt., 1-2 FT), six rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots, two steals, and most importantly a W for his team.  Singleton played 30 minutes as the Orlando White team beat Indiana 85-76 Monday in the day's first game in the Orlando NBA Summer League. 

Aaron Gordon - Orlando (Blue). ...Gordon scored 21 points (8-11 FG, 1-2 3-pt., 4-8 FT), grabbed ten rebounds, dished three assists and pilfered three steals in 30 minutes. The Orlando Blue team however lost to Oklahoma City 73-65. Gordon made our list of the best Summer League ballers for the second time in as many opportunities. 

Mitch McGary - Oklahoma City. ...McGary was the biggest reason the Thunder won Monday. McGary scored 19 points (9-12 FG, 0-1 3-pt., 1-2 FT) with three boards, two assists, and two steals in 25 minutes. 

Marcus Smart - Boston. ...Smart is a really good basketball player with the exceptions of his shot selection and touch. It can be maddening to see Smart dominate a game in several facets yet hurt his team by jacking up ill-advised three point shots. Smart's defense is smothering. His court-vision is nice. He helps as a rebounder. Monday, Smart scored 26 points (6-20 FG, 2-10 3-pt., 12-13 FT), pulled in five rebounds, dished eight assists, and had two steals in 30 minutes.  

Keith Appling - Orlando (White). ...Appling is making a strong case for a deeper look by NBA teams. He played well again Monday with 17 points (3-10 FG, 0-1 3-pt., 11-11 FT), three rebounds, and three steals in 22 minutes. He quarterbacked his team their second win without a loss.  

Myles Turner - Indiana. ...Turner looked very much like a player who will positively impact the Pacers lineup this coming season. The BIG rookie from Texas had 13 points (6-11 FG, 0-1 3-pt.), nine rebounds and six blocked shots in 27 minutes. 

Jordan Mickey - Boston. ...Mickey, a 2015 second round pick (33rd overall) from LSU looked comfortable as a finisher in the pick-n-roll. It is a given that he brings rim protection. Mickey had 16 points, four rebounds, and three blocked shots in 27 minutes. One block, in particular, was a spectacular denial of Jack Cooley trying to attack the rim. 

Dante Exum - Utah. ...Exum struggled in the first quarter and then looked like a completely different player the rest of the game. The final three quarters were the best I've seen Exum play since the Hoop Summit in 2013. Exum finished with 20 points (5-11 FG, 1-5 3-pt., 9-10 FT), five rebounds, and five assists in 29 minutes. Unfortunately, Exum sprained his left ankle late in the game (1:50 left in Q4) which was already decided. 

Seth Tuttle - Miami. ...Tuttle scored eleven points (5-6 FG, 1-2 3-pt.), and added three rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 27 minutes. The undrafted rookie free agent from Northern Iowa had a great Senior season but was dreadful in post-season play (Portsmouth, Reese's All-Star game). The Heat beat the Detroit Pistons 78-73 to remain undefeated in summer action at 3-0. 

Davis Bertans - San Antonio. ...Bertans displayed his sharp shooting Monday, nailing five three-pointers. He scored 19 points (6-10 FG, 5-8 3-pt., 2-3 FT), and dished three assists in 26 minutes. The Spurs beat Philadelphia 74-71. 

Stanley Johnson - Detroit. ...Johnson scored 14 points (4-5 FG, 2-3 3-pt., 4-6 FT), with seven boards, and two steals in 29 minutes. 

Notes: Utah's Grant Jerrett suffered a separated right shoulder. ...After shooting the ball well on the opening day of the Orlando Summer League. Adonis Thomas had a game to forget Monday. Thomas went 3-14 FG and turned it over five times in the Pistons loss.  

NBA All Rookie Team 2014-15

Mirotic is a quality rookie forward

The All-Rookie Team in the NBA is as subjective as you would like to make it. In a season such as this one, I'd bet many voters had a hard time coming up with ten rookie names. The NBA All-Rookie Teams are one award that, to us, is annually goofed up by voters putting too much value in per-game averages. That is how you get Gary Neal on the First Team in 2010-11 ahead of Eric Bledsoe or Derrick Favors. In 2012-13 It was Dion Waiters making the First Team ahead of Andre Drummond. 

It is understandable. Many voters simply compare per-game averages of players and roll with the guy who has the higher numbers. But what if the guy with the higher numbers is playing eight minutes more per-game simply because his team stinks, and is "in the tank"? 

Our issue with using per-game averages as the most important factor is that - not all teams are playing guys the same way. For instance, a rookie on the San Antonio Spurs, a veteran laden, championship winning team, is not going to have anywhere close to the equal amount of opportunities a rookie in Philadelphia will get. By breaking production down to a per-minute basis, we can "level the court" somewhat. 

Since we are way more obsessive than most, and for the sake of further educating ourselves, we took the time to closely examine 44 rookie NBA players, vying for ten spots on the All-Rookie Teams. 

Per-minute efficiency can help focus in on who has a chance to play for years in the NBA. Almost without fail, low-efficiency guys will fade away, into the D-League, or perhaps overseas.  We also believe the defensive aspect of the game is lost too often when it comes to NBA All-Rookie teams. 

We used the following criteria and formula... Total Production - 40% (efficiency rating multiplied by number of minutes played), Efficiency Rating (per-minute) 30%, Defensive Rating 20%, and number of wins 10%. ...We then built two teams using the data and our feel as a guide.

2014-15 NBA All-Rookie First Team

Elfrid Payton, Marcus Smart, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Mirotic, Nerlens Noel. 

All Rookie Second Team: 

Jordan Clarkson, Zach LaVine, Rodney Hood, Jabari Parker, Jusuf Nurkic. 

Players who were close to making our lists included: Tarik Black, Mitch McGary, James Ennis, K.J. McDaniels, Cory Jefferson, and Langston Galloway. 

Point Guards to watch in the 2014 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament

Annually we analyze a player's production per minute, and ability to defend as it relates to a future in the NBA. ... Here are the best all-around Point Guards as we view it...

Smart can carry a team

Marcus Smart - Oklahoma State 6'3" 200 Sophomore. ...Smart is a strong, athletic 'lead guard' that I believe projects as a possible NBA All-Star someday. Smart is a terrific defender, posting the third best Defensive Rating among PG's in the 2014 NCAA Tourney. He averages 17.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, and he led the Big 12 in steals. He raised his career assist-to-turnover ratio to 1.5-to-1, which puts him on the border for being a "Point" guard. The clear weakness in Smart's game is his perimeter shooting. He hits just 29% from 3-pt. (career). 

Kyle Anderson - UCLA 6'9" 235 Sophomore. ...As unique a player as you can find in the college game, Anderson is a 6'9" point guard that seemingly plays as his nickname suggests (Slo Mo). He led the Pac 12 in assists per game, and in defensive rebounds per game. That's a combo you rarely, if ever, see. …Anderson owns a 1.9-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He averages 14.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game. He shoots the three-ball at 37% (career), and hits 74% of his foul shots. 

Briante Weber - VCU 6'2" 165 Junior. ...Weber is the best defensive guard in the Tournament, with a Defensive Rating of 84.7. …He averages 9.5 points per game but he wreaks havoc on D, snatching 3.4 steals per game (that is an incredibly high number, and even more impressive considering his DEFRTG). His assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.9-to-1. ...Weber needs to improve his deep shooting (career 24% 3-pt). 

Terry Rozier - Louisville 6'1" 170 Freshman. ...Rozier only plays 19.3 minutes per game as a freshman but in those minutes he has shined as a future star. His 3.17-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is incredible. …Rozier also shoots the long ball well (37% 3-pt FG). 

Ennis = CLUTCH

Tyler Ennis - Syracuse 6'1" 180 Freshman. ...Ennis showed the ability to lead his team in "clutch" situations as a freshman. He averages 12.7 points, and 5.6 rebounds per game. He led the ACC in steals and assists. More importantly, as a point guard, he has a 3.24-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. He shoots the three ball well (37%), and hits 76% of his foul shots. 

Shaquielle McKissic - Arizona State 6'5" 200 Senior. ...This may be a stretch, as McKissic is not known as a point guard. He is on the same team with Jahii Carson and McKissic has not been given an opportunity to run a team on his own. McKissic owns an impressive 2.86-to-1 assist to turnover ratio which should help keep him on the radar for NBA teams. ...McKissic has a troubled past but now seems focused. He is averaging nine points, and five boards per game in a handful of minutes. 

Joseph Young - Oregon 6'2" 185 Junior. ...Young is a scoring point guard that is right above the cutoff line for an acceptable assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6-to-1). …Young is fantastic in the open-court, showing excellent speed and an ability to finish despite being under 190 lbs. Young played his freshman season at Houston before transferring to Oregon. His Defensive Rating is terrible (107.9). 

Shabazz Napier - Connecticut 6'1" 180 Senior. ...Napier is a gifted player that can break his man down off the dribble. He is fiercely competitive, and he will battle for rebounds with bigger players. He was named the 2013-14 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He averages 17.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game. His former coach, Jim Calhoun said Napier can be a bit moody. One day he is talkative and leading, the next day he hardly says a word. We've watched him scream at his teammates for mistakes they've made. Napier is not my favorite player but I can't deny his skill. 

Kenny Chery - Baylor 5'11" 180 Junior. ...Chery averages 11.6 points, and five assists per game. He scored 29 points in a recent win on the road at Kansas St, earning Big 12 Player of the Week honors. He is money from the foul line (87%) FT. He was a member of 2010 Canadian Junior Men's National Team. 

Fred Van Vleet - Wichita St. 5'11" 194 Sophomore. ...VanVleet is the "quarterback" of the undefeated Shockers. He averages 12.1 points, and 5.3 assists per game. He is an 80% free throw shooter. He plays at a steady pace, reminiscent of a young Mike Bibby. VanVleet has a 2.89-to-1 assist to turnover ratio (career). 

Michael Dixon - Memphis 6'1" 200 Senior. ...Dixon landed in Memphis after playing three seasons at Missouri. He is still the same dangerous offensive player. He averages 11.8 points per game in 22.9 minutes per contest. Dixon can hit the three-ball (38%), and he is an excellent foul shooter (85% - career).

DeAndre Kane - Iowa St. 6'4" 200 Senior. ...Kane has the ability to carry a team for stretches with his fearless style of play. He posted averages of 17 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.8 assists this season. He improved his deep shooting this season to a rock solid 39% 3-pt fg. Kane played three seasons at Marshall before transferring to Iowa State. ...He is 24 years old. 

Jahii Carson - Arizona St. 5'10" 175 Sophomore. ...Carson can get into the paint at will off the dribble. He averages 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists per game. He is looking to score more than to set up teammates. His assist-to-turnover ratio is 1.37-to-1 (below average for a point guard).